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Hello everyone, I am a little new to the forum and a (almost) young composer. To be very honest, I wrote a lot of music when I was young and then nothing until this year. 30 years of stop... It makes me a young composer! Haha. during my Covid isolation, agitated and feverish, locked in my office (which is also a small home studio) I discovered the fantastic possibilities of the samples. It made me want to try to get back to the composition. So this is more to be considered as a leg lift... Exercises, and the pleasure of having a complete orchestra at home. What I didn't dare to dream of when I was a student and it took 3 days to dialogue a DX7 and an Atari 520 st to get the sound of a rotten bell! So, I would like to submit two recent pieces, orchestrated in samples. One for Cello and orchestra (Reached Alert, which is inspired by a bad appreciation I had on a school bulletin), The other for piano and orchestra, which evokes these lucid dreams (pretext for moving from one disparate atmosphere to another). I hope not to abuse the forum for all this! Thank you in advance for your advice and attention

Crikey! Thank you all for listening and these comments. You have been very kind to me with your comments. I had misgivings that it wouldn't work well but now feel slightly assured, ready to go ahead and prepare a final score with all the transpositions in. Many thanks indeed, Luis. Thank you indeed for listening and your comments. Yes, the score is at concert pitch except as mentioned just above the Tempo mark, first page above the piccolo staff. After a final clean up I'll transpose the parts properly. The Contrabass Clarinet is written an octave higher than concert. I hope I didn't seem selfish by not writing these parts (and the rest) conventionally transposed as this is a kind of penultimate draft and easier for me to check. The last thing I want is errors that should never be there, like leaving in keyswitch notes...well, it's happened. I have to feel assured that I know the score very well as...well, remote as it might be, should it ever be offered a chance of performance I don't want to be caught out. Flattered as I am by your mention of John Williams, I'm really not familiar with his work except through the Indiana Jones films which I've just checked he scored. Be nice to have his money though! I'll have to give that one more thought. Hah, I forgot I left that exhortation in at the end of the score. I'll pop into the software after replying here to erase it. Once more, many thanks, much valued. Henry, many thanks for your considerations and listening. Yes, I prefer the contrabass clarinet as I sometimes write very deep and quiet bass wind parts but there's no way a contrabassoon can play its lowest notes quietly, starting from and fading out to a 'niente'. The contrabass clarinet can more or less. Just a guess but if my exploitation of colour is noted it's probably because I value instruments in their own right with their range of timbres, each called in when the occasion seems right! The contrabass clarinet is a case in point. There were times in this piece when its solo line seemed right-on - an indescribable sound! As for Webern I see what you mean and in terms of orchestration I suppose, yes, pointillist rather than like the organist, playing whole passages with a fixed set of stops. If you need just a dot of a certain colour then bring in the instrument just for one or two notes. . Really appreciate your comments. Thank you for listening. . Thank you indeed, Thatguy. You've been most generous with your remarks. What can I say in the way of appreciation? - A bit lost for words. However, it's pleasing to know that it made some sort of sense to you. I had some trouble composing it, wanting to move on from previous work which was starting to get repetitive. It's going to be harder to move on from this one. It is the most recent orchestral piece. I just call them all Music for Orchestra now but I've written several over a few years and still have to decide which to keep. I still have a heck of a lot to learn about the orchestra, balance, timbres, articulations and so on, and what I can do with the samples at my disposal. So, thanks again for listening and your most encouraging comments. All the best, Quinn.

Hello, A lot of informed comments here, and I'm not going to go back on all this. I think that the audio of your realization unfortunately serves you. This is probably to be studied more carefully because as you know, the current technical means make it possible to value your work. To talk about musical style, you are right to explore a neo-tone style, which also allows you to gradually expand the sound horizons. I see that a very long-term development work does not scare you and it is a positive point (the length is no longer of this digital world unfortunately where every second of attention of a listener is earned by the sweat of his pencil!)... Perhaps it is possible to "refund" a little to have a duration that can be more exploited, and a more captive listener (even if I know, you will object to me that we do not compose to please, and that the listener only has to adapt after all!)... But taking it by the hand and taking it on a trip may be a good option that starts with a small crossing. Yes yes... Schubert's divine lengths, Beethoven's supermajor slow movements... I know... In any case, thank you for these shares! It's very interesting.

