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This is the 3rd movement of my Clarinet Quintet in C minor, which is completed 4 years ago and I'm revising it. Thx to my friend Vince @Thatguy v2.0 for making the audio! Here is the pdf, audio, video of the movement. I have also made a structural graph since this movement is a fugal one and I want to show the structure more clearly. https://youtu.be/QMQyFbriSmM (For YT)Clarinet Quintet in C minor 3rd mov Final Version 20260906.pdfClarinet Quintet in C minor 3rd mov Final.mp3Clarinet Quintet 3rd Mov Structural Plan.pdf To me this is core movement in the piece and my favourite. After 2nd movement's anxious power I finally calm down to reflect subjectively and (more)objectively, which are represented by Lament and Fugue respectively with the following structure: 0:00 1st Lament, using the despair [0134] motive again, then incorporate the (future) fugue subject in the clarinet while strings keep lamenting, and ends with one more question of despair. Real lament after what is suffered in the first 30 minutes of the work. 1:10 1st Fugue. Appearance of prime form of the subject. I always go for F minor in any secondary themes or answer in my C minor works because G minor is always too weak for C minor. Only F minor is dark enough for it. First stretto in 3:05. Ends in F minor with angry despair. 4:03 2nd Lament. A complete new part for this movement added only in this final version, sounds more dissonant than anything else in the movement, further intensifies the pain. 5:00 2nd Fugue. Using the retrograde form of the subject as main subject, denoting the backward reflection of me on despair. The flow here is also more fluid. [BACH] in viola in 6:56. Prime subject joins again in 7:16 to have stretto with the retrograde subject. Ends in F minor again with augmented subject in 8:07. 8:25 3rd Lament. My favourite of the movement, the sheer pain especially in 8:41-9:00 always aches my heart. But human beings only change after pain and I am no exception, so after this painful passage some hope is finally invited to the party to modulate to E flat major for next part. 9:40 3rd Fugue. Using the inverted form of the subject as main subject, denoting the complete upside down of thought from despair to hope. Later the retrograde inversion form of the subject enters in 11:08 to represent even further distance from despair. The climax in 11:48 is the most hopeful passage in what's happened in the entire Quintet up to this point. But after it doubts continue to enter. Despair starts invading in 12:42, and in 13:18 the prime form in tonic c minor enters in a subconscious Viola entry plus an augmented 2nd violin entry. I think a lot on whether to extend the transition or not, but finally I just decided to keep it this way since an early defeat of hope can represent the cruelty of despair and the weakness of hope more. I love the sheer pain here, and the return of prime subject on cello in 13:40 means the struggle of hope is futile. An E flat major prime entry on Clarinet try to struggle once more but falls to despair again, a final prime subject on cello in 14:11 announces the defeat of hope. The section ends on a German Sixth chord to leave the music suspended. 14:36 Final Lament and coda. Solo by Clarinet, wants to escape by quoting the dream motive in G flat major like in 1st movement but has to accept despair. In 15:19 the opening returns to remind unsettled affair. In 15:36 all four forms of subject appear for a final conclusion and lament and acceptance of despair and tragedy. Only by acceptance you may recover from it. The biggest change I made in this revision is the addition of 2nd Lament and repetition of 1st Lament. This is my original plan but with the bad sound sample I deleted them in my final draft. But now with Vince's great rendition I think it's better to retain them and extend the Laments to match the overall narrative structure. I also change the entrance order of the instrument, some counterpoint and details here and there etc. In terms of fugal treatment I make use of all four forms (prime, retrograde, inversion and retrograde inversion) of the same subject to denote the ups and downs, thinking backward and forward of me, so they are not merely fugal devices but also have narrative function. Hopefully you enjoy the movement, feel free to criticize it and leave comments here. It's a long movement and a long description, and I gratefully thank you if you listen and read till the end! P.S Here are YC posts of previous movements: 1st Mov: 2nd Mov: Henry

Hi! New here, just trying this out. This is a composition on piano I made like a year ago just as a sort of writing practice thing to see what I could do without using the tonic A Minor chord. Hope you enjoy! (Also prob not gonna share the sheet music here since i didn't have the playability in mind and the notation is god awful and this is one of the first times I used a DAW to produce the music lmfao) Azalea.mp3

Attached is my submission to the "From Nothing, to Something" Summer 2026 Composition Competition Submission. I decided to set Verlaine's original French poem for two vocalists (solo soprano and solo tenor). To fit the French vibes, I rounded out the ensemble with a trio of flute, viola, and harp. The French sound I continued into parts of the harmony, opening with chords mostly made out of whole tone scales. As for form, the tenor takes the firs stanza, the soprano second with a mixed around order of phrases, and then they sing primarily together for the final stanza. I was composing this with professional players in mind, so the parts are of a higher difficulty level. Program Note: This setting, originally created for the Young Composers Forum "From Nothing, to Something" Summer 2026 Composition Competition, casts a different light on Paul Verlaine’s summer love poem, Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été. With the challenge being to capture the sensation of summer, I hoped to focus in on liminal moments throughout the season. The two vocalists, being the depicted couple in Verlaine's poem, first sing individually to each other, telling of the fleeting beauty and pleasure found in a summer love. Finally the two join together in harmony, as the stars look down gently on husband and wife. Devor - Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été_FINAL.mp3 Devor - Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été_FINAL.pdf

