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The Image in G major is the third piece of the four piano pieces I wrote for relaxation after writing the very heavy String Sextet. I try to do something a bit different than the previous two pieces, as I actively use more quartal chords and pentatonics in the whole piece, and also invite a bit of impressionistic chords. This is my personal favourite of the set. Here is the score and YT video: (Final) Image in G major.pdf Like the previous pieces, this one also comes from recycled materials. It comes from an unfinished Piano Suite I composed in 2016 Jan, but only with fragments of it including the first few bars, b.35-38 LH melody and some parts of b.58-72. Don’t know why I went for pentatonics that long ago LoL! One thing to note: b.43-46 is probably inspired by @Fugax Contrapunctus Pabio’s mention of Joe Hisaishi in his review of my Sextet, plus my recent listening experience of his music while watching Miyazaki’s films. Hope you enjoy this small piece! Henry

This Moment Musical in A-flat major is the second piece of the four pieces I intend to write for relaxation after finishing the very heavy String Sextet. As the title suggests, I only want to achieve Schubertian simplicity with some contemplation here. The result is somewhat a bit beautiful and contemplative for me. Here is the YT link and pdf for you: 5-4-2025 Moment Musical in A flat Major.pdf This piece is the opposite with the Intermezzo in A, the first piece of the set, as it uses the theme from the 1st movement of my First Piano Sonata and the key and texture of the 1st movement of my Second Piano Sonata. The recording and this video is again made in a rush so the quality may not be good. Hope you enjoy this little piece! Here is the previous Intermezzo from the same set: Henry

ello everybody, I've spent many months working on three short new piano pieces for beginning to intermediate students. These are originally intended for children to play, but could also be for beginning adults. In these pieces, I've also tried to discover my own voice and style, do let me know how I've done in those areas. Other feedback related to technique, harmony and playability would be much appreciated. Poem 1: "based on a theme by Beethoven", updated score Poem 2: "the quirky detective", updated score Poem 3: "the crazed capybara", score

I got a ping today that I am not active on here much anymore. Last August, I became bedbound with ME/CFS and have seen a steady drop in my abulities to do anything. From 50% functioning, to 40 to 30 to 20 to 10 to 5. Some days I can barely lift my head to eat. There is talk of putting me in a nursing home when my mom goes back to work this fall. I’m only 22! Oobleck, which I’ve posted here before, was written primarily in the first month of my illness. Before things became really bad. When I was still hopeful I would be better by “X” date. “It’s just the flu,” and “I’ll be ready to go back to school by fall break,” turned into a slow melting away of my entire life. Moving back home with my mom, leaving my friends, my college city, my life I had built, and having to start completely from scratch with a body that leaves me in 9/10 pain and dysfunction daily. It is a very potent work. Perhaps my first real “piece of art.” I am proud of creating something that is truly me. It is not about enjoyment, it is about the experience. I can dub the work as “Mahler, but with quarter tones.” I won’t be writing or doing much of anything for the next while. My life is too covered in oobleck. Program Note: The term oobleck is a type of substance that, when supported with pressure and force, is a solid. However, as soon as this support is removed, it oozes into a sticky liquid. Because of this, the oobleck always feels like it is on the verge of oozing apart into a mess of gunk. Dr. Seuss coined the term, introducing it in his story, "Bartholomew and the Oobleck." Its manifestation in the story is an evil, sticky substance which covers the kingdom it rains down upon. "Oobleck" is an aural exploration of a familiar musical world tainted by oobleck.

This is the final draft of my best work up to date in my life, String Sextet in G flat major. Posts of seperate movements have been posted before and I'm not gonna repeat it here. If you're interested in the music details, pls check the following YCs: 1st Mov: 2nd mov: Here is the score and YT link of the work: String Sextet in G flat major.pdf Here is the structure of the work: (*denotes parts I love). The two movement structure is inspired by Mahler's 8th Symphony, so the second movement is proportionally much longer than 1st movement: 0:00 Opening credit and structure 0:11 1st Mov, 1st Part: Tao Primo (*3:35-3:47 nice bridge, **4:40-5:26 nice chromatics) 5:34 1st Mov, 2nd Part: Minore, a fugato, some little challenges (**9:40-10:10 nice retransition) 10:10 1st Mov, 3rd Part: Tao Return, a triple fugue and ending (falsely) (*11:45, **12:46 till the end) 14:48 2nd Mov, Lamentoso: Denial of Tao and realization of the realistic World full of tragedies. (*16:54, *19:11, ***19:44 sounds like my version of Bee's op.131 finale!, ***23:38-25:15 most emotional passage for me) 26:33 2nd Mov, Fugue a6: Objectification of emotions and reason. The most difficult passage for me to write technically but easiest emotionally. (**28:10-28:42 includes a 6 part stretto of 1st subject and a nice C minor modultation quoting my own Clarinet Quintet, ****30:07-31:27 a 6 part stretto of 2nd subject and one of my fav. section in the entire work with the very beautiful C minor passage, ***32:58-34:31 nice turn to pentatonics and nice disappointment) 35:03 2nd Mov, The Return. Start picking up the real self and soul and connect oneself with Tao, finding self equals to finding Tao. “I Six Books explain me and I explain Six Books (Lu Jiuyuan)”(*35:03-35:36 try to regain energy, **37:05,37:37,38:11,38:43 Nice color, **39:12 nice folk melody, ***39:15-40:15 Nice pizz.! And a very nice snap pizz! **** 40:46-41:46This passage leaves me in wonder. I don't know how do I compose this, **42:17-43:23 Nice appetizer fugato, ****43:24-44:53 Grand Climax!, ***44:54-45:41 Nice heterophonic passage which ignites my creative power for this movement, *****45:42 till end Pefect ending) This work was first inspired by Chinese Philosopher Tang Chun I's Realm of Heavenly Morality in his monumental book, The Existence of Life and the World of Spirituality, in April 2022. I wanna felt and descibed it hence I finished the whole 1st mov. I thought it's enough, until I met with my dedicatee Johnson, my respected philosophy professor Dr. Tao and my friend Merina in April 2023, and I knew it's not enough since without pain Tao isn't possible at all. After some painful incidents in 2024, I am finally able to finish the whole piece in March 2025. For me this work is about Tao, Tao lost and Tao regained. Since this would be the final post on the Sextet, please let me acknowledge people I would like to thank along my way of composing. This work is dedicated to and in memoriam Mr. Johnson Ho https://youtube.com/@beingintheworld?si=9Ch3hnk1UtluHTRF who sadly passed away in July 2024, and it's a regret the work couldn't be finished when he's alive. I would like to thank him for his great inspiration especially his postive way to deal with his illness. I would like to thank Dr. Tao, without his teaching esp. the one on the book Buddha-nature and Prajñā (?) did I realise the importance of pain and human suffering to morality and humanity, and probably won't have enough philosophical basis for this work. I would like to thank Mr. Vince Meyer @Thatguy v2.0, who acts as my musical Virgil, providing so many inspiration particularly in this piece's fugue and different motivic usage, and also make this great recording. Also, thank him for his encouragement when I kept saying I could never finish this piece. I would like to thank Dr. David Goza http://www.youtube.com/@David_Goza⁨⁩ ,without his videos on YT I would never able to improve my own writing. I would like to thank Merina, Yvonne, Arjuna @expert21 and Peter @PeterthePapercomPoser for staying with me in my difficult times. I would like to thank Mike @chopin for his idea to go back to medieval texture in the Return. I would like to thank Luis @Luis Hernández which helps me solve the harmonic progression btw tritiones. I would also like to thank my ex-boss's mistreatment, as she teaches me a great lesson and the pain helps me reflect a lot which shows here. Also, thanks to everyone who has listen to this piece before and comments, as they help me a lot. Thank you Young Composers Forum and @chopin for giving me a chance to grow musically. Thank you for everyone who has commented on the work's parts before, I especially love the comments by @Fugax Contrapunctus @Giacomo925. Last but most importantly, I would like to thank my mum and family. Without their love I would probably fall much deeper and won't be able to finish this piece at all. Thank you!! P.S. One interesting fact on the piece is that it stays longer in F sharp minor then G flat Major….. Henry

