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wait! @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu, I noticed you liked that comment while I was editing the post!! If you're taking a look at it, refresh the page first! 🤣

I hope you will consider taking another look at this, whenever you’re able to find the time for it 🙂 I’ve made many improvements to it since. I know that my form / structure is a bit abstract/abnormal. I met a friend on Musescore back when I wrote “The Long arctic midnight suite” in 11/8 time, and he also edited my score “Lamentation” on his own volition. we sat in a discord call for like 5 hours yesterday, analyzing one another’s scores. He’s a composer and is on his way to getting his masters in composition, and he performs as a classical pianist. He gave me some material on Binary and Ternary Form structure, and stated that I’d probably be most interested in Sonata structure.. (all of which I was clueless about until now 😅) He says he thinks this is one of the better compositions I’ve written, based on the modulation, and the chord progressions I’ve used, as well as the complexity in voicings within the chords and the melodic lines. Although, the form could’ve been executed in a way that would’ve been easier to digest. He called this “through composed” mostly, with some returns to a main motif. with this context, I believe what I’ve done, here, could be better understood, in addition to the changes I’ve made. I value your feedback as well as @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu’s feedback in this forum, given how methodical and detail oriented you both tend to be. I’m just looking to improve upon what I already know, learn what I do not know, understand what I have accomplished effectively, and have things to reflect on in regard to what was ineffective or poorly executed. i know I’m just an autodidact who does this as a hobby, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist who’d love to be that outlier independent composer who can write scores that are educated, well executed, and well received by the internal industry audience. 🙂 thank you in advance, Peter !

Agreed, my piano soundbanks are way too mellow for this fugue's overall character. The first subject, as pointed out by one YouTube commenter, has the exact same initial five notes as Bach's 5th Brandenburg Concert's 3rd movement. The key isn't that far off too, a mere semitone above the original in D major. It's both fantastic and mesmerizing how an entirely different piece could come out of such a similar foundation: such is the mastery over melody and harmony Bach simultaneously displayed in his fugal subjects, that we all should strive from learn from him. As for the 2nd subject, it first apears in b. 32 as you correctly observed, and also in b. 84 in non-strict stretto with itself, kind of like a chain of false entries. That was indeed the purpose of the whole cadenza: to provide a less polyphonically dense passage for the sake of letting the listener rest before the final reexposition. The chromaticism you noticed also inversely follow many of the previous modulations employed throughout the whole fugue up until that point. That would normally be the ideal development, but unfortunately the assymetries between both sequences resulted in unbearably clashing dissonances when trying to superpose both subjects on top of one another in invertible counterpoint. Trying to have them in stretto didn't have much better to offer, as it barely served as one, rather sounding like a sequentially yuxtaposed entry on account of how late the 2nd subject could enter in conjunction with the first one without an inexorable clash of minor 2nd intervals. As such, it appeared as though these subjects are way too independent from one another, to the point I couldn't manage to have them work with each other lest the counterpoint and harmonies became severely riddled with intolerable dissonances. Nevertheless, it would have been a pretty nifty idea, had I been willing to modify all iterations of the first subject to account for it while progress on the piece was still underway. Unfortunately however, I am currently only editing this fugue for minor corrections, and a full revamp making either subject fit for stretto or invertible counterpoint with the other will have to wait at least as few years before I revisit this work in hopes of further expanding it. Gracias por todo, Luis. 🙂

Installment 3 of posting my old pieces, please enjoy this lied from 2018

I like it sounds nice. Definitely a large contrast between the first part and kind of follows the structure of ABA. At “ritmico” the crash cymbals would sound better if they were choked. with the audio The slower parts were not really as clear and sounded kind of muddy and blurry, but that was probably a playback thing. Nice work with the low brass and the feature with that.

You're welcome! And thanks for your reactions and interaction! Perhaps you'd be interested in reading this particular post in the "Why I compose music on paper" thread? In that post I also reveal my own struggles with mental health and bipolar disorder. Would you be interested in this topic? What keeps you from reviewing more works?