why u expose me bro

If you are interested, this is what Rimsky-Korsakov says about melody in octaves using woodwinds: The use of two instruments of the same colour in octaves, e.g. 2 flutes, 2 clarinets or 2 bassoons etc., if not exactly to be avoided is certainly not to be recommended, as the instruments, playing in different registers will not correspond one with the other. Suggested combinations: Fl + Ob, Fl+Cl, Fl+Bs, Ob+Cl, Ob+Bs, Cl+Bs In his book, he also discusses doubling the melody in the very high register (with the piccolo) or in the low register (with the bassoon, contrabassoon or bass clarinet). He also mentions some combinations involving two instruments from the same family that do work (because they are actually distinct, such as the flute and alto flute). As well as doubling the melody in three- and four-part arrangements, etc. And with examples of everything. A classic but essential treatise. Alan Belkin also explain this issue: Professor Belkin Notes: There is in fact a good argument to be made that the WW are not one group at all, but rather, three (oboes and bassoons counting as one – double reed – family, with the English horn as intermediary). Unlike the strings, woodwinds do NOT behave similarly to one another in various registers. For example, flutes get softer as they get lower, whereas oboes/bassoons get louder. This diversity of color and of register is the main cause of the difficulty in writing well for winds. The beginner is advised to think of each woodwind instrument as really three in one: a high instrument, a medium one, and a low one. Although the transitions between registers are of course not really so drastic, combinations of woodwinds with each other and with from other families work differently depending on register. For example, a low flute melody requires a different accompaniment from a high flute melody. This is also the reason that it is actually easier to score for a larger woodwind section than a smaller one: When the auxiliaries are available, the range available IN ANY GIVEN HOMOGENOUS TIMBRE is much increased. A chord scored for alto flute, regular flutes and piccolo will present less problems of blend and balance than one scored for 2 flutes and 2 oboes. Of all the woodwinds, the oboe is one most likely to cause problems for the beginner. It is a natural “prima donna” and, while its melodic character can be wonderful in the right melody, it does not blend easily with most other timbres in the orchestra (exception: oboes blend quite well with SOFT, muted trumpets).

I finally finished! I thought we were supposed to adapt the poem to be sung, so that's what I composed. For voice and piano trio! Attached is the link to the youtube video, as well as the pdf of the score and the mp3 audio. So on a bright summer day.mp3 So on a bright summer day.pdf

Finished it! https://www.youngcomposers.com/t50554/donc-ce-sera-par-un-clair-jour-d%C3%A9t%C3%A9/

Hi Henry! As @chopin says, the intro is catchy yet solemn and wonderful. In the progression building up even further from 1:58, it feels as though something is surging forward—it is sad that this isn't a live recording. The structure itself is well-composed, and the transitions are smooth. Around 5:00, a vivid scene of live musicians performing came to mind—starting with a solo performer and then adding instruments one after another. The entire piece maintains a consistent structure, drawing the listener deep into its worldview. The clarinet solo around 14:31 is also a personal favorite. After the busy dialogue between the instruments up to that point, it shifts into a quiet solo, and then from 15:13, it connects to the final development, returning to the origin of the piece—a great finale. How many movements do you plan to create? I thought it would be great if a file where we can listen to everything all at once were uploaded someday. Well done, I enjoyed listening! Best, Lithl.

Hello @Fruit hunter, another of your percussion pieces, now for a „more traditional“ percussion ensemble and not for „bottles“, „leaves“ and „wooden sticks“! Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: The use of various pitched and unpitched percussion instruments allows you to introduce, on the one hand, a range of melodic motifs and even chords, and, on the other hand, rhythmic patterns that enrich the piece with a vast array of motivic material. Form Development Structure Time: Even though I’ve listened to the piece a few times now, I have to admit that the impression of a “kaleidoscope” of sounds and motifs prevents me from recognizing a specific traditional form development, so that the length of the piece increases the risk of a certain “randomness” or monotony. Originality Creativity: Given its instrumentation, the piece is undoubtedly one of the most original and unique entries in this competition. Score Presentation: There have been pointed out a number of engraving issues already by @MK_Piano, which I don’t want to repeat here. Beside that, I generally like your score since it has a good readable font size, spacing etc. However, I can see that you’ve struggled with the arrangement of the staves and systems on the pages. I know this, and it’s not always easy to find a satisfactory balance between readability (i.e., the font shouldn’t be too small and the staves shouldn’t be too close together) and the effective use of space on the pages. This always seems to be the case with pieces that require seven staves, so that sometimes there is room for two systems on a single page, while in other cases only one system can fit on a single page. For aesthetic reasons, I would prefer a more even distribution across the pages, but that is not always possible. In some cases (for example, in measure 40 and measure 137), the tempo markings or other annotations extend beyond the page margin or the page size. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: I think, you have thoroughly worked on the instrumentation, the choice of the mallets, the situation when to change to another percussion instrument etc., which shows that you are familiar with that family of instruments. The only question – the playability of the fast changes between mallets or even instruments, as already stated by other reviewers – still remains for me, and I can’t answer it. Perhaps, you had have been a bit more „conservative“, introducing rests before that changes, which would be possible, especially if only one player changes the instrument/mallet while playing unison with another one (for example in mm. 108 or 116). Execution of Given Challenge: As for the question of to what extent this piece sounds “French” or conveys the atmosphere of a summer day, I have to admit that my first impression was, that the piece could be performed on the street at the „Fête de la Musique“ - which is a massive, nationwide free music celebration held annually on June 21, the day of the summer solstice, in France. And for that reason, I can see a real connection between your piece and the challenge of the contest. Taste: It's a piece that is interesting, surprising, and fascinating. On the other hand, it gets a little “monotonous” after a few minutes, so at the “Fête de la Musique”, I might have already moved on to the next musicians. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 7.5 8 6.5 10 6.5 8.5 9 8 Average Score: 8.0