So this is the final draft of the entire 2nd movement of my String Sextet. I can confidently say this is my best movement of music ever written up to date. The movement is divided into three parts: Lamentoso, Fugue a6 and the Return. The first two parts of the movements have been posted before in below links: Lamentoso: Fugue a6: If you want to skip to the newest content I compose, you may skip to 20:16. The musical analysis of the Lamentoso and Fugue have already been done in the link posted above so I won’t repeat it here. Here is the YT link and score of the movement: (Final Draft) String Sextet 2nd mov with last page.pdf Here is the YC post to the first mov of the same Sextet: Here is the structure of the movement: 00:00 Lamentoso The Eden in the 1st mov is great but man, come on and live in the real world. All sorts of tragedies happening and what ground do you have to claim the transcendence? I especially love the outburst in 4:59 and the passage starts from 8:53. 11:47 Fugue a6. This part is totally inspired by Vince’s @Thatguy v2.0 comment on my first movement “to write a dense fugue”, also to further explore the fugato in the 1st mov. Like @Giacomo925 said, this part summarises the sadness of the first 20 minutes of the movement. It always leaves me in awe that my favorite C minor passage, the absolute climax of the whole piece, lies in minute 30 exactly. The fugue aims to end on desperate terms but I won’t allow it. I try to give it a fight by recalling the pentatonic ideal even though in the wrong key of the tritone C major as hinted in the pentatonic section of the fugue, but the power is diminished. I need some purification for the paradise regained. Thx to @Luis Hernándezfor introducing me to tritone substitution in this part. The chant (22:01) begins with self murmuring of viola, occasionally inviting mysticism recalling 7:55 in Lamentoso and sadness of the 1st subject of the fugue. Two violas play together with the texture of a parallel organum. After a sad cry some more primitive power comes in to recall the passion and good of human beings, the theme is from b.27 of 1st mov. It gets agitated and experiences an epiphany in the form of Bartok Pizz. Both the chant and the folk melody is built around the 025 set! And the 025 set is the essence of the pentatonic scale! Furthermore a quartal chord is the further essence of 025 set, and hence the core of the whole pentatonic scale! Discovering this, the fury cannot be stopped. It leaves me in wonder how on earth can I write this thing out. After returning to the tonic key in 27:00, I decided to conceive it as a one off climax with build up. The idea is inspired by my playing of Beethoven’s op.110 when he did the same thing in the last movement as well. There is no “development” but only realisation of Tao in this imperfect world. There are appetizers to the ultra climax, first introducing the two most important themes sparingly, then in 27:16 theme in b.35 of 1st mov which is in fact inspired by my own Clarinet Quintet in C minor, and then an appetizer fugato responding to the lament in b.148 of the Lamentoso which is based on the opening theme. The entrée of Ultra Climax appears in 28:38, first is the first theme in tonic by first violin, viola, and cello, then second theme in C major by second violin, viola and cello. The playing of tritone is to prove Tao‘s omnipotence, also respond to the first mov and the fugue with the F# and C minor relationship. Using all 3 instruments for me is the resonance of Heaven, Earth and Human when they finally sing together the Tao they shared. I think I really feel the Chinese philosopher Tang Chun-i’s Realm of Heavenly Morality here. The modulation to Ab major, responding to b. 294 and 644 of 1st mov, complete what’s left undone there and finally Gb major is in triumph. A pedal point on a tritone is funny for me. The cello overlapping the violin is signifying earth and heaven interaction which is considered auspicious in Chinese classics I-ching. I am always in awe of the power exhibited here and wonder who’s actually the composer of this passage. The next passage in 30:07 is the heterophonic version of the 1st theme, which is where I was inspired miraculously by a Chinese music group. Next is the in extremis passage in 30:57. It’s the immanent version of the 1st theme. I was imagining what my friend’s thinking on his last day of life. The texture is probably inspired by the film music in Kurosawa’s Ikiru when the main character was swinging on the park’s swing to await his death. I quote Bach’s St. John Passion here for my friend’s name, and I find out that the lyrics fit too. I wish him to rest in peace and return to Tao. The final ending is probably inspired by the ending of Chopin’s Fantasie in F minor. I can never believe I would end the whole thing this positive in an absolute way. The whole passage always leaves me in tears. After writing the Lamentoso in May 2024 I had no power and inspiration at all to write anything in the Sextet since I was suffering in my full time job. I started picking up by working on the C# minor Piano Sonata first. After finishing that in Jan 2025 I felt like my negative power was expressed out, leaving the goods for this Sextet. I then went for a walk on 10 Feb 2025 and had a miracle, inspired by a Chinese music group, which turned on my creative power and I fervently completed the entire thing in just 18 days, when I had zero notes written in the past 9 months. It’s such a miracle I could have finished this piece this quick and good. My dedicatee Mr. Johnson Ho had already passed away last year. It's a shame that this piece couldn’t be completed when he’s alive, but I would be forever thankful for his inspiration. Special thanks must have been granted to my great friend Mr. Vince Meyer @Thatguy v2.0 for making this perfect audio and many ideas, and being a great friend, but I will leave it to the final version of the whole Sextet. Also a very special thanks must be given to my ex-boss. Thanks to her mistreatment, I have the pain to reflect on my own, the drive to finish the whole Sextet in a fury and the time to complete it when I was forced to resign for my own mental health. Foremost of course I must thank my dearest mum. But lol, the whole acknowledgement will be left to the post of the final version of the whole Sextet, including the first movement and this movement. This is a very long movement and commentary and I don’t expect anyone to listen and read till the end. But if you do so, here is my deepest gratitude to you. Feel free to comment as well, I would be very thankful to have received them. Thank you!!!!! Henry

EDIT: SORRY I MADE A TRANSCRIPTION ERROR LET ME FIX IT EDIT2: pdf file is fixed but the audio I need to fix it later as well EDIT3: audio revamped MM2HN soundmix.mp3 The original work by Henry Since Henry insisted I post this as my own work, here it is. Bear in mind I have only played the organ for less than once per week for a few months, please comment any improvements that could be made. I tried to give different stop voices in the system but the sounds don't go very balanced and apparently the vibratos are pre-recorded and can't be removed, but it kind of gives the right impression I suppose. If I ever get competent enough I might try recording it for real