Alex, Thanks for listening ... and more so .... thank you for referring me to Hindemith's "Mathis De Maler". What a beautiful work! I will listen to it a few times more ... so much to appreciate in its orchestration and thematic development. Mark

So this is something i have worked on for four years now. I was inspired to write it, as ballets (Rite of Spring, Petrushka, Firebird, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake) are some of my favorite pieces of music. I wanted to see if I could carry a narrative through the music. It's long, it's a full 2 hour ballet. I fully understand most people will not listen to it, but if you have sometime. I wanted to have the score ready with it, but I had an unfortunate incident with a failed hard drive, that claimed three of the scenes. I hadn't realized they were not backed up, so I'm in the process of reconstructing them from the audio. I've included a program for you to follow along with. Roles: Tove - Youngest child of a peasant family Bjørn - A prince, cursed to be a bear during the day Åge - Father of a peasant family Liv - Mother of a peasant family Revna - A witch who cursed Bjørn Estrid - A young maiden and one of three sisters Frida - A mother and one of three sisters Gudrun - An old crone and one of three sisters East Wind, West Wind, South Wind, North Wind Tove’s brothers and sisters Revna’s servants ACT 1 Scene 1: During a great famine, a peasant (Åge) is searching through the woods, looking for food. Suddenly, a monstrous white bear (Bjørn) appears before him. The bear offers to give him all the wealth and food he could ever need, in return for his only daughter. Although troubled at the thought of what the bear will do to her, he accepts, knowing that his wife and other children will starve if not. Scene 2: Upon returning home, the peasant tells his family of the bear's offer of wealth and food. His wife (Liv) and sons are shocked that he has traded away his only daughter. His daughter (Tove) is horrified that her father has given her away to this magical bear but accepts her fate, knowing that it will save her family from starvation. Bjørn comes to collect his payment and bestow upon the family what he has promised. Before their eyes, their shack is transformed into a mansion, filled with gold and endless food. Tove reluctantly follows Bjørn into the forest. Scene 3: Bjørn and Tove travel through the woods, with few words spoken. A pack of wolves attacks, but Bjørn drives them off. As they reach the edge of the woods, Tove suddenly sees a magnificent castle. Bjørn informs her that this will be her new home. He tells her that the only rule she must follow is to never light a candle during the night. Scene 4: As night falls, Tove prepares for bed and puts out all the candles in her room. She climbs into bed in the darkened room and begins to drift to sleep. She is startled by someone entering the room. She calls out, but no one responds. She goes to light a candle but then hears the voice of Bjørn, reminding her that she must never light a candle during the night. After a while, she drifts to sleep. ACT 2 Scene 5: Almost a year has passed, and Tove has discovered that Bjørn isn’t the monster she first thought him to be. She finds herself beginning to feel a deep affection for him, just as she notices that he also is falling in love with her. Scene 6: One day, Tove asks Bjørn if she may visit her family, as she is missing them. He grants her wish but makes her promise that she will not speak to anyone about her life at the castle. Tove returns to her family, and they throw a celebration in honor of her visit. During the celebration, her mother continually tries to ask her about what goes on at the castle, but she manages to avoid the questions. After the party has finished, Liv corners her and demands answers to all of her questions. Tove reluctantly tells her mother about the mysterious man who enters her room each night. Her mother tells her that after the man has fallen asleep, she should light a candle so she can see who it is. Tove tells her mother that she is forbidden to do that, but her mother insists that no one will ever know. Scene 7: Back at the castle, the pattern of events continues as before. During the night, the mystery man enters her room and falls asleep in the chair. After a few nights, she decides to do as her mother has said. She waits a long time after he has fallen asleep and then lights a candle. She leans over his body to see the face of a beautiful young prince. She is so captivated by his face that she doesn’t realize that melted wax starts to drip from the candle. It lands on the sleeping man, the heat waking him from his slumber. He sees her looking at him with the candle and jumps from the bed. He explains that he is Bjørn, and a witch (Revna) had transformed him into a bear because he refused to marry her. Under the curse, he must spend each day as a bear, only becoming a human at night. The only