Hello @Ninja Nolan ! When I first came around to read your explanation of the submission and took quick look at the score, I asked myself, “How is this supposed to work?” and “How is this supposed to sound?” when you put four soprano saxophones together in an ensemble. Isn’t it a mistake to combine instruments of the same register—and even the same timbre? Wouldn’t they get in each other’s way? But after listening to (just the first few minutes of) your piece, I was proven wrong: I have to admit that the four saxophones blend together so beautifully, without any clashes or overlapping! I also get the impression that I sometimes hear the timbre of other woodwind instruments, such as a flute or an oboe (that’s a bit like a sommelier tasting a wine and raving about how it has notes of wild berries, melon, or even pepper…). I - La soie (The silk) The first movement has for me a very calming atmosphere, somewhat like a lullaby. Another impression was that it reminds me somewhat of pieces which are played at Christmas time, but than with a brass ensemble (i.e. „Posaunenchor“) and in a different seasonal mood. II - Le ciel (The sky) The second movement reminds me of a dance at Thanksgiving – I mean a Baroque-style dance (while I can’t – since I’m not familiar with the characteristics of those dances – say whether it’s a Gavotte, a Sarabande or a Galliard …). I very like the sometimes humorous passages, as for example, in mm. 36 or at the beginning of the Trio in mm. 56. Le soir (The evening) A more melancholic movement, that arises a picture of sitting around a campfire, thus really capturing the mood of a late summer evening. Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: The piece uses beautiful, simple melodies and harmonies, which are sometimes „spiced up“ with some dissonances (such as in the first movement, mm. 18-20) - which I very liked. The textures are – while being relatively simple – well balanced. For that reason, I most liked the texture of the opening section of movement three, mm. 1-16 for their slightly couterpuntual approach. Form Development Structure Time: Since consisting of multiple movements and featuring a „dance“ in the second movement, the form could perhaps described as a suite. The movements are well developed and the entire piece perfectly meets the time requirements. Originality Creativity: The piece is original and unique among the submissions for its instrumentation and the use of the „suite“ form in three movements. Score Presentation: The score is clear and professional with no issues. I very like your descriptive program notes at the beginning. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: As always said, the instrumentation seems at the first glance somewhat „adventurous“, but has been brilliantly mastered. I think, there are no playability issues, since it doesn’t seem to be „difficult“. Execution of Given Challenge: You have chosen the three stanzas of the poem and created three movements, each with a clear, distinct mood, trying to depict „The silk“, „The sky“ and „The evening“ as they are the topic of those stanzas. If listening to the music evokes images whose seasonal mood sometimes differs from that of a summer day, this should be considered merely my personal opinion. Taste: It's a piece that's pleasant to listen to and has a calming effect. However, it might not be the kind of piece I would listen to every day. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9 8.5 10 9.5 10 10 9.5 8.5 Average Score: 9.375

Entry: Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 10 7 10 8 9.5 10 10 10 Average Score:9.3 Review: Overall, I did not notice any engraving issues on the score presentation. The only thing I would recommend would be to use expression sim. when there is the same type of articulation. That way, you do not have to write out the articulation for each note. The execution of the piece of this piece has meets the challenge. Each part is easy to read and playability. The creative and originality reflect the German lieder in tone and character. Hence while it unique to this contest, it original in the sense that melody and harmony and creative in the instrumentation and such. Homophony is the primary texture throughout this piece and sounds like chorale.

Since the submission deadline will be soon, and I expect that there will arrive some pieces today or even tomorrow, I would like to ask whether we have some more days time for our reviews (perhaps at least over the weekend). I would appreciate it, if the deadline for the reviews could be clarified (not just for me, but also for the benefit of other reviewers, since we haven’t received that many reviews yet).

Some of the most devastating music i’ve heard still yet contain a mixture of the minor/major mode but commence and return to the minor. There are some outliers though in your spirit, such as Bach’s crucifixus (from mass in b minor). I believe that is entirely in the minor, but with an important caveat: The movement is approximately 3 minutes long, and is immediately followed by the jubilant ‘Et Resurrexit’. This is of course highly effective, and I can only imagine how the mood in a concert hall, reduced to the depths of despair at the depiction of Jesus dying on the cross, to then be elevated by the sudden and ecstatic news of the great revelation. The other example that comes to mind is Dido’s Lament by Purcell. Both share a the same structural basis: a repeated ground bass and as such the music remains within its harmonic frame. And both represent something both devastating and apparently defeating. So it’s not unprecedented in that measure, but what sets your work apart is in its length, and the indication that the other movements are also predominately in the minor. I would argue that the most effective narratives through music embody some form of cyclic structure that involves both the major and minor (not in equal measure but 70/30, depending on which mode the work commences) and if not within a single movement, then between movements. Bach’s crucifixus is an excellent example in this respect. That is my personal preference, of course, and wish not to detract from the technical and aesthetic feat you have achieved here. All the best Markus