I finished the other two movements hooray!! Here's the YouTube upload. Please let me know what you think so I might apply the advice for future piano works 🙂 As for the piece itself, it's so personal to me I'm not willing to change anything, though I recognise it's not flawless. I think it is my very best piano piece and I'm extremely proud of it despite its issues. I'll do a rundown of the piece real quick so ya'll know what to expect. Movement 1. Sonata form, both themes are derived from the same rhythmic idea. A theme for desolation and a theme for consolation, which alternate in rotations becoming less and less certain until neither resolve. closes on a 6 4 chord. attaca into... Movement 2. Ternary form. A is a waltz with violent interruptions. B is more restless and dramatic. The return to A is based on first movement closing 6 4. Ending of A is infected with B motifs. Closes with a satisfying cadence at last. Movement 3. Ternary form. This movement is meant to be "looking back" at the events of the previous movements. B section is turbulent again. A section returns. The movement closes with a chorale "prayer." attaca into... Movement 4. Sonata form. Opens with a return to the consolation motifs from movement 1. First theme is dramatic and modulates constantly. Second theme is a combination of consolation and prayer. The climax of the development (and I think the climax of the whole piece really) with the minor version of the consolation theme from the first movement is in E minor which is a tritone away from tonic key. Recap has no proper second theme, only fragments. It ends resolved on a single note all by itself. All alone. Thank you for listening and for any feedback :3

I had another thought that I want to share. I have a mental health diagnosis, and my ability to write music quickly and into the sequencer/DAW went away at around the same time that I was diagnosed. Back when I used to write that way, I remember that my process of writing music was very sporadic and consisted of basically trying to throw $hit at a wall to see what would stick. There was no deliberation and contemplation between my musical decisions and I produced a lot of material that I never developed into finished pieces of music. I remember that, at that time, I was very bipolar about my creation process and I believed the romantic myth about creators getting a "stroke of inspiration" or being "inspired by their muse" or something. So most of the time I ended up feeling uninspired and didn't like the ideas that I'd come up with and hence never continued them to see where they would lead. When I did get good ideas I would spend long periods of time at the computer to get as much out of a good streak of luck at composing as I could and often stayed up all night. In that sense it was like gambling at a casino or something. While being hospitalized at the mental hospital, I had to learn to write music on paper and inadvertently discovered a different, more measured way to compose music. The benefits of composing on paper were not all apparent to me all at once. But besides forcing me to imagine a composition without hearing it and the many advantages of doing so that I've already espoused above, the other big advantage of writing on paper was that it forced me to slow down the process to where my brain could cope with the creative process and the craft and actually contemplate my own ideas at a manageable pace. I think, in comparison to how I used to compose, I was composing in a much calmer, and controlled way. I never realized how emotionally exhausting and anxiety inducing my previous way of composing was until I got my mental illness, and it's possible that I got my mental illness in part because I was "the creative type" and that I forced myself through drastic emotional upheavals in order to create. The truth is, I can no longer cope with trying to write music the old way. But I do believe that writing music on paper is the right way for me to compose for who I've become and who I am today. And that must naturally include all my strengths and weaknesses as a human being and composer. Once again, thanks for reading.

(Sorry for the viola clef mistake...) Hello again. After 2-3 months with a considerable mental block I managed to start doing some progress and last night I composed a piece with this newly found creativity. This piece is a reflection of some of the feelings I haven't been unable to express in the past weeks. I wasn't expecting to create it, I just sat down and started playing with some harmonies. But luckily it turned out to be one of my most expressive pieces in my opinion, even if it is just a miniature. I hope you enjoy it!

Hi to all! I've recently been asked to write a theme for an unofficial Star Trek podcast. Obviously I'm not allowed to quote any of the original themes, but the brief was: James Horner! Its supposed to evoke "Star Trek", without actually quoting any copyright material. So this is what I came up with. Think my percussion needs a bit of finessing (especially at the end), and I still have some work to do on the balance of the mix, and the mastering. (Sorry about the score: it's designed for midi rendition only, as I don't expect this will ever be played by real life musicians!) Newer versions of the mp3 and score will be added lower down the thread.

Piano piece I wrote, any and all feedback is appreciated

Hi @ComposaBoi! I know I've heard the 1st movement before but am not sure if I reviewed it. I don't hear the following chord in your performance: I just hear a Db both in the left and right hands. Also, didn't you mean to mark this as 8vb? 8vb means an octave lower while 8va means an octave higher: That aside, I find the main theme to be so happy-go-lucky in comparison to the bleak introduction! LoL I think the way you present the main theme in measure 78 is more appropriate to be the main theme proper, being darker and more suited to follow the bleak introduction. I know you said you won't be changing it but I'm going to give you my impressions nonetheless. The version of the main theme at 151 is also nice - not overly happy-go-lucky but rather, bittersweet. The version of the main theme at 220 where it is used as a modulating sequence is really good! I much prefer this treatment of the happy-go-lucky material as it sounds more developmental and suited for modulation. When you return to the material of the bleak introduction the 2nd time it sounds really empty and like the momentum of the piece just stops and falls dead (especially with the left hand staccato notes). The 2nd movement waltz sounds like it really flourishes perfectly out of the 1st movement! It really creates a lucid listening experience. The only thing that brings me out of it is the allegro furioso. I think it sounds way too fast and intense for the bittersweet mood you set with the beginning of the waltz. I like how you reference back to your 1st movement material with the molto meno mosso part. With how fast and furious this part gets it's amazing that you managed to perform it! I think bringing back the dreamy main waltz theme towards the end really releases some of the furious tension you build up with the fast tempo sections. Great job with these two movements! I'm looking forward to reviewing the last two at another time. Thanks for sharing!

If you were going for a movie score feel then you got it, because it sounds like the soundtrack for a Marvel movie (not meant as a slight). I do agree with what Peter is saying about the accompaniment overpowering the melodic lines. This is something I have struggled with as well, in sometimes layering too much, and ending up with a muddy mess. It sounds good, but it hinders the ability to focus. I would suggest going through, the softer moments especially, and seeing where you can edit out some of the underscoring, to let the melody shine through a little better.

Hi everyone, I would like to share with you my first major composition: a string quartet. My compositional style is evident in it, which is quite unusual, but at the same time I think it is accessible to a wider audience. I'd appreciate it if you gave it a listen! Thank you! https://youtu.be/WPfU9OKB8Aw?si=EFZEiZDdlTbWXOnu

Here is my 3rd and latest composition. It is a tone poem based on a poem by the first european female author, Sapho. I hope you like it and I would like some feedback. Here is the poem "Hymn to Aphrodite" in English. Iridescent-throned Aphrodite, deathless Child of Zeus, wile-weaver, I now implore you, Don’t–I beg you, Lady–with pains and torments Crush down my spirit, But before if ever you’ve heard my pleadings Then return, as once when you left your father’s Golden house; you yoked to your shining car your Wing-whirring sparrows; Skimming down the paths of the sky’s bright ether On they brought you over the earth’s black bosom, Swiftly–then you stood with a sudden brilliance, Goddess,before me;Deathless face alight with your smile, you asked me What I suffered, who was my cause of anguish, What would ease the pain of my frantic mind, and Why had I called you To my side: “And whom should Persuasion summon Here, to soothe the sting of your passion this time? Who is now abusing you, Sappho? Who is Treating you cruelly? Now she runs away, but she’ll soon pursue you; Gifts she now rejects–soon enough she’ll give them; Now she doesn’t love you, but soon her heart will Burn, though unwilling. “Come to me once more, and abate my torment; Take the bitter care from my mind, and give me All I long for; Lady, in all my battles Fight as my comrade.

