I don't have much to say - really quite nice. I would agree with Luis, perhaps more "semitonal" than atonal per se, but labels are arbitrary.
I wonder if it could do with more dynamics? The notes and articulations are so detailed, but perhaps lacking in the dynamics/expressive text department. Of course, your decision!
Thanks for sharing
aMC
Hi
Fisrt of all: the piece is nice and I like it.
I just want to add something. I don't know if you have followed a series or dodecaphonic system or whatever. But regarding to the figures (motives), "classica" atonality is known for the irregularity of those ones. Here you have several repetitive and recognizable patterns...., that's not usual in atonality.
Thank you very much Peter for the insights of key and accidentals - it made a lot of sense. I’ll definitely think of it because it will be more readable that way - having it as more fixed tonality.
Is it misleading to use the key of B or B minor as a key signature?
Or is it easier to read without a key signature - mainly using sharps for example.
Also the tempo marking will be helpful. Good you pointed that out
I tend to write tonally if excessively chromatically so tend to use accidentals conventionally. My notation software offers an option of "second Viennese School" style in which every note is inflected. Atonal lies somewhere between chromatic and 12-tone serialism so I guess it's best to use accidentals to remove any ambiguity.
You've already had comment from MJFOBOE and PeterthePapercomPoser's wisdom on accidentals so I'll confine my comment to the music.
Atonal it is but it borders on the minimalistic style that carries with it a hint of tonal centre. (There were pauses in the audio file but that aside). It works well for its length. Intriguing and, as MJFOBOE says, would need a good player.
I sometimes refer to Francis Routh's oboe compositions: like his Tragic Interludes and Oboe Quartet where he really exploits the oboe and uses a few techniques that sadly aren't available as audio samples*. Your work would sit well among such repertoire.
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* such as harmonics and single-note trills.
I think you need to upload your score on musescore: https://musescore.com/user/login?destination=https%3A%2F%2Fmusescore.com%2Fupload. Reason is that there are more users and all of them musicians and composers (including people who uploads their own scores) and it gives you possibility to rate your music and to have professional feedback.
I'm sure somebody will mention how since you intend to consider this "atonal" then you can use any accidentals or enharmonic spellings you'd like to. But I personally hear it as being in B so I would gravitate towards using sharps instead of flats in areas where the local tonality seems to imply B (major or minor doesn't matter because B is a key that implies the use of sharps). There are places where it would make sense to use A#'s rather than Bb's imo (meas. 25 - 28), and F#'s rather than Gb's (meas. 9 and meas. 32). One could also make the argument however, that you also sometimes imply Bb as the tonality which would be a good reason to use flats. I thought that a good place to use a flat would've been the first G# in meas. 6 because of the voice leading (and also in the beginning of meas. 29). I enjoyed the piece. Thanks for sharing!
I also agree that the tempo actually seems pretty doable. However, usually the tempo in 6/8, 9/8 or 12/8 meters is indicated as dotted quarter = ### (I think in this case it would be 220 divided by 3 which would be about 73).