@JorgeDavid Well done, that was excellent! The second half is particularly moving. I felt like it really built up the drama and peaked in a very satisfying way. You’ve got a really nice touch, both in the composition and performance. Here’s my only recommendation: break up the accompaniment rhythm here and there. It will give the piece more character if the accompaniment is just a touch more rhythmically interesting. I’m only talking about rhythm, not the notes themselves. Even a small rhythmic change can have a big impact. For example: Instead of boom chuck chuck, boom chuck chuck, boom chuck chuck, boom chuck chuck… You might try boom chuck chuck, chuck boom chuck, chuck chuck chuck, boom chuck boom (rhythm repeats). The boom is the bass note and the chuck is the chord. You could keep all your same luxurious bass notes, but just alternate slightly where those bass notes hit. You may even find a configuration that sounds so delightful, you can use it throughout the piece as a motif. Anyways that’s just a thought. Even if you keep it as is, it’s already lovely! Nice job.

Hi @Markus Boyd ! Sorry for a long delay for replying! Actually not only this movement but the entire piece is predominantly in minor. My story to tell is about despair, the feeling of it and the struggle of it with hope. When you are struggling it's easy you lose all hope in the world, so I don't put balance of major/minor in this work. In fact the portion of Eb major is increasing during movements and the work will end in it instead of C minor to represent some hope! During this movement it will be me to be crazed by the despair completely till exhaustion, and after that you will start reflecting, which is the theme of the 3rd movement. In that emotional state I believe there won't be much drama from major/minor, rather it will be a deep dive into the despair in minor. Henry

Hi @Scriabinian ! Sorry for such a long delay! I would love to have it played in real life too, but that will be a bonus only. Thank you for your compliment! Henry

Hi @Luis Hernández ! Thx for your reply! I always want to reply but I'm too busy right now ao it causes a really long delay! Thank you Luis. I know how knoweledgeable you are with musix theory and to earn a compliment from you is an honor. I do think in terms of counterpoint and hopefully it's not too bad haha! Henry

Haha thx Alex! When I composed I seldom stick to any plan. This structural graph is made only after I finish the piece and me acting as the analyst rather than the composer haha. When I write I'm probably the same as you to write with instinct and polish them later. Indeed, it takes longer than I thought. I am almost finish with the whole piece as the 4th movement is almost done! It would be a bonus but I'm not that eager to have the piece performed in real life. Henry

It’s been forever since I done this sort of method of judging with sort of a transcript of a judge tape, but I’m going to try it for this piece or what basically happens is that I listen and I speak my notes in here. This allows me to pull things up immediately that I have noticed rather than using my memory. I appreciate the little dissonances and passing tones in the first Movement and the model interchange as well (2nd movement) This sounds very medieval like a quartet of crumhornes I kinda like the stylistic blending of the baroque, and also the medieval sound and sort of that renaissance, sort of idea in good attention to dynamics the trio given in the middle of the second movement does a good job to give the listener sort of a pallet cleanser and to redirect the energy and attention I appreciate how you use the full instrument of the Sopranos saxophone although that there it would be much nicer for a full sax Quartet (satb) I still give major respect to the versatility you present with only one instrument that is held by four different players The third movement has a good range of dynamics, and I love the low end of the dynamic spectrum given in the opening statement. I also like the harmony being used as well giving a Coventry Carol feel This also should represent the sunset as well in the idea of a sunset. Lovely ending with a pickerdty third. i’ll now give my scoring and explain any faults that may have happened MelodiesThemes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 8.5 9.15 9.7 8.4 9.6 7.88 9.5 8.56 your average is 8.91. excellent quality on your composition. Also, did you perform the whole entire thing if this was a live recording then kudos to you anyways, I had explained your orchestration score. If only you used more members of the sax family you may be able to get a much more wider sound however though your purpose kinda does justify though if you want to keep it just to one instrument. just like I had said to other entries, I had tanked the creativity score however, though I kind of brought a little bit up to you due to the creative melody and the creative harmony, and feel that your piece gives off it kinda does fit that cookie cutter idea of that aesthetic that everybody else is convergently going for so there’s not really much uniqueness in that purpose purpose there. other than that excellent job

I thought that was lovely! This captures a pop/rock vibe that gives the piano a lot of drive and motion. The mysterious chords at the start do an excellent job of setting up the dramatic section (starting at 37 secs). You nailed it with that powerful section, and the music really gave me nostalgia for the video game Donkey Kong Country 2, which contains some of the best music ever composed for a Nintendo game (composer: David Wise), so in my book you’re doing great! I think this music could shine even brighter with the layering in of other instruments, especially bass and percussion. A simple beat with bass layered over this could take the whole thing to another level, and it may even open you up to adding more layers. As an example, check out this song from Donkey Kong Country 2, and notice the difference between the beginning (which has no percussion) and the section where percussion comes in (1:09). Both sections are great, but the introduction of the percussion really juices up the vibe. And your music reminds me of this song, a song I’ve always cherished. Would love to hear more from you. Cheers!