Hi again @UncleRed99! My perception hasn't changed by much, but I think I can better explain why I perceive the piece the way I perceive it. I can hear that you definitely intend there to be a main melody leading the piece from beginning to end but there are a few factors that (in my opinion) prevent this from being a lucid listening experience for the listener. Sometimes the melody is just overpowered by chords in the orchestra played loudly while a single solo instrument is playing the melody and it doesn't really get heard. The most obvious example being the bass clarinet melody in bar 5. There are also other examples where you kind of create a polyphonic/heterophonic texture where it becomes kinda hard to hear which instrument is supposed to be the focus or main melodic line. There are ways to make polyphonic/heterophonic textures work though but that would necessitate them being more self-similar and use a higher economy of means to achieve a more obvious audible relation to each other. While if that isn't achieved, then it can end up sounding like you're just noodling around in a certain key. Although I don't want to neglect to give you credit where credit is due. You definitely have a recognizable motif that permeates this piece: It's just that this is a very short recognizable motif that is just repeated throughout the piece without really being used to develop it by using it as the dynamo and origin of all of your other melodic material. When the other material isn't connected together it can sound dissolute and lacking in direction or focus. That's my perception of the piece. I'm glad you're so determined to continue to improve and I hope some of what I said can help you further on your journey!

I hope you will consider taking another look at this, whenever you’re able to find the time for it 🙂 I’ve made many improvements to it since. I know that my form / structure is a bit abstract/abnormal. I met a friend on Musescore back when I wrote “The Long arctic midnight suite” in 11/8 time, and he also edited my score “Lamentation” on his own volition. we sat in a discord call for like 5 hours yesterday, analyzing one another’s scores. He’s a composer and is on his way to getting his masters in composition, and he performs as a classical pianist. He gave me some material on Binary and Ternary Form structure, and stated that I’d probably be most interested in Sonata structure.. (all of which I was clueless about until now 😅) He says he thinks this is one of the better compositions I’ve written, based on the modulation, and the chord progressions I’ve used, as well as the complexity in voicings within the chords and the melodic lines. Although, the form could’ve been executed in a way that would’ve been easier to digest. He called this “through composed” mostly, with some returns to a main motif. with this context, I believe what I’ve done, here, could be better understood, in addition to the changes I’ve made. I value your feedback as well as @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu’s feedback in this forum, given how methodical and detail oriented you both tend to be. I’m just looking to improve upon what I already know, learn what I do not know, understand what I have accomplished effectively, and have things to reflect on in regard to what was ineffective or poorly executed. i know I’m just an autodidact who does this as a hobby, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist who’d love to be that outlier independent composer who can write scores that are educated, well executed, and well received by the internal industry audience. 🙂 thank you in advance, Peter !

So this is something i have worked on for four years now. I was inspired to write it, as ballets (Rite of Spring, Petrushka, Firebird, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake) are some of my favorite pieces of music. I wanted to see if I could carry a narrative through the music. It's long, it's a full 2 hour ballet. I fully understand most people will not listen to it, but if you have sometime. I wanted to have the score ready with it, but I had an unfortunate incident with a failed hard drive, that claimed three of the scenes. I hadn't realized they were not backed up, so I'm in the process of reconstructing them from the audio. I've included a program for you to follow along with. Roles: Tove - Youngest child of a peasant family Bjørn - A prince, cursed to be a bear during the day Åge - Father of a peasant family Liv - Mother of a peasant family Revna - A witch who cursed Bjørn Estrid - A young maiden and one of three sisters Frida - A mother and one of three sisters Gudrun - An old crone and one of three sisters East Wind, West Wind, South Wind, North Wind Tove’s brothers and sisters Revna’s servants ACT 1 Scene 1: During a great famine, a peasant (Åge) is searching through the woods, looking for food. Suddenly, a monstrous white bear (Bjørn) appears before him. The bear offers to give him all the wealth and food he could ever need, in return for his only daughter. Although troubled at the thought of what the bear will do to her, he accepts, knowing that his wife and other children will starve if not. Scene 2: Upon returning home, the peasant tells his family of the bear's offer of wealth and food. His wife (Liv) and sons are shocked that he has traded away his only daughter. His daughter (Tove) is horrified that her father has given her away to this magical bear but accepts her fate, knowing that it will save her family from starvation. Bjørn comes to collect his payment and bestow upon the family what he has promised. Before their eyes, their shack is transformed into a mansion, filled with gold and endless food. Tove reluctantly follows Bjørn into the forest. Scene 3: Bjørn and Tove travel through the woods, with few words spoken. A pack of wolves attacks, but Bjørn drives them off. As they reach the edge of the woods, Tove suddenly sees a magnificent castle. Bjørn informs her that this will be her new home. He tells her that the only rule she must follow is to never light a candle during the night. Scene 4: As night falls, Tove prepares for bed and puts out all the candles in her room. She climbs into bed in the darkened room and begins to drift to sleep. She is startled by someone entering the room. She calls out, but no one responds. She goes to light a candle but then hears the voice of Bjørn, reminding her that she must never light a candle during the night. After a while, she drifts to sleep. ACT 2 Scene 5: Almost a year has passed, and Tove has discovered that Bjørn isn’t the monster she first thought him to be. She finds herself beginning to feel a deep affection for him, just as she notices that he also is falling in love with her. Scene 6: One day, Tove asks Bjørn if she may visit her family, as she is missing them. He grants her wish but makes her promise that she will not speak to anyone about her life at the castle. Tove returns to her family, and they throw a celebration in honor of her visit. During the celebration, her mother continually tries to ask her about what goes on at the castle, but she manages to avoid the questions. After the party has finished, Liv corners her and demands answers to all of her questions. Tove reluctantly tells her mother about the mysterious man who enters her room each night. Her mother tells her that after the man has fallen asleep, she should light a candle so she can see who it is. Tove tells her mother that she is forbidden to do that, but her mother insists that no one will ever know. Scene 7: Back at the castle, the pattern of events continues as before. During the night, the mystery man enters her room and falls asleep in the chair. After a few nights, she decides to do as her mother has said. She waits a long time after he has fallen asleep and then lights a candle. She leans over his body to see the face of a beautiful young prince. She is so captivated by his face that she doesn’t realize that melted wax starts to drip from the candle. It lands on the sleeping man, the heat waking him from his slumber. He sees her looking at him with the candle and jumps from the bed. He explains that he is Bjørn, and a witch (Revna) had transformed him into a bear because he refused to marry her. Under the curse, he must spend each day as a bear, only becoming a human at night. The only way to break the curse was for a woman to fall in love with him without ever looking at his true face. Only by earning her trust could the curse be broken. After apologizing for having failed her and himself, he must now marry Revna and be imprisoned in the house that is east of the sun and west of the moon for the rest of his life. The room suddenly goes dark, and as light reappears, Tove finds herself in the forest, alone. ACT 3 Scene 8: Tove is wandering the woods, grieving over losing Bjørn. During the many months with him, she had come to care for him and realizes what she has now lost. While walking through the woods, she comes upon a young girl (Estrid), whose leg is trapped under a fallen tree limb. She helps free her, and the two begin to talk. Tove asks her if she knows the way to the House east of the sun and west of the moon. Unfortunately, Estrid has no idea, but she magically conjures a horse that will carry Tove to her sister (Frida), who may know the way. She also gives Tove a golden apple as thanks for having freed her from the tree limb. Scene 9: The magical horse carries Tove to a lake, where she hears cries for assistance. She sees a mother, holding her baby, trapped upon a rock in the lake. The woman tells her she is unable to swim and fears her child will drown. Tove crosses the river to the rock and helps the mother and child safely back to the shore. She discovers that this woman is none other than Estrid’s sister Frida. Tove asks if she knows the way to the House east of the sun and west of the moon, but just like her sister, Frida has no idea. However, she conjures a magical boat that will carry Tove to the other side of the lake and to the house of her other sister (Gudrun). She tells Tove that if anyone knows, it will be Gudrun, as she is the eldest and wisest of the three. She gives Tove a golden comb as thanks for saving her and the child. Scene 10: The magical boat carries Tove far across the lake. In the distance, she sees a small hut that is in flames. As the boat comes to the shore, she hears the screams of an old woman from inside the burning house. She runs inside and drags the old woman out just as the hut is completely consumed by fire. She discovers that this old crone is none other than Gudrun, the third sister. Tove pleads with her to tell her the way to the House east of the sun and west of the moon. Gudrun tells her she must travel to the place where the winds of the east, west, north, and south meet together and ask for their assistance; only they can help her find the way. She then conjures a great bird to carry Tove to the highest mountain peak and gives her a golden needle and thread in gratitude for saving her from the fire. Scene 11: As Tove approaches the summit of the highest mountain, she sees four old giants arguing with one another. The bird lands, and she approaches them, asking if they know where the four winds could be found. One of the giants tells her that she is in their presence already, as the other three try to interject. She realizes that it is their constant arguing and screaming which produces the winds. She asks them if they can help her reach the House east of the sun and west of the moon. The East, West, and South winds tell her they know not the way to find it. The North wind proudly tells her that he once carried a sparrow to this far-off land. She asks if he can take her there as well, and with a gentle breath, he launches her into the sky. ACT 4 Scene 12: Tove awakes in a field, thinking she has dreamed everything that has happened, but then sees a massive house, with the sun to its left and the moon to its right. As she approaches the house, she sees a woman (Revna) collecting mushrooms. She asks if there is a young prince at this house. Revna asks why she wants to know. Tove offers her a golden apple if she may spend the night with him. Revna agrees to this deal but then gives Bjørn a sleeping potion so that he won’t see this beautiful girl. Scene 13: Tove tries again the next night, after offering the golden comb as payment, but again Bjørn is drugged. As Tove cries over his body, telling him how she loves him and regrets not trusting him, the servants overhear Tove’s cries each night. Scene 14: They decide to tell Tove about the sleeping potion. After receiving a payment of a golden needle and thread, Revna once again conspires to drug Bjørn into sleep. However, Tove has arranged for the servants to switch the drink. Bjørn goes to sleep, while Revna believes she has drugged him. Scene 15: As Tove enters the room, she once again declares her love for Bjørn and tells him to wake from his slumber. Bjørn opens his eyes and, upon seeing Tove, tells her that they will be together forever. Just as they go to kiss, Revna rushes in to stop them, but they kiss, and Revna bursts into flames as the curse is broken. They free all of the servants and together leave the house east of the sun, west of the moon, never to return.

