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Old Macdonald in the style of Tchaikovsky's 'Trepak' from his Nutcracker ballet. Trepak - Old McDonald.mid

AUDIO: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1alcJUqBHl8WXmeudSlnnNaicmhbC7ikj/view?usp=sharing THIS AUDIO GETS INCREDIBLY LOUD!!! Hello! Today, I bring you a piece that took me about a week of diligent and meticulous work to create - Tyrant. I named it Tyrant because I wanted to create an evil atmosphere and I thought the name sounded cool. It could still use a little work in terms of engraving and notation, but I consider it mostly finished. The playback doesn't necessarily do what I want it to do around the fermata, but that's okay. I primarily use an augmented chord to guide my way around the piece. I use Finale with NotePerformer libraries to produce the audio and score. Hope you enjoy and any constructive criticism or opinions are welcome! PS It's my birthday tomorrow 🎂

Hello Peter! Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback! I will consider recording the rhythm part on electric piano. I tried it out really quickly in Cubase. I came up with every chord at the guitar but my skill level is elementary and I agree that an electric piano might be an improvement -- especially a softer timbre. I'm glad this tune evoked a clear atmosphere for you; while writing it my mind went to taking walks around my California neighborhood in the morning with the sun being very strong. It kinds of melts any thoughts away and maybe that's why if the music sounds circular. I'm happy if the conclusion sounds solid; I struggle with endings in general lately. :S The assignment was: "Compose a short piece of about 32 bars in length in AABA song form that modulates to a distantly related key and then returns to the original key." Other than that it was really open-ended. 🙂 Thank you for listening! ☀️ ~ Gwendolyn

Hi @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu! This lament starts with very murky low cello and viola harmonies that make the piece sound like it's emerging mysteriously out the depths of a fog. Once the violins take over they sound like they're really crying and their theme is passed around to the different string instruments as they each cry in turn. The espressivo and non-tremolo violin melody is really brought out and contrasted well with the rest of the accompanying tremolo strings. The piece proceeds in a very serious and solemn manner. I like the sudden C minor section! You then go to G major before slipping suddenly back to F# minor. The C# minor section introduces the high string tremolos as a kind of high shimmering accompaniment. There are some parts that are very discordant (at m. 150) before you introduce the pizzicato glissandos and solo Bartok pizzicato exposed cello notes. Then the music takes a slightly lighter turn with some pentatonic melodies and harmonies punctuated by high violin tremolos. The weight returns to the music gradually as it grinds to a halt with highly stressed and deliberate viola and low cello repeated C# notes. I listened to the fugue right after this and I must say that it makes much more sense to me now that I can hear the thematic/motivic associations between this movement and the fugue! This lamentoso leads very well to the fugue - great job and thanks for sharing!

Hello @Gwendolyn Przyjazna! I think you picked the perfect title for this instrumental. It sounds to me like you could substitute electric piano for the rhythm guitar - and right now, the way it is rendered, it sounds more idiomatic to what a piano is capable of playing rather than a guitar imo. I think the guitar melody is especially evocative of solitude. It also uses a good blend of unity and variety - repeating certain phrases and elaborating on others in an unexpected and musically interesting way. The almost-aimless nature of the harmonic progression sometimes makes me think of someone in the throes of a heatstroke, which is very appropriate for a piece about summer! LoL I think It ends very nicely too - making a piece like this sound like its concluded can be difficult - it sounds like it just wants to go on and repeat itself forever. What was the assignment/prompt that this was written for? It is very interesting music and with a unique melodic sensibility that seems very individual and personal to you. Great job and thanks for sharing!

Hi @olivercomposer! Your unique style of writing still comes through in this inventive piece. It is catchy because the reused rhythmic motives are like an ear worm, but it also has variety because the intervals in your motives do not stay the same. Even though you use the bIII and bVI I still perceive the piece to be kind of tonic heavy (maybe because in the Baroque style it is expected that modulations happen through the use of secondary dominants or secondary vii chords and that they lead episodically to re-expositions of the motive in new keys which you don't do). I am glad to see and hear that you are still exploring new ways to approach the craft of composition! And the new aspects of music that you are exploring will for sure enrich all of your subsequent music! Thanks for sharing.

Ah, yes. Boredom. The mother of all invention! LoL (or was that necessity?) Have you heard Ernst von Dohnányi's Variations for Piano and Orchestra on this same melody? It has quite a monstrous introduction that I don't like that's meant only for comedic effect to build tension and expectation for the Piano's innocent entrance playing the 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' theme. Also - there's a passacaglia at the end that I don't really like either. Most of it is good though - you should check it out! I really like this rendition - cantamus manages vocal renditions quite nicely! I do wonder how a whole choir sounds. And is there any way to add any reverb? The only bad thing about it is that it's so dry. Musically the piece seems to always be going somewhere harmonically and it's never clear where and what waypoints it might visit on the way. Very interesting to listen to - thanks for sharing!

You're crafting some truly captivating sounds here! While I'm impressed with what you've achieved, I have a few concerns regarding the practicality of certain elements for a live performance. Firstly, let's discuss the organ melody as written. It's beautifully intricate, but in its current form, it requires an extra hand to execute precisely as you've composed it. This becomes particularly apparent when the melody coincides with sustained notes, making it challenging to perform without resorting to another registration with a separate hand (e.g., measures 7, 11, and 13). One solution could be to revoice the harmony to avoid overlapping pitches with the melody. Secondly, I'd like to address the bass line in the chorus. While the organ part is indeed grandiose, it tends to overpower any vocal bass, especially in the lower register. To maintain balance, I'd suggest removing instances where the vocal bass descends below the staff, allowing the organ to take precedence in that range. This ensures clarity and avoids the choir struggling to be heard, particularly in passages with voiced consonants like "rie elison." Considering the organ's formidable presence, it's crucial to carefully select registrations to prevent it from overshadowing the choir, especially given the nature of the text. The MIDI rendition might suggest a certain balance, but in reality, a choir of fewer than 60 singers would likely necessitate adjustments to the organ sound to complement the vocal parts effectively. Regarding dynamics and registration shifts, it's essential to clarify your intentions to the organist. While you've indicated four dynamics, it appears you're aiming for a consistent principal classic organ sound throughout, as hinted by the use of crescendos at each dynamic shift. However, it might be beneficial to specify desired registration changes either through text near double barlines or as a footnote. For instance, transitioning to a lighter, more flute-like registration when the choir enters could enhance the overall blend and balance, particularly during quieter passages indicated by decrescendos. You could then increase the intensity between verses. Overall, your composition shows great potential, and a few adjustments to accommodate practical performance considerations could elevate its impact significantly.