I honestly had to take some time away from reading this post to fully absorb what it was that you were trying to say LoL. So the first thing is (and what I also told Fruit hunter) is that these kinds of awards cannot be created because every member of the website would want an award created for their name "The Fruit hunter Award of Excellence", "The TristantheTristan Award", "The PeterthePapercomPoser Award", "The Chopin Award", "The Henry Ng Tsz Kiu Award" etc. etc. etc. These kinds of awards would be meaningless and wouldn't bestow any kind of honor or significance to those they would be given to. The other problem is that awards are still bestowed by the staff so there would be a logistical challenge since you'd always have to ask a staff member to bestow the award to someone for you. Finally - you do have a good idea hidden in your post - the idea of having an award for a good Theme and Variations. Now you'd just need a good concept for such an award and what kind of graphic might fit such a concept. Thanks for the idea!

Just a little something for orchestra with a nice percussion section. Sequence I-VI.mp3 Sequence I-VI - Score.pdf

This piece was written for the 2026 Summer Competition. It is technically past midnight on my side, I apologise as the audio took a while, hope this can still be reviewed. Note: I named this piece directly after the poem, maybe because it's the best name I could give it, actually. It's meant to directly translate the poem into music, so I figured that would be apt for a piece such as this. It's written in a loose ternary form with a few motifs consistently coming back throughout. Each section (ABA) represents a stanza in the poem. The first section opens with a bright, jubilant depiction of a summer day, before transitioning to the beauty of the subject. Then, the middle section adds some turbulence to this nature of the love, a personal interpretation of mine on the poem. Finally, the return of the A theme is accompanied by fleeting runs like the evening wind, as the lovers gaze into the sky. Most of the rest I will leave to your interpretation of what is happening, but I do encourage physically reading the poem while listening to the piece. As for the instrumentation, the French Horn is an instrument dear to me, despite having only picked it up for slightly less than three years. Through all the technical difficulties of this piece (yes, the Horn part is playable, albeit challenging), I wanted to showcase the mellow, melodic sound of the horn as something unique. The choice of the violin, then, was nothing special, another melodic instrument to complete the lovers' dialogue portrayed thoroughout the piece. The piano, then, allows for all the word painting possibilities. It was quite a rushed piece, given my recent schedule, but I enjoyed the time spent just appreciating the loveliness of the poem. Enjoy listening! Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été.mp3 Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été.pdf

Hello @JDevorMusic, thank you for sharing such an incredible piece of music, and by the way – a hearty welcome at the forum. Interestingly, the very first submission to the competition, and the last one – so far – have the same instrumentation, a flute, a viola and a harp (while you’ve added two vocals). Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: There is a memorable motif that recurs throughout the piece and is first introduced by the flute in measures 4–5. The sung poem features relatively long note values or coloraturas for the faster notes, so that the vocal parts are somewhat reminiscent of Renaissance singing. The accompaniment contrasts that with its – one the one hand „percussive“ arpeggiated chords – and, in other passages with energetic ostinatos (on the harp or viola), so that the piece unfolds a varied texture. As a piece in „contemporary style“, or to be said „atonal“, it is difficult to speak about „harmonies“ in the traditional sense. However, there are some chords which could be perceived as „pentatonic“. Form Development Structure Time: The piece has no „traditional“ form (such as sonata or rondo form), but is clearly structured due to the realization of the poem as a modern „aria“ (or better duet), with passages of increasing tension and „rests“, calming down between the stanzas. And finally, you were thoroughly enough to meet the requirements of the competition by finishing the piece exactly at the 7:00 minute limit. Originality Creativity: This piece is absolutely unique among all the submissions, obviously for its atonality, but also because of its detailed and meticulous craftsmanship. Score Presentation: The score presentation is absolute professional, starting with the title page, preface (including instrumentation, program notes etc.) and is full of information. So I didn’t look around to find some nitpicks but was rather impressed by the vast majority of details, including markups on articulation, playing instructions, harp pedals, breakdown of compound meter signatures etc. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: The instrumentation works well, the three instruments from different families blend together and complement each other in their timbre, as well with the vocals. As for playability, you yourself mentioned the the difficult level, which would be suitable for professionals only. And I'm sure you've checked all the passages for “unplayable” notes or chords. Execution of Given Challenge: Your piece represents a very thorough realization of the task of the contest: To take Paul Verlaine’s poem and create „Something“ in music. The question remains, whether the dissonant character of this contemporary piece will evoke associations with summer, beauty, and love in the majority of listeners. Taste: That might be the problematic part. For me, it's a fascinating piece when I can really focus on it (maybe during a live performance). But I don't think it works as well if you're just listening to it in the background. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9 9 9 10 10 8 7.5 5.5 Average Score: 8.5

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 8 10 7.5 8.5 7.5 8.5 8 10 Avg: 8.5 This is one of those pieces where you have to listen to it a few times to understand it. But once you do, it's very rewarding. The improvised intro is a nice touch, what a dramatic opening! It sounds like your subject is trying to come to form in this section, but it's not quite there yet. Then you form it in the middle sections (the intro to your fugue) and that's when this piece starts to really shine. Anyone who has a hard time with fugues, must learn to train their ear on the main subject, and listen for that subject in the fugue. Once you do that, you realize how awesome and clever this piece is. Also, another strong point is that your harmony is very well done! Does it remind me of summer afternoon / evening? I'm not sure, maybe the end of summer or a rainy summer afternoon since this quite melancholic!