Short piece I wrote for quartet

anyways, this is a tone poem that is performed like any other concert piece. The piece itself is pretty long and every act spans from 18 to 30 minutes each. It should be performed like an opera or a ballet, despite there being no acting or dancing involved. instrumentation notes There are three oboes in total. All three double on bass oboe in the first movement. • The first clarinet part has two players: • One playing the upper line. • One playing the lower line, doubling on piccolo clarinet in the first movement. • Throughout the piece, both oboes and clarinets will need to switch back to their primary instruments at various points. This is act one out of four and I am still revising them so I could put them on here anyways here are the performance notes: The act opens with Prelude to the Heart, hinting at the emotional turmoil ahead. Ross’s theme, The Solitude of Ross, explores his quiet longing, while The Jesters (Tobias and Percival) add lighthearted moments of friendship. The arrival of Aldric, The Manipulator, disrupts Ross’s world, introducing him as the antagonist who plays mind games with Ross. Meanwhile, The Council of Shadows represents the complicated dynamics of Ross’s social group. Orson, The Disruptor, causes further tension, while The Mocking Wind symbolizes the cruelty Ross faces. However, it’s Selene, The Light in the Mist, who captures his heart, leading to a deep emotional connection in The First Glance.Ross’s feelings intensify in Eclipsed by Desire as he falls deeper in love. In the midst of his growing affection, The Gathering brings subtle tensions to the surface, and The Quiet Northern Winds reflect Ross’s inner turmoil.The turning point comes with The Shadows of Mockery, as Malcom and his followers begin to torment Ross, leading to The Great Deception—a moment of cruel betrayal. Ross retreats into Reflections in Silence, contemplating his situation, while at the Spring ball intensifies the emotional conflict. The act closes with Florence’s introduction as The Siren’s Call, adding another layer of complication to Ross’s feelings for Selene.

Peter i have to say that : ............Your "Analysis & Documentation" of various composers here, is always presented & Displayed in a Professional manner, thats very similar in style to Most Magazines & TV Documentaries.

Hey @Fruit hunter! Very interesting music! I think when writing a programmatic work like this, it is important to be able to involve the audience more in the story that you want to convey with the music. In other words, you want to give the audience an idea of what it is that they should be listening for. I can see in your score that you are working with thematic leitmotifs. As a casual first-time listener to this work I find those themes hard to pick out and hear. Perhaps, you could give the listener an introduction to each melody in isolation and associate it clearly in the audience's mind with the character you want it to represent? Maybe you already do that and I'm just missing it or not getting it? One thing that certainly seems to be the strength of the composition is the orchestration though! Thanks for sharing!

Hi @BipolarComposer! I like the mood you set here! It's like a mix of music from the classic videogame "Metroid" and a bit of Elliot Goldenthal. The latter half is quite different from the beginning which sets a menacing but mysterious mood. But the end is like a release. I like it a lot! Thanks for sharing. I hope you don't end up removing it sometime in the future - it deserves to be heard by the community! Also, to encourage more participation and interaction between you and the people who might listen and review your work you could give a ❤️ or a 🏆 as a reaction to our reviews! And btw - Happy Easter!

Nice work as always, this motif especially gets me

You CAN do it....... 1 step at a time Imagine yourself playing this on the Grand-Piano, in a Massive Concert Hall Center stage with the Orchestra all Around you...........They would gently play softly, ACCORDINGLY to the notes you played. It may take time..........But you have the power to create.

Hello Great music! The impressionistic mood is very well noted. Some things lead to Debussy like setting a Tonic with pedal on low notes or the “la cathédrale engloutie” style chords. But also those continuous arpeggios remind me of some of Henry Cowell's techniques (although he did it inside the piano). It's a harp-like effect. The fourth harmonies here sometimes lead to unexpected harmonic cadences and I quite like that.

