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The answer is "yes." In music (as in developmental psychology), the nurture vs. nature question is kind of moot. I think that, in the end, individual style is (like most deeply personal things) in itself unconscious--after all, you can't consciously, concretely work toward a particular individual style unless you already know what it sounds like, which is a bit of a paradox. However, a composer's unconscious musical identity is largely a product of the conscious choices they make along the way: the music they listen to and study and play (and, yes, imitate); the effort and awareness they put into developing their technique, and so forth. I'm a little surprised that the role of musical culture hasn't come up more in this discussion because (in my limited and anecdotal experience as a composition student) the single best thing a composer can do to develop his or her own style is to listen. Whether or not you agree with Ives that there's "a place in the soul all made of tunes, of tunes of long ago," it's hard to deny that the music we're exposed to (whether by choice or not) plays a huge role in shaping our identity--our musical "grammars" and sets of expectations--as both composers and listeners. For me, at least, composition (and whatever "originality" that results) is very much a process of my intuition digesting my influences. Moreover, I might argue that the success and relevance of most enduring music is due in part to its honesty about its influences--it says something original by using musical symbols whose significance is already familiar to the audience (for some extremely unsubtle examples, think of funeral marches or folk idioms in Mahler, or even "power chords" in John Adams) in new ways. And by that token, I don't think "originality" should be any more of a concern for composers of "art music" today than it was in Mozart's time. It's not the 1960s anymore (and, indeed, it could be argued that much of the quintessential "modern" music of the 1960s--Cage, Boulez, etc.--has aged so quickly precisely because it attempted to deny its cultural context, but I digress): like Mozart, we listen to the music of our own culture, and it comes out in our writing. If anything, it might be easier to be "original" today because of the diversity of our musical culture(s) and the wealth of recorded music we have access to via the internet. If we listen with awareness to a variety of styles and make a conscious effort to discern what is striking, surprising, or just "good" about all of them, their influence will inevitably start to come out in our own music--though maybe not subtly or convincingly at first--and the process of these influences being filtered by your training, your imagination, and your innate preferences is, I would argue, what produces originality. An example from my own experience that comes to mind (and ties into the discussion about Hans Zimmer and film music) is the following: when I used to compose scores to student films, I would try very hard to consciously write in the style the director prescribed. These were fairly easy styles to write in (it's not exactly difficult to imitate, for instance, the Zimmer/Badelt "style" from the Disney pirate movies, for instance) so technique was not an issue; however, I found it impossible not to let other influences creep in--so, for instance, you might get something like Hans Zimmer made more colorful by Adams-esque harmonic shifts or ostinati reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann which, integrated consistently enough, added up to a completely different style. In other words, it was difficult not to be original... and I imagine this kind of thing is the case for most composers with eclectic listening preferences. The directors were not happy. :)

Congrats to the podium, especially for the winner :) ! Sonataform does deserve his music to be premiered, not only on strictly musical merits, but also due to his openness towards other people's works (that also applies to both Sojar and Sarastro, although I can bet they have actually better chances of getting their stuff performed). As for my own work - well, if it was useful for anything, it might have been to provide further relevance to this competition and to attract some of the best YC members into it, even if not with their most daring stuff. I'm glad that my work was at least "well-behaved enough for church" :thumbsup:, to quote Sarastro. I will most certainly revise the work and look into the unidiomatic issues, as well as an extra effort to make it sound somewhat closer to whatever expectations people have about my compositions :dunno: . Thanks for the competition, and good luck with the performance!