way to break the curse was for a woman to fall in love with him without ever looking at his true face. Only by earning her trust could the curse be broken. After apologizing for having failed her and himself, he must now marry Revna and be imprisoned in the house that is east of the sun and west of the moon for the rest of his life. The room suddenly goes dark, and as light reappears, Tove finds herself in the forest, alone. ACT 3 Scene 8: Tove is wandering the woods, grieving over losing Bjørn. During the many months with him, she had come to care for him and realizes what she has now lost. While walking through the woods, she comes upon a young girl (Estrid), whose leg is trapped under a fallen tree limb. She helps free her, and the two begin to talk. Tove asks her if she knows the way to the House east of the sun and west of the moon. Unfortunately, Estrid has no idea, but she magically conjures a horse that will carry Tove to her sister (Frida), who may know the way. She also gives Tove a golden apple as thanks for having freed her from the tree limb. Scene 9: The magical horse carries Tove to a lake, where she hears cries for assistance. She sees a mother, holding her baby, trapped upon a rock in the lake. The woman tells her she is unable to swim and fears her child will drown. Tove crosses the river to the rock and helps the mother and child safely back to the shore. She discovers that this woman is none other than Estrid’s sister Frida. Tove asks if she knows the way to the House east of the sun and west of the moon, but just like her sister, Frida has no idea. However, she conjures a magical boat that will carry Tove to the other side of the lake and to the house of her other sister (Gudrun). She tells Tove that if anyone knows, it will be Gudrun, as she is the eldest and wisest of the three. She gives Tove a golden comb as thanks for saving her and the child. Scene 10: The magical boat carries Tove far across the lake. In the distance, she sees a small hut that is in flames. As the boat comes to the shore, she hears the screams of an old woman from inside the burning house. She runs inside and drags the old woman out just as the hut is completely consumed by fire. She discovers that this old crone is none other than Gudrun, the third sister. Tove pleads with her to tell her the way to the House east of the sun and west of the moon. Gudrun tells her she must travel to the place where the winds of the east, west, north, and south meet together and ask for their assistance; only they can help her find the way. She then conjures a great bird to carry Tove to the highest mountain peak and gives her a golden needle and thread in gratitude for saving her from the fire. Scene 11: As Tove approaches the summit of the highest mountain, she sees four old giants arguing with one another. The bird lands, and she approaches them, asking if they know where the four winds could be found. One of the giants tells her that she is in their presence already, as the other three try to interject. She realizes that it is their constant arguing and screaming which produces the winds. She asks them if they can help her reach the House east of the sun and west of the moon. The East, West, and South winds tell her they know not the way to find it. The North wind proudly tells her that he once carried a sparrow to this far-off land. She asks if he can take her there as well, and with a gentle breath, he launches her into the sky. ACT 4 Scene 12: Tove awakes in a field, thinking she has dreamed everything that has happened, but then sees a massive house, with the sun to its left and the moon to its right. As she approaches the house, she sees a woman (Revna) collecting mushrooms. She asks if there is a young prince at this house. Revna asks why she wants to know. Tove offers her a golden apple if she may spend the night with him. Revna agrees to this deal but then gives Bjørn a sleeping potion so that he won’t see this beautiful girl. Scene 13: Tove tries again the next night, after offering the golden comb as payment, but again Bjørn is drugged. As Tove cries over his body, telling him how she loves him and regrets not trusting him, the servants overhear Tove’s cries each night. Scene 14: They decide to tell Tove about the sleeping potion. After receiving a payment of a golden needle and thread, Revna once again conspires to drug Bjørn into sleep. However, Tove has arranged for the servants to switch the drink. Bjørn goes to sleep, while Revna believes she has drugged him. Scene 15: As Tove enters the room, she once again declares her love for Bjørn and tells him to wake from his slumber. Bjørn opens his eyes and, upon seeing Tove, tells her that they will be together forever. Just as they go to kiss, Revna rushes in to stop them, but they kiss, and Revna bursts into flames as the curse is broken. They free all of the servants and together leave the house east of the sun, west of the moon, never to return.