Nah not at all. Just make sure to credit the composer if you use someone's music for your own purposes. I noticed that your alterations maxed out the volume no matter what the dynamic levels were supposed to be. Maybe try just making the loud parts louder, but have the wisdom to give subtlety where it's needed.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW What a piece. I've listened to it many times now. Movement 1 Part 1: I love all the pentatonic themes, they're extremely beautiful, especially the one at m. 35 derived from your clarinet quintet, I just wish the audio was a little clearer and brought them out over the texture better. The texture itself is great too. However, the idea that appears first at m. 19 I think is too textural for my taste, almost as if there should be something more melodious overtop of it. The sequencing at m. 111-114, I would include tenuto marks along with the slur which is the more standard way to notate it, and it's clearer to performers what to do. For example, we know with Beethoven's Grosse Fuga, some performers play the slurred quarter notes as half notes, and others play them as quarter notes in one bowing. you do similar things throughout the piece. Some more positive thoughts I had, at rehearsal mark F, it sounds like a call to action! And all the modulating and texture at the end of this first part makes me think of a violent river 🌊 Movement 1 Part 2: I think my favorite part of the movement. Provides a good contrast, but still sounds oriental, so it doesn't feel out of place to the soundscape you've thus far presented. The contrapuntally dense section immediately following the fugato is so powerful!! 🤯 The next part is almost too sparse after that, and not a whole lot really happens for me. My first listen I remember being tempted to skip ahead because I was kind of getting bored 😕 I'm glad for the lighter, simpler mood, and I think it's well earned, just maybe a little too sparse for my taste. The transition back to the beginning atmosphere is epic though 😎 Movement 1 Part 3: Similar thoughts to part 1. Great melodies that are hidden by the texture, not by your fault, but just the audio. The ending is satisfying enough to close the movement but still leaves enough for me to want to listen more. ~~~ Movement 2 Part 1: The sheer pain I hear in the first sections of this part. I think it's too raw for it to warrant or need any criticism. I once again wish the audio could bring out the melody clearer, but it's better here than in the last movement I suppose. I will say about notation this is not how you should notate this. 8th notes already have one tail, so it only needs 2 tremolo lines. Likewise, a 16th would only need 1 tremolo line, etc. The section starting at m. 92 makes me emotional. Well done. The following section is a good break, and was perfectly timed. Had the first section gone on any longer, I would have felt maybe that it was too long, but here it's the perfect length. m.179-182 is oddly very beautiful to me. Almost a taste of what the idea from m.92 would be in a better light. And immediately following, back to tragedy, AGH 😫 Movement 2 Part 2: THE 6 VOICE FUGUE 😮 I don't feel qualified to properly go over your counterpoint and I understand it's not supposed to be the strictest fugue. It sounds correct to me, and it certainly does a good job at expressing what it's meant to, which is the MOST important thing of course. Now, you're going to hate me for this, but I think the cellos being so close so often is really really muddy and creates extremely unpleasant overtones. It might be better with real cellos, probably not though, I wouldn't ride on it. Again, the counterpoint is really great to me, the modulations are smooth and so dramatic, and I love it. I don't want to hate on it, it's just really muddy 🙈 you fix the muddiness later in the fugue which is nice. Movement 2 Part 3: Final part!! The start really makes you feel like it's preparing for something. It makes me excited for the end every time!! As someone trained in singing gregorian chant, I think the chant section is VERY effective, and I love the beautiful passionate chords between 🥹 The turning point and the build to the original Tao material is wonderful too and definitely well-earned after all that! The themes are beautiful like before, and they feel freer almost. It's like a fireworks celebration!! A very good and satisfying and Chinesy ending xP Overall, I think it's definitely a masterpiece and deserves all the praise it's getting and more, (except maybe the deification of you from Fugax Contrapunctus xD). However, I'm sorry but I think I'm partial to your clarinet quintet because I still enjoy that more, or maybe I just like sad music 😛 Anyways thanks for sharing your wonderful music.

It sounds fantastic! I really like the organ and its ability to color with the cantidd of timbres available, when used well. As it happens here. I think the original composition is well suited to the instrument, or the other way around, by virtue, of course of a good arrangement. Just an observation about the “agitato” passage from measure 34. I think the chords in the middle part sound too “abrupt”. I don't know, maybe it's the intention, but what strikes me most is the transition to the next part in measures 41-42, which does sound sudden. Thanks for sharing. Regards.

I personally can't imagine writing by hand (after all, this is why I am investing time into a new music notation software 😄), however I understand your reasoning. Writing by hand is much more deliberate, and requires a more concerted effort not to just throw things at the wall as you say. I think at the end of the day, it comes down to discipline. If composing on the computer takes away that discipline for you, stick to paper and pencil. Maybe you can train yourself someday to compose directly on the computer, but only if you can maintain that certain level of discipline. As for me, I force myself not to move onto the next section until I am happy with the current section I am working on. And this approach seems to work well for me, whether by hand, or by 1s and 0s!

Hi @user011235! I was about to go back to your Overture in G and move it to the Incomplete Works forum but decided against it because it doesn't seem like an incomplete work. It's just a juvenile piano work. This piece too I feel like actually sounds complete and should go in the vocal music forum - I can move it there if you want! This piece is quite wonderful btw. Once again, I feel like most of your annotations are trivialities. I think whether you put accents in the beginning is a matter of how you want your rendition to sound and how your program handles them. A person performing this on piano would know to bring out those notes slightly because they introduce a new chromatic note. Even just the fact that it's a chromatic note naturally brings it out and it's on a strong beat so yeah. At this tempo, the 16th notes in measures 11 and 31 are fine I think and real performers would probably take those phrases at a slight rubato tempo or slightly slower at least. I think the beam of the top voice in the left hand in measure 18 could be split between beats 3 and 4 to make it look nicer but other than that it's not really problematic either. At measure 19, I'm not sure what you mean by double stops. Double stops are chords that are usually played on two different strings on string instruments. That term is not usually used in piano music since you're not stopping the strings to produce the sound with a different length of string. Do you mean chords harmonized in 6th and 5ths? I didn't really notice that that passage lacked harmonic definition so unless you plan on beefing up the harmony throughout the rest of the piece to continue its consistency then I'd advise against it. In measure 26 I vote for it to be a grace note, but you're the composer - if you made it like two 16th notes, to me the 16th note motion might imply that the rest of the piece (at least the left hand) should be in 16th notes as well as a kind of variation of the beginning. I think measure 34 is a wonderful chromatic moment! Not too dramatic at all - or rather it's a very much welcome drama. Measures 44 - 46 I think your idea of using the phrasing marks as you have annotated isn't confusing at all and would quite natural for the pianist to interpret. What you could also add is phrasing marks for the voice which I think is way more important as it would let the singer know when you expect them to breathe and how long you expect them to sing without interruption. Thanks for sharing this wonderful pastoral song!

Here's the FINAL final draft of this piece. (Let me know if this format is easier to digest than my normal MO of MP3 + PDF!)

A revised version of one of the earliest fugues I ever finished, back in early December 2019. Given I had only started composing a few months prior to that point, this fughetta was previously riddled with contrapuntal flaws and mistakes, the vast majority of which have all hopefully been corrected while leaving the melodic upper voice almost intact (for the most part). Enjoy! YouTube video link:

Hello @Aleon Raven, Welcome to the forum! The track, like @PeterthePapercomPoser said, is varied, intense and mesmerising! I especially love your usage of voice here. I like in 2:20 you go for more contemplative passages, first with a solo violin, then with vocals. These really give contrast to previous passages. The modulation to one key higher is a standard technique in film music to heighten the drama, but I don’t mind here as it is in my favourite C sharp minor haha. The last decresendo is lovely too, esp. with the piano and harp here. The music reminds me of fellow member @olivercomposer’s film music posted here and you may check them out. Btw, I also like the visual effect here! Thx for joining and sharing your music here! Henry

I have been reviewing the perpetual or infinite canon technique. It is described here if anyone is interested: https://komptools.blogspot.com/2025/03/canon-infinito-i-infinite-canon-canon.html The truth is that there are not many examples in the repertoire. I'm interested in trying to incorporate the technique in other types of compositions. I have written quite a few, looking for ways to take advantage of the material. So, for example, in this canon I have added additional voices. In the first pass (10 bars) the canonic voice at the lower octave starts two bars later. In a second pass, the first two measures of the lower voice are added, which are the same as the last two measures of the upper voice. This can be repeated in a loop indefinitely. But what I did on a third pass, is to add an upper voice throughout the canon, and a bass voice in the last measures. The compressed score is this. In the attached pdf I have “unfolded” it. Omitir en primer pase = Omit in the first run Voz superior solo en tercer pase = Upper voice only in the third run Voz inferior solo en tercer pase = Lower voice only in the third run