It was for me a great honour have all your participations in this competition! I have to confess that was also very difficult for me to find a winner, but after some reflexion I found one! It was for me very hard to be the judge! Although in the next concert which will give, I will only perform the winner piece (because I don’t have much time), I probably will record some of other pieces, because they real pleased me! (It is a pity that I didn’t remember before to do this competition, because if I had remembered I would play more new pieces). I decided to make a podium with the three best pieces. I will start by the ones which aren’t in the podium: Luderart: Thank you for your participation I am really glad with the great enthusiasm you revealed in this competition. For me, your best piece is your Solioquy number two, it has melodic potential and its character with many chords and some what medieval harmonies goes well with the organ, however this piece lacks development, it is more a sample, almost a sketch than a work with structure, beginning and end, then it wasn’t awarded. The Solioquy number 3 it is not so inspired as the second, and it would be a little strange to perform in a Church, it is a little bit weird and I simply do not understand its meaning. As for your forth Solioquy it is clearly better than your third one, this is also more developed than your second one, although this is not so inspired as the second. Your harmonic language is yet too much simple, I advise you to study Bach’s Chorales! But again I thank you your enthusiasm in joining this competition. Austenite: It was indeed an honour for me have your name in this competition, although I must say that this Toccata it is fair for being one of your best works, mainly because it clearly (as many people said before) shows your inexperience leading with the organ. I loved the entrance, which made me remember the beginning of Bach’s 1st Orchestral Suite, which is one of my favourite works from the Great master! (and it is funny because they are in the same key), the middle section was also interesting, although the entrance was clearly what impression me most. It is hard for me to not have this piece in the podium, but the other three are also quite good, then I used the organ technique excuse to not choose this one! But I don’t deny the possibility of record this piece in this summer. I think that it has really very good material, a revision in the technique and in some other details, will certainly be a great improvement to this delightful and smart piece. (which I consider more a Prelude than a Toccata  ) Now the podium, In the third place: Sarastro and its Chacona. A piece which could perfectly have won this competition. And why then it didn’t win? Only because in my opinion the other two did better! Very interesting, it has many many style, I’m a lover of modalism, and you are a master of modalism! Thank you a lot for this piece which mixes perfectly the past with the present! Perhaps a factor that helped to lead you no to the first or the second place is that this piece, although it is clearly for organ it is not completely “churchly”. But I must thank you for your participation and kind contribute with this genial work! In the Second Place: Sojar’s Intrada Picola It is very hard for me to not consider this piece the winner one, because in this explanation it is also almost impossible for me to criticize a work, which is an incredible work, which I with any problem assume that this is a work greater than me. And how may I criticize a work which is greater than me? I feel that I’m judging a work from Handel, or Bach, have I this power? Have I this capacity? No I haven’t. But I only must say, that I have commit myself to choose a winner piece, and I here confess that this was for me the most difficult decision, the best two pieces are very very close, I almost consider this second and the first place, as two first places! Then to forecast, why this is not the winner one, in the justification of the next piece perhaps you could understand me decision. This piece is simply perfect. The harmonies certainly will fulfil an entire cathedral. It is full of dissonances, but its give to this piece so much light! Yes, this piece is light, pure light in sound state! That F major in 17, uauhh! And the final coda with is indeed glorious! So much glorious. The only detail which I disagree totally with you it is the name, ok I know that you called it piccolo because the duration is very brief, although its name should be not Intrada Picola, but Grande Intrata, ou Lumine Intrata! Fantastic! Thank you, thank you very much for this marvellous piece. The winner: Sonata form – fugue! As I previous said it was for me very hard to find a winner, but after a very difficult consideration I found one – you and your fugue. In the presentation of this competition I said that “I love counterpoint, mainly good counterpoint”. And this piece indeed it is full of good, or better, great counterpoint. It is ironic that, in my opinion the transposition to F minor give to this fugue even a better colour. It is so chromatic, and in F minor, it made me remember Mozart last organ fugue in k 608! Which I simple kill only in order to listen it. Like I said to Sojar, your fugue is a work, to which I dare only to look from downside to upwards, it is greater than me. It is real fantastic, it is real a masterpiece, the theme is very dark and perfect, the harmonies are chromatic, dissonant but don’t bother the ear, by the opposite it almost tighten the soul, the counterpoint is impeccable and simply ingenious! And this piece fits perfectly in a Church concert. What a power! What an honour to premiere such incredible masterpiece! Thank you all, congrats to all, mainly congratulations to Sonata Form!