Hello @Matthew M, this is a piece I enjoyed from the first measure on! This might be the case since you – as a fun fact – used the same first four notes (V – I – II – III) as I did in my contribution, while in another rhythm! And there is just another similarity, you have set the poem to music and used an instrument – I suppose an oboe – as the substitute for the human voice. Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: The piece contains wonderful melodic themes or motifs that are, on the one hand, memorable and recurring, and on the other hand are slightly modified or varied, so that the texture flows continuously and never becomes boring. Form Development Structure Time: I would describe the form as an „introduction“, followed by two „stanzas“ of the song (whereas it is the twofold repetition of the entire poem), and a „coda“. Before the poem is recapitulated, there is a beautiful modulation from G major to E major and a meter change from 4/4 to 6/8, so that the second “verse” has an even more brighter and cheerful mood than the first. All in all, it’s a beautiful structure that makes the 4:15 minutes of the piece fly by seamlessly. Originality Creativity: The piece is original, creative, and memorable - not due to extravagant instrumentation or surprising effects, but simply because of its beauty! Score Presentation: There is one thing I noticed in the score. You have (nearly) not made any articulation or bowing markups using slurs throughout the piece – except in the soprano (or oboe) voice which is treated as the vocal part. And furthermore, that voice - if it is really considered to be the vocal part - has a somewhat inconsistent usage of slurs and beams: In vocal score notation it is important to distinguish whether a single syllable is represented by a single note or whether multiple notes are sung for a single syllable (i.e., a melisma). There are two possibilities: In older, classical scores eighths and sixteenth notes are notated with flags (not beamed) for a single syllable, but if there are multiple notes to be sung for a single syllable, those notes are beamed together. No slurs at all (except for quarter or longer notes). In contemporary music, beams are used to show the rhythmic pattern, regardless of the text. However, in that case slurs indicate whenever multiple notes should be sung for a single syllable (and nowhere else). So, for example, in mm. 26-27 there should be only one slur in mm. 27 around the first two notes A and C denoting that there is a melisma on „love“ to be sung as two notes. In mm. 29 the first slur is correct, the second not. In mm. 30 no slurs at all. Mm. 31 is correct, two melismas. And so on (all according to „modern“ notation). On the other hand, I would appreciate slurs for the other instruments to express articulation or bowing. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: A „traditional“ instrumentation which is used effectively and does not show any playability issues. Execution of Given Challenge: Even if you did not stress on depicting the different moods one could read from the three stanzas of the poem, you have nailed it, to evoke imaginations of a summer’s day, beauty and love. Well done! Taste: A beautiful, calming piece which never gets boring, even after listening to it multiple times. Moreover, the longer I listen to it, the more subtle details I conceive. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 10 10 10 9 7.5 9.5 10 10 Average Score: 9.5

Hello, I tried playing with the sheet music and I'm not sure if your recording is the same as the sheets. It definitely deviates after the repeat. Personally, I find measure 13-16 too repetitive. I think I get what you are going for, with the building of the tension, but it just doesn't good (to me). My ears want to have some variation. Also I think the notation does not match what the mp3 is playing here. I like the mp3 better than the notation. It gets really weird at 0:59 in the recording. I guess it all depends on the direction you want to take the piece in. Whenever I get stuck, I try things like: 1) Doing the same thing in a minor key 2) throwing in a key change 3) reversing the theme, so it sounds completely different 4) depending on the piece, I sometimes like to take tidbits from the theme and make a new theme. For one of my pieces which had a passage that was 8 bars long, I just took the first note of each passage, which created a new musical idea consisting of 8 notes. So that was fun and worked well. 5) Give the left hand something interesting to do, perhaps move the theme there, or change the accompaniment. I always try to understand my music. Maybe this sounds kinda weird, since I'm also writing it... but I don't assume that I understand the music that I am writing. I figure that if I truly understand my music then I can understand where the music will naturally go. I realize that this advice is not very tangible but this is the most honest answer for what I do when I feel stuck. I'm sure some of the more classically inclined musicians in this forums can give you some other ideas...the possibilities are literally endless. Hope you find some inspiration.

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 10 8 10 7.5 8.5 9 7 8.5 Avg: 8.56 Nice romantic harmony paired with a gorgeous theme makes this a very clear and easy to follow piece. Variations of your themes are also very cool, and your key changing keeps this piece from feeling too repetitive. I definitely hear your Tchaikovsky influence, but around 3:30 I actually think I hear some Mendelssohn influence as well, maybe you didn't even realize it. Be careful though with balancing the piano parts of your melody, they were definitely too weak in velocity especially compared to your strings. But that's just an audio issue. As far as the execution of the challenge, this one is tough for me because it does remind me of romance between a man and a woman (or some type of heartbreak), but the story you are portraying here is so romantic-heavy, I forget about the summer part. But that might just me! Despite that, this is a beautiful and heartfelt piece.

