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If he is presenting the piece as yours in a manner in which you don't desire it to be performed, my advice would be simple: Grow some loving balls. The friend who would end their relationship with you over your demand for artistic integrity was never a friend to begin with. A friend who would sit quietly by while the other tramples on their art is in essence a liar and not a true friend either. If you do not consent to a performance it is most likely a violation of copyright law. If you won't stand up for your artistic integrity, who will? If you can't stand up for your art then you don't deserve to call yourself an artist.

That is totally true. But I'll let one slide for a cherished friend. This point really resonates with me...I've always seen art as a balance between form and expression. Unfortunately it just feels like there is such a high emphasis on expression these days. A very egocentric approach. I really liked your post and this point stood out. KJ...thanks for sharing your story. I'm definitely a bit of a softie - I have my principles but I'll bend them if I like you enough. I don't think I'll be able to share my music with this friend in the future, which really is a shame - since he absolutely loved the piece that I wrote...so much that he decided to make it his own. To steal it. It's sort of discouraging to see how my biggest dream as composer literally turned into a nightmare as someone liked my music *too* much. At the same time, it's been a really valuable learning experience for me as a composer. I am already working on some new pieces, so I suppose that it makes me feel alright by remembering that my friend has never written any music and I'll just write more music to make things right again. Thanks again, for all the helpful suggestions/opinions in this matter...I do have a recording of the way he played my piece right now, and the sheet music. Once I'm able to find a proper piano to record myself playing the piece - I will most definitely share the piece with you all!