Hi , TheBandGeek................i can do this 4u for Free.........You dont have to credit me. For any FUTURE competitions or backing Trax you might need , just supply the : TEMP-STYLE-KEY And then you can play your Saxophone over the Top...........Heres a 15 Sec Example.

Because I’m a little crazy sometimes and feel embarrassed by what I write. Sorry. I’ve brought it back.

I’m sorry… I hate scoring, but I’m planning on working on some in the next few months.

Thank you for the comments. My intention was for it to be simple, and song like. Sort of like a “pop song” for string quartet. Where it’s kind of bouncy and joyful throughout, with very little complication. I also love ending on anything that isn’t the tonic. It leaves a sense of mystery.

Thank you for your comments. It’s an unfortunate side effect of my mental health, that I go through some serious imposter syndrome moments, and believe that nothing I create is of any worth. It’s then that I delete, as I’m embarrassed by the pieces. It also impacts my commenting, as I feel I have nothing of worth to say.

Here is my 3rd and latest composition. It is a tone poem based on a poem by the first european female author, Sapho. I hope you like it and I would like some feedback. Here is the poem "Hymn to Aphrodite" in English. Iridescent-throned Aphrodite, deathless Child of Zeus, wile-weaver, I now implore you, Don’t–I beg you, Lady–with pains and torments Crush down my spirit, But before if ever you’ve heard my pleadings Then return, as once when you left your father’s Golden house; you yoked to your shining car your Wing-whirring sparrows; Skimming down the paths of the sky’s bright ether On they brought you over the earth’s black bosom, Swiftly–then you stood with a sudden brilliance, Goddess,before me;Deathless face alight with your smile, you asked me What I suffered, who was my cause of anguish, What would ease the pain of my frantic mind, and Why had I called you To my side: “And whom should Persuasion summon Here, to soothe the sting of your passion this time? Who is now abusing you, Sappho? Who is Treating you cruelly? Now she runs away, but she’ll soon pursue you; Gifts she now rejects–soon enough she’ll give them; Now she doesn’t love you, but soon her heart will Burn, though unwilling. “Come to me once more, and abate my torment; Take the bitter care from my mind, and give me All I long for; Lady, in all my battles Fight as my comrade.

Peter i have to say that : ............Your "Analysis & Documentation" of various composers here, is always presented & Displayed in a Professional manner, thats very similar in style to Most Magazines & TV Documentaries.

Well Done Fruit hunter...........youve got what it takes......... Its obvious to me that you : THINK like a CONDUCTOR.

Hey @BipolarComposer! I like some of the ideas you present in this piece! I think my favorite is the following pizzicato idea that recurs throughout the piece: As a whole I think the piece has a sort of ordinary type of beauty. It's not trying to impress or be spectacular - it's just chugging along with ordinary seeming material and pedestrian harmony, but it's beautiful nonetheless. I like how it doesn't end on the tonic chord but instead on the subdominant. That's one of my favorite kinds of endings to a piece of music that I often employ in my own compositions! Now that I quickly peruse the score I notice that the whole piece manages to almost completely stay diatonic to C major throughout! No problem with that - and you do throw in the occasional # in there. Thanks for sharing!

Hi @Jqh73o! I love the arch-like form of the piece! I think the main thematic material is solid and is well harmonized. I love the many modal explorations you accomplish and the different harmonies that result. I think in some places in the piece the texture is a bit muddy and too bottom-heavy. You could remedy this in a few ways - bring out the important notes more through higher velocity values. If that doesn't work you could also orchestrate this piece! I think there's a lot of potential for the piece to be made better with an orchestration - in other words, an orchestration could remedy the poor balance in some spots and give clarity. Sometimes there's too much pedal imo, and taking the piece out of the pianistic venue and into the realm of an orchestral one could be just what the piece needs to shine and breathe better. That's my opinion. Thanks for sharing!