Hi Luis @Luis Hernández, This one is amazingly composed and looks very wonderful. Your post is wonderful too. Bach's interest in his late period into canons is always wonderful and so glad he did that. Thx for sharing your music and post! Henry

I just finish watching the animation Flow this morning and gosh, the film is so amazing and philosophical. I enjoy the overall impressionistic and New music like style film music in the film which perfectly fits what the film wants to tell us. The film music itself is spectacular because it's also done by this film's director. The director does almost fxxkingly everything in the film: Direct, Screenplay, Producer, Cinematography, editing, and even the music is composed by him!! Below are some of the soundtracks I love: This one is great with its dissonance. Wonderful color and climax. This one is used in the climax of the film and its transcendental nature immediately reminds... my own Sextet LoL??!! Both are great! I watch this because @Mooravioli recommends it to me. Thx bro! Henry

I must admit, at first I unfortunately hesitated to listen to it, knowing full well this gargantuan masterpiece, your self-termed best movement even in comparison to all of your other masterful works, could and would certainly blow me away in such a manner that trying to capture but the slightiest speck of its brilliance into a proper review would be pointless. Even this was a huge understatement, but now, having listened to it in its entirety and starting to recover from such a transcendental journey this masterwork has taken me through, it would be a waste not to express my utter admiration for this thoroughly complex, incredibly expressive marvel of musical endeavour you have managed to outdo yourself with, even to your own high standards. The solemnity and sorrowfully contained, tragicly yearning character of the first theme, followed by the intermittent protagonism of the cello from 6:00 onwards, all coupled with such a diverse array of accompaniment textures, gives these passages a very passionate and intimate timber which fits quite well with the whole thematic significance of the Lamentoso section. Even with the sheer amount of well-structured passages with enharmonic modulations, the choice of the main key for this first section of the movement is just as fitting: I have some remnants of chromatic synesthesia myself, and the sense of sorrow and despair provided by F-sharp minor in this context is far more intense to me than that of coadjacent keys like G minor or G-sharp minor, making it one of my favourite keys. The imitative build up by the end of the Lamentoso contrasts very effectively with the following passage that ends it right before the fugue. The harmonics in the violins between bars 199 and 202 reminded me of the sonority of the Chinese sheng and bamboo pipes (笙簫), which I find a pretty spot-on idiomatic reference! Now, onto the fugue: what I found most remarkable from the very beginning is the adventurous minor 2nd dissonances between both voices in each entry pair. The computerized performance doesn't soften them enough, but I'm certain an actual interpretation by real, professional musicians would be able to bring out the most delicate subtlety of these dissonances, though given the character, tempo and dynamics of the fugue, I'm not entirely sure whether they are meant to be subtle or not. Either way, real performers would surely make them sound better. The development section of the fugue is as immaculate as it is expressive, and the enharmonic modulation to C minor in b. 266, as well as the soothing return to F-sharp minor in b. 271~272, both serve as a contrasting inflection point for the outstanding stretto passages starting at b. 287 and b. 309. The return of the C minor storm at b. 317 serves as a rather pleasingly recognizable pattern leading to the fugue's climax, and the overlapped inversions of the subject's 2nd motivic cell throughout, though somewhat hidden, are incredibly rewarding to find. The following return to F-sharp minor fully completes the circle, giving this whole alternating passage between both keys one tritone apart the cornerstone of internal modulatory coherence. Following the last motiv cry of desperation in b. 393~394 from the first violin, the unexpected introduction to C major with pentatonic reminiscence all over worked as a rather compelling interlude bridging the gap between the sorrowful tone of the first half of the movement and the buildup towards the climax. The arch-shaped melody on the violins with pentatonic counterpoint underneath was simply superb. The sudden return to tragedy between b. 418 and 424 acted as a reminder of the movements overarching character, without undermining the heavenly order of the previous passage, as well as the selective recapitulation episode between b. 424 and 438, prior to the proper "Return" with the rhythmic ostinato on the 2nd cello and the rising and falling dominant 7th arpeggios on the rest of the voice creating a sense of trance before the final contrast between the rising arpeggio on all voices in C major with its subsequent equivalent in the C-sharp whole-tone scale and the growing tension provided by the repeating 16th-note motif on all other voices for a final return to F-sharp minor and the succinct yet elegant conclusion to the fugue in alternating octaves. As for the religious chant, the alternating sections between romantic molto expressivo passages and the organum pedal points with modal viola melodies and the reoccourring flautando reminiscent of b. 199~202 provide a devout, serene atmosphere evidently reminiscent of a more medieval atmosphere, and the organum parallelum in 4ths between both violas suddenly reminded me of some of Joe Hisaishi's own applications of these techniques. The sonority of the miniclimax between bars 535~538 reminded me of several romantic composers at once, the likes of Tchaikovsky, Grieg and Rachmaninov in a single, sunset-like chord brimming with secretly coalescing influences. The passage beginning at b. 540, with its pizzicato ostinati and the return of the 1st cello as the protagonist of flowing pentatonic melodies, reminded me of Shinto rituals and their deep sacrality. The exploration of timbral polyvalence here is majestic: one struggles to tell whether the modal mixture in pizzicati on the violins sound like metal or wooden percussion, strings or reeds. As the imitation between the cellos grows and the pizzicati thunder at the end, the glissandi and pizzicati in bars 569~571 call back to those between b. 159~160 and 168~169, granting them new meaning and giving the listener a deeper understanding of what they had heard before. I looked up the meaning of the poetic line attributed to Venerable Master Hsing Yun at 25:50, and it certainly provided more context for what was coming next. 春天月下一聲蛙，撞破乾坤共一家 - "A frog's croak under the spring moon shatters the cosmos, revealing we all share one home." This rudimentary English translation hardly captures the boundless beauty and eternal wisdom incapsulated in this verse. The following passages, and the reference to 人於天地之間，天地相交 - "Humans exist between Heaven and earth, where Heaven and earth intersect" add even more meaning to the exchanging and crossing of voices... from this point on I find it hard to even conceptualize and voice the way the Tao speaks through your music, through you. Its all-encompassing power in the middle of an imperfect universe in constant fluctuation, destruction and recreation - the music is just so perfect and at the same time so reflective of all the sorrows, the tragedies, the imperfections of this flawed, impermanent world. The transition from the fresh, flowing character of the whole G-flat major build up to the glory of C major is simply magnificent. The temporary transition to the floral and divine of A-flat major and back to C major through both ethereal and Earth-shattering modulations gives even further meaning to the paradoxical, contradictory appearance of the Tao in contrast to its immanent and unchanging nature. Listening to the inversely rising and rapidly cascading passages of the following return to G-flat major felt like a trance, like momentaneously falling into the eternity of a hypnotic fractal. The last section of this unbelievably awe-inducing climax brings a newly dignified and solemn character amidst the marvels of this reconstitution and recreation painted through music in the highest domes and furthest spheres of Heaven. The themes from the whole piece, the subjects from the fugue return all in harmony. And moving onto the recapitulation of the first theme, now purified and eternal, alternating with the more playful interlude-like passages leading to the finale, one last rise to the Heavens and subsequent cascade back to Earth, unifying them with the last chords and suffusing with Humanity with the subtle yet exceeding symbolism of the last glissando. Naturally, this review hardly makes any justice to the sheer magnificence of this intertextual nonpareil masterpiece. With such a lush abundance of both internal and external references, I must have missed many details which contribute to the greater hole in these first listening experiences. The internal narrative structure is so incredibly diverse one could mentally recall and recreate an entire universe of sound and color with each listen, and still be eager for the next. This being your best movement to date is hardly an overstatement, it's an epic of biblical proportions, almost like a whole symphony in the span of a string quartet movement, like the entirety of Dante's Divine Comedy spanning multiple cultures, histories and traditions all in one single concert. It might perhaps even sound condescending of me to say this, with my short, humble fugues and monolithically Baroque counterpoint which could hardly ever reach the variety, diversity, internal coherence and idiomatic mastery of yours, but truly, you have outdone yourself on so many levels that not acknwoledging said fact would be even worse: my sincerest bravo, Henry. I doubt I could ever forget my experience listening to the world you have crafted within this single movement. You are a true master, and perhaps without a doubt, the greatest of our day and age.