18th Century theoriest, Johann Mattheson, discusses the importance of imitation in counterpoint. He contrasts this with "melody and accompaniment", in which the melody is simply supported with corresponding harmony. He states that without imitation, music sounds "wooden". It is imitation that brings music to life through dialogue, the reason being that: we relate to musical dialogue like our own social world. Obviously, our social experiences are not singular but at least bi-directional. The usefulness of imitation extends beyond its aesthetic appeal; it is also a critical tool for developing a musical idea. From personal experience, producing a convincing dialogue/conversation in my own writing helps me consider where it might go next. Mattheson goes on to state that, for experienced composers, imitation becomes instinctive which is particularly useful in improvisation: against a given melody, thinking how it can be imitated becomes central to its corresponding solution. I conceived a melody of my own to practice this. Try to do the same: produce a short melody and consider how it might be imitated. Figure 1: a melody with basic accompaniment: Figure 2: the melody with imitation In my attempt, the imitation follows the rhythmic pattern of the melody a like a canon but without faithfulness to its script. Note that the bass is still primarily supportive of its harmony, following the voice leading outline shown in figure 1. Importantly, I used the do-re-mi schema (1-2-3) as the basis for this simple idea for it facilitates stepwise contrary motion in the bass (here this was useful in bar 3 where the bass rises to the Bb against the melody that descends to D. Making use of such schemas (see Robert Gjerdigen's 'Music in the Galant Style') can be useful for this sort of thing.

Morning all, I am going to produce some learning material on here as part of my own studies to share & promote knowledge relating to baroque counterpoint. I have acquired the not inexpensive book, Baroque Counterpoint by Chistoph Neidhofer & Peter Schubert that I am thinking of translating into a workable guide on here. Disseminating this is as much for my learning as for the potential benefit of others, in addition to generating constructive conversation around these concepts. I am thinking of uploading one class per week - or more - depending on the time I have. Stay tuned for these.

This is casual competition without any prize money and hence we are not requiring any particular format for the reviews. Even the official reviewing template is purely optional and one is free to review without it or use your own template. Therefore, I don't think it's reasonable to expect everyone to rank the entries also given that if you are using the official template you'd have to create a sheet/excel document to keep everything consistent. (Of course the official judges of previous more formal competitions did do this and it was definitely fun for some and a headache for others)

I think it would work best if each person were to rank the pieces (not their own if participating), giving their reasoning, and submit it in private. I think its easier to judge when you know all the pieces. Just a suggestion!

Yes, thank you for asking and sorry about this being unclear/unmentioned. You will have till October 1st (a week after the contest closes) to review all the entries and vote for the winners.

Thank you for the wonderful feedback! I believe I forgot to add dynamics at the end by mistake... :( Dynamics and bowings are up to interpretation I guess

Thank you so much listening and the feedback, @Grant Weep ! I have been listening to the sections you said attentively and I think I know what you mean. Regarding the Bnat, I personally like it there, and I like that harmonic/melodic movement, but thanks to your comment I realized that I did too much crescendo there. I should be played only a little louder, but I play that crescendo to the Cmajor chord even louder than the Half Cadence. I think that might affect negatively the first section of the piece. I will try practicing that crescendo softer to see if, for the next time, I manage to make that part sound smoother and less out of place. Regarding the power chords, I used those there for inner melodic reasons. You are right that they sound a little hollow, but I think I like the one in m.11, but in m.15 I might add the third to the right hand for next version. Thanks for pointing those out! Yeah, that was an accident, but since it did not sound too bad I let it stay. I also think it sounds kind of nice the more I hear it. I will consider whether leaving it and maybe reusing the same idea somewhere else or getting rid of it! Thanks for the comment!

Hello everyone, Thought I'd share my appreciation for this gorgeous work for double choir by Zelenka, performed by Ensemble Inegal under Adam Viktora's direction (released 2025). Zelenka worked for the court of Augustus the Strong of Dresden and was a contemporary of JS Bach (they allegedly knew of each other and maintained mutual respect but never met). Unlike Bach's sacred works, Zelenka wrote for the Catholic church. This was written specifically to be sung at one of various altars during a Corpus Christi procession at Prague's St. Salvator Church. This movement was written to be sung at the third altar. Until recently all but the first movement was believed to have been lost in the Dresden Bombing of WW2. Thankfully, researchers in 2023 found a complete 19th century copy for our pleasure. Prague's St. Salvator Church. For me, it doesn't get much better than this. Enjoy!

Hello, What a wonderful waltz. I listened it to 4-5 times now, and each time at 0:23, or measure 11....the Bnat in your right hand, really clashes with the Bb in the left hand. In that same measure (11) and in measure 15, you do this thing where you have like a power chord going on....G in LH and G-D in right hand. Sort of feels out of keeping with the lovely sophisticated, I'm in a Cafe in Paris feeling smoking a cigarette reading Camus sort of feeling that you got going on otherwise. In measure 11, I personally "feel" a Gminor9 chord sort of voiced in a way where it's clustered together. But I realize that that may or may not work with what you have right after (going into the Cmaj). Perhaps, just nixing the Bnat and keeping it Bb. Anyways, that's how the piece sounds to me...just this one place that seems out of place. Really digging the chord/atmosphere at measure 37. At measure 40, you play a F# I think that's not in the score? Maybe it was an accident/improvisation, but I like it! Perhaps you could expand on the idea since I believe that this general idea has not come up in the music yet.