Hey @Fruit hunter! Very interesting music! I think when writing a programmatic work like this, it is important to be able to involve the audience more in the story that you want to convey with the music. In other words, you want to give the audience an idea of what it is that they should be listening for. I can see in your score that you are working with thematic leitmotifs. As a casual first-time listener to this work I find those themes hard to pick out and hear. Perhaps, you could give the listener an introduction to each melody in isolation and associate it clearly in the audience's mind with the character you want it to represent? Maybe you already do that and I'm just missing it or not getting it? One thing that certainly seems to be the strength of the composition is the orchestration though! Thanks for sharing!

Hello @Dima Kravets and welcome to the forum! This piece has been sitting on the forum for quite a while without any responses so I decided to give it a go! From the get-go it seems to display a high level of sophistication that I can't hope to delve into and understand fully with one casual listen. For a piece that starts with a series of seemingly atonal chords and returns to them throughout, it does seem to be quite unified. And the piece as a whole does not seem to be atonal or gratingly and deliberately dissonant. Which is a nice breath of fresh air! I love the tasteful changes in key and complex but comprehensible rhythms. There seem to be some motives and the pianism is full of clear textures. The chords are never muddy. The only thing that I observe that could perhaps be improved is that the more important lines can be brought out more in high relief to create a clearer hierarchy of importance between the different lines. Sometimes the texture is polyphonic and the lines are all equally important. But in other places the top note should clearly be the more important element but it is sometimes a bit buried in the texture. That's my only critique. But I don't know what software you're using and how easy it is to do that. In Musescore I have to use velocity values to offset the foreground and background elements. The sonata seems to get more harmonically interesting and crunchy towards the end. Thanks for sharing!

Hi @BipolarComposer! I like the mood you set here! It's like a mix of music from the classic videogame "Metroid" and a bit of Elliot Goldenthal. The latter half is quite different from the beginning which sets a menacing but mysterious mood. But the end is like a release. I like it a lot! Thanks for sharing. I hope you don't end up removing it sometime in the future - it deserves to be heard by the community! Also, to encourage more participation and interaction between you and the people who might listen and review your work you could give a ❤️ or a 🏆 as a reaction to our reviews! And btw - Happy Easter!

Hi Mark, I especially enjoyed your harmonic planing in this piece, and the way you effortlessly blend consonance and dissonance (a common feature of many of your works). It reminds me a little bit of Hindemith's "Mathis De Maler" (which I saw live at London's Barbican last year). Hope others will chime in here, as I'm not the best analyst! Alex

henry ng, this here is a wonderful work. Thank you for giving me a preview of this work before posting. I feel you have taken a lot of inspiration from native themes and folklore of HK; this is a promising new direction in your style as a composer. I love the tranquility of the atmosphere, juxtaposition of the neapolitan harmony, and usage of 4ths and 2nds. I have to agree with darachmiad that the main melody is quite catchy, a little bit bluesy too. Sort of reminds me of music from my home country, but perhaps because I am homesick too. Barely have anything to critique, looking forward to hearing more works. I truly think you are now building your own 1. originality 2. style and 3. uniqueness.

hello user011235(Darachmiad I believe), Thank you for your kind words, glad you found a few things unique about it. These are actually conceived as a set, but maintain distinct personalities from each other. I was planning on unifying the work a bit more, but am also happy with the final product.

Do not lose hope, ever. You're too young and talented, and there may be days where hope is the only thing you have to cling onto. Your music is inspirational, and thank you for sharing here where others can learn from your depth of knowledge and prowess as a composer. I truly hope the best for you, as all I can do for you is to hope too. Good luck my friend, I hope to hear more from you at some point. -Vince