Hi, this is a side piece that I've worked on whilst I work on the revision for the Alula Variations (I love doing reworks on a 30 mins piece's score hahaha....). I chose bassoon and flute because I kinda wanted to write a chamber piece and write for bassoon. I also like the vibe of the OST. So yeah, hope you enjoy!

Hi @Frank R., Welcome to the forum! Just like @PeterthePapercomPoser a.k.a. PaperthePetercomPoser and @pateceramics said, this piece reminds me of Vaughn Williams, and for me also the works of our fellow member @Alex Weidmann! Also, just like Peter and Maggie said it would be great to invite some contrasts in the piece, but for a piece under 4 minutes I am satisfied enough with the contrast here personally! I also love this combination of instruments, so airy and light which fit the style of the music! I notice that it's always the flute on top of the oboe! I think sometimes the oboe can be on top of the flute as well! Thx for joining and sharing! Henry

@Henry Ng Tsz Kiu Thank you very much man, I haven't gotten such compliments in a long time wow. 😮 I agree, the tritone leap at the local climax from the start sounds like it comes from a Mahler piece, it has the same type of expressive nature (this choice was intentional). The harmonic exploration I did at the start is something I want to study in detail for future compositions, it feels atonal but grounded in tonal harmonic structures. Thank you! For me the central climax feels like watching a movie scene where a man has lost everything in war, or something similar. The Christ comparison is too much in my opinion haha, but I do try to transform my personal suffering into something people can enjoy. 🙂 @Luis Hernández Thank you! Yes, I used a similar idea, this is achieved by delaying the C# minor resolution for the very last chord of the composition. All the time I avoid a pure C# minor chord like in measures 2, 13 and 20. @Thatguy v2.0 Thank you! I wasn't expecting to express so much in less than two minutes, I guess my body was craving expressing itself after months of creative silence. @PeterthePapercomPoser Thanks. 🙂 Yes, I made some little experiments in this piece and the results seem interesting. I do hope this helps me get the courage to compose a small symphonic poem in the near future.

Hi @Gwendolyn Przyjazna! I love the modal colors of this piece! I would have made a few different harmonic choices myself though. My ear just yearns for a C# major chord instead of the C# minor you have in measure 5 but I don't know how well it would loop back around if you made that change. But if it doesn't loop well with the major chord in bar 5 you could just write out the second repeat of the material with the minor version and there'd be some unexpected variety. I also really like the mood of the piece - it's melancholic and hopeful at the same time, perhaps contemplative of both good and bad memories. I think the rhythms of the right hand in measure 13 - 15 are as clear as they should be. Since you're using a variety of different durations for the 2nd voice of the right hand it makes sense that you'd display the half note in bar 13 as such since you use a quadruplet dotted quarter note in measure 14 followed by a quadruplet 8th note. And a regular quarter in bar 15. Thanks for sharing this reflective piece! It really is a shame you don't post more often but I remember that when I was in school I didn't compose very much either unless it was for an assignment because I just didn't have the time or mental/emotional resources for creative pursuits.

This Intermezzo is intended to be the first of four little piano pieces I intend to finish. I write this as relaxation piece after finishing the very heavy String Sextet which would be published in the near future. For me this piece contains some beauty and I hope to maintain simplicity in all four pieces. Here is the score and YouTube video: (Final) Intermezzo in A.pdf The recording is played by myself and recorded in a rush since it’s completely unplanned to record this one this quick haha. Feel free to comment on this one! Hope you enjoy! Henry

Little bittersweet song in E major (I'm not exaggerating) (text in French subtitled)

Hello Young Composers, I have finished a project of 4 string quartets, with the goal of getting 4 distinct textures and vibes, 2 slow and 2 fast. 1. Is a broad but brisk quartal and quintal harmonic piece. For nearly the whole piece, it avoids thirds and 6ths, and uses many 4ths, 5ths, and 9ths. 2. is the slowest of the four, and uses double stops for most of the piece, creating a thicker texture. 3. is the fastest of the four, with an emphasis on syncopation and skedaddling melodies. 4. is best described as fight between quartal and triatic harmony Hopefully you enjoy the varied of textures I'm offering. As always I am very open to feedback and criticism, because how else will I get better?

It's probably not exactly what you're looking for with "Microtonality" in the strictest sense, but there are some rock songs that are 1/4 step down. This is probably the result of tape speed and not actually intentional, though. As I recall some of Danger Danger and I think Pantera's albums have this going on.

First, piano: played Fantasie-Impromptu at 8, can somewhat play chopin etudes, Hammerklavier, Heroic polonaise, and the such. Second, cello: Moved around a lot with long periods of time between having lessons weekly. Can play Moses on G (on A) 24 caprice, Dvorak cello concerto. Third, most of the mallets: in middle school band, then homeschooled so haven't picked back up. Can't do 4 mallets. Fourth, clarinet: picked up because we had some spare woodwinds laying around. no teacher so not sure what level of playing.

Hello everyone again, Today I bring forward my first choral piece that I've been proud of *in years*. It has been a very inspired piece written over the course of today (I skipped my Italian Class for this, Mi spiace!). Anyways about this piece. I've been wanting to write a choral piece for a while now, and I had recently felt inspired, so I've been scouring here-and-there for poems. And although I had read dozens of poems that moved me and made me want to write a piece; I struggled to connect the words and music. So I decided to write my own, and I figured the most convincing writing I could do, would be for my partner. So this whole piece is written directly to my love. The main overarching theme is; I could never overstate my affection, because words could never say everything I felt. So I use music to do so. The song begins with very classic American clichés. "you are the apple of my eye. the wonder of my daily life. my shining star" Exaggerated and cheesy language, which is how I talk with my partner. There are slow, fast, loud and quiet "I love yous" because I find myself saying it differently and meaning it the same way all the time. Then we get to the crux of the piece "I love you more than words could ever express. But I'll try". Even though just saying 'i love you' does not say it all, it gets me that much closer, and proclaiming love many times gets me closer to that unreachable goal. And then we loop around and say things again. This piece is in ABACA form and for the C section I decided to not use any words. I hope you enjoy, and please give me feedback to improve this piece, if there is anything (even if you can't figure out what it is) let me know and I'll take your feedback. This would be a good piece for my choir to perform, I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything important.