Hello Guys, This is my entry to the Berlin International Film Scoring Competition. What do you think?

I think your music is great support to the film.

Hello, Thank you for your welcome and this very friendly comment, as well as a very sustained attention! Indeed, it might have been more readable if I had dissociate these two pieces... Good. They are very recent and I associate them in my mind as "solo instrument and orchestra parts" all in a virtual world of samples. I currently have no pdf of the score, it's in project and I'm working on it but I had too little time for it, so only my manuscripts (which serve as a visual support for Youtube videos). I have already started listening to several pieces posted on the forum and I will comment on them little by little. It's very interesting! See you soon and thank you a thousand times! PS. in mvt 4, it is col legno battuto!

I didn't know, "gay" has another meaning than "homosexual". 😄 Sorry, I have deficiencies in my English.

i take the theme played by the flute in 1:36 as the "gay theme" since it appears joyful, naive and gay for me. Of course not in the homosexual sense! Henry

Hey @Krisp, Welcome to the forum!! I really appreciate your returning to composition after 30 years!! It's always not late to do what you love!! You should consider splitting these two compositions for two posts since for me they deserve individual post here! I will first review Reached Alert first. Your harmonic language is modern and your use of orchestral power is great. The use of cello is very mature with all the range covered, legato and spiccato are all used. I especially love the 3rd movement with the cello solo since it really fits! The cor anglais is great here. The sound of pizz.(?) in mov 4 is very interesting as in Saint-Saëns's Danse Macabre. It's great to reach the last movement after the Berceuse and the build up in Mov 6. A very satisfying ending for me! If applicable will you provide the pdf score here as well? This will allow fellow members to review your piece in a more detailed way!! If you have time you can also look around the posts from other talented members! I am sure you will find many of them interesting and you can even take your time to review or comment as well! Thanks for sharing and joining the community! Henry

Hi @olivercomposer, I love the opening zither sound and the pentatonic or sometimes modal harmony and melody, and I feel quite familiar with the Chinese elements in it! In 1:49 a nice transformation of the originally gay theme. I will make the gay theme more pentatonic or modal though by reducing the Bb in 1:36, since it appears too tonal for me. In 2:17 nice augmented second of Eb-F# with mysterious power from the green jewel. Very nice change of modality but I hope the leading tone F# can be used more personally. Nice theme in 3:56 as well with the woodwinds with the phrygian colour! Great resume to G major in 4:54 but I don't like the Eb borrowed tone though in 5:03 since it appears not uniform for me. Thanks for sharing! Henry

Was a treat to listen to again. I had forgotten how well written and impactful this piece was. It's a shame you don't post here more often. Perhaps you're just a busy guy 😄

That definitely makes sense. After a grand climax I expect the music to end in serenity but those jarring sound does create something like "You think this is the end? No I have more surprises for you", and this flavoring can keep enhance my expectation on a complete serene final passage which is successfully displayed here! Thank you for this! These kind of information is really valuable especially for me as a novice!! That's my approach as well😁! I always feel like the order of the movements should be meaningful instead of bunching together by mere time and meaningless coherence, and by composing this way we can have a sense of organic development or Gestalt throughout the music. I do have some planning and inspirations on the later movements first which will sometimes determine how I compose for the first few movements to develop to that later passages, but I will always focus on the start first. It's very interesting to have a Symphony Suite. I will definitely take my time to listen to all of these and review (no, it should be fascinated by) them when I have time!! I think they will all be masterpieces for sure. Please plug more since you should and well deserve it!!!🤣 I think I will have to listen to all your pieces here! Thanks for your reply! Henry