Yeah before revision I think the fugues are the main courses but during this revision I realised how important those Laments are in the structure. I really love them too given how straight away I express my emotion there, why in fugues the emotions are more indirect. Yup the modulation is pretty tame becausr this is the 1st time I write an entire fugal movement so I don't know how to modulate better like what I did in the Sextet fugue later, but I think the more modest modulations help the movement stay in the mood, hopefully. Thx! I really like the parts when despair comes back, they are emotionally and technically better passages! Henry

I will now view your entry for so on a bright summer day and as of listening to it, it initially sounded nice however, though there’s one thing you should be careful on slurring those 16th note, triplets should be slurred and under one bow Also, you should be careful about using the sticcatisimo articulation it should only be used sparingly when you want a special effect of a very exaggerated staccato marking Nice meter change into the 6/8 in key change as well At times the music feels a little bit clustered. Also make sure you use dynamics more often especially around that later parts Anyways, I was a string player. I’m going to harp on the string parts more harshly because I feel like there could be more that could’ve been done with the strings along with different techniques to be used in different types of Bowing Anyways, it was a nice piece. The only two problems though is that the 6/8 section felt very clustered and kind of muddy and there were very little use of dynamics near that part as well but it’s a very solid work though I will now give scores and reasons for faults MelodiesThemes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9 6.87 8.2 8.8 9.2 7.2 9.8 6.5 average: 8.19 The harmony was a little basic, however though I may give you props to that key change you should read up above about the orchestration problem, but I feel like the strings could do much more and feel free to experiment more for taste, I rated it so low just for the purpose that it was a good piece on its own. It wasn’t that much interesting though to my taste, I couldn’t really find anything that stands out. however, though this was a good quality production and I wish you luck and further competitions and your composing career

mad respect for that

Thanks for the feedback. I recorded each part separately with a click track, except for the third movement which was fully rubato. As for the instrumentation, I wanted it to have a choral feeling, with the instruments being equal in range and timbre. I also quite like the sound of close harmonies, especially harmonies found in barbershop quartets, which is what inspired the first movement.

We need justice lol

That badge was created by me as a joke for Christmas of 2023 so that @Thatguy v2.0 could bestow the badge to me for winning our "Christmas Duel" LoL. That's a good idea too! The only comparable existing award is the "Musical Explorer" badge, but a "Creative Composer" badge would also be good! Thanks.

Hi Henry, Well done on your revision of this major work: it must've taken such a long time to do! I'm very impressed with all the detail in your structural plan. (Don't think I could stick to something like that, as I tend to write organically by instinct alone.) Are you hoping to get a performance by real musicians? Alex

Straight away you get to the point with the very nice intro. It has a distinct theme and haunting harmony. The fugues are very beautiful, and the transitions are quite smooth. But I especially love the intro. The intro has a Tchaikovsky feel to it, very dark, emotional with lots of soul. The fugues are fun and I can tell you paid close attention to orchestration. It seems that your key changing is pretty tame in this movement, at least within sections. Your transition from the 8 minute mark to the 9:20 mark is particularly well done and I like how you split this movement into 2...where the first section is the darker side, and the second section is the happier side. It gives the piece a nice balance. The second section reminds me a little of Bach's inventions, before you remind us of the darkness of the entire piece by shifting focus back to the intro!

Hi @Grant Weep—a bit late to comment on these works. My impression is that these are wonderful, lovely, and truly nice pieces. The backstory behind the works is just fantastic. When it comes to a piece that holds such significance, there’s really nothing for me to add. I'm a total stranger to your kids, but tell them to enjoy childhood, and good luck! ☺️ I said so before, but again, I truly hope you have an amazing family life! Best, Lithl.

The only exception is, you know, "that guy." 😏 By the way, what about the "Creative Composer" badge? This badge is awarded to composers whose work feels creative or who demonstrate uniqueness—such as through the fusion of different genres. Best, Lithl.

I won't want to have that lololol

Hello, If this is something you wrote a year ago, I'd be interested in hearing how your more recent compositions! The intro was pretty cool, the use of effects there was great. I tried to follow on my keyboard, since there was no sheet music. I think I got the main musical ideas. The cool thing about using the D major and occasional D minor chords is that it gives a bit of an epic feel to the piece. As you mentioned, not using the tonic always makes me feel like the music gets this short of push to it. Like, on the move. To me, it gives this sort of subjective quality like a journey. So that's pretty cool! From a structural point of view, I am hearing A/B/A/B/A. Kinda like verse/chorus/verse/chorus/verse. I mean your piece is pretty nice already. The type of structure that you have is great. Sometimes, experimenting with the structure can really make a piece of music sound special. Like any pop song, you could try adding an intro (which you kind of have, but you used effects so I have mentioned it). You could try adding a bridge. You could try adding an outro. Once again, these are all matters of subjective taste. Many great pieces written A/B/A/B/A structure, the length of your piece is also not too long, so it works. But yeah, I like how you are doing this little variations to make things interesting...alternating between the A - E - A -E, and then going E-A-E-A. I think while the overall musicality is fairly simple, you are doing some nice things with it. I find that music can be very dialectical, depending on how you look at it. Like, truly good music is slightly surprising and also comforting. You want to try to be innovative and find your own sound, but also not write something so innovative that nobody can understand. You'll want to take risk and be safe, but perhaps sometimes taking a risk is the safe thing to do, and perhaps keeping it safe is taking a risk? Anyways, just some ramblings from an old guy, welcome and hope to see you around more often.