Leaderboard

Hi @draingxngceo! First of all, a hearty welcome here to the forum. I’m very excited about your post, because your passion for fugues and the attempt to compose your own ones after studying the Well-Tempered Clavier remind me of my own first steps in composition many years ago. You have tagged the post with „beginner“ and mentioned that you „don’t really have composition knowledge or experience“. However, the short „sketch“ of an exposition of a fugue is not „nothing“, so I think you indeed have acquired a basic knowledge about fugues through studying the ones from the WTC (or you are just extraordinary talented from nature :-)). That said, some of my more general explanations about fugues below might be obvious to you, but that basic knowledge on fugue writing/analysis might be interesting or useful for other readers, too. Getting started. Before I’ve listened your fugue exposition for the first time, I took a look at the score to get an initial impression. At the first glance, it is not entirely obvious what key the piece is in and how long the fugue subject is. Your fugue subject does not prominently start at the pitch of B or G# and the last note of the fugue subject can only be identified by comparing all three subject entries: It is a B, the first sixteenth note in measure two. Therefore, I am now certain that the fugue is in the key of B major (which is perhaps hinted at by the title “B Majuh,” but—I’m curious—what language is that?). No that is not an error - it makes it somewhat harder to analyze the fugue. With that first impression and the comment of @Luis Hernández I have now taken a closer look at your fugue in order to conduct a more detailed analysis and perhaps offer some suggestions or solutions for the few issues I noticed or that have already been mentioned by other reviewers. Below you will find my annotated score as well as an audio version. The fugue subject. A fugue starts with the introduction of its central melodic material, called the fugue subject. As the fugue subject is introduced by one voice solo, anyone can easily recognize a fugue. A melody to be used as a fugue subject must meet certain requirements in order to be suitable for this purpose: It should have a distinctive melodic and rhythmic character so that it is memorable. The melody may contain smaller fragments (motifs) that can be developed later in the fugue independently. The subject must clearly define the home key (tonic). However, a good fugue subject avoids a final, closed cadence and appears “open” to forward motion. Typically, subjects are relatively short (from one to four bars), although they can be longer, and stay within a moderate range (often an octave or less). The melody should maintain a steady flow - with a mix of rhythmic activity - that creates and preserves momentum. You’ve created an interesting fugue subject that meets almost all of these requirements. I especially like its memorable rhythmic character. Starting with rests (I see, you have studied Bach’s fugues from the WTC where he often starts its fugue subjects with rests), helps that the subsequent subject entries encounter seamlessly in the continuing flow of the fugue and prevents that the fugues rhythm becomes too „static“ or „blocky“. The only „weakness“ concerning the above definitions is that it „meanders“ around the home key B before the tonic is established by the final note. There is nothing wrong with that fact – it might bring some more harmonic freedom or possibilities within the further development. In my annotated score I have emphasized the fugue subject in blue color and marked its start with the letter T (i.e. „Thema“ for subject in German). As you can see, I have separated the last sixteenth note of the subject from the following ones and included a caesura in the phrasing to emphasize the end of the subject and to separate it somewhat from the following sixteenth-notes runs, which represent the (beginning) of the counterpoint. Dux and Comes. Once the subject has been played by the first voice, it is then imitated - one after the other - by the other voices. The answer is not a repetition of the subject on the same pitch, but transposed one, up a fifth (or down a fourth) to the dominant. Such an answer is called “Comes” (i.e., companion), while the original subject entry is called “Dux” (i.e., leader). The third voice enters again in the tonic as Dux, the fourth voice - if present - in the dominant as Comes, and so on (although there may be deviations from the order Dux - Comes - Dux - Comes). Your fugue exposition consists of three voices which create an „ordinary“ arrangement of Dux and Comes: First subject entry as Dux in the Soprano in the tonic key of B major, second subject entry as Comes in the Alto in the dominant ky of F# major and finally third subject entry as Dux in the Tenor (or Bass) in the tonic key of B major. Real and Tonal Answer. Whenever the subject entry by the Comes is a literal, note-by-note transposition of the original subject as played by the Dux up a perfect fifth, we speak of a „real answer”. However, it might be necessary for some kinds of subjects to perform a slightly modified transposition - called „tonal answer” - especially with regard to the dominant note (i.e. the 5th scale degree), if it appears prominently at the beginning of the subject. In the second subject entry you have altered the first pitch from an A# (as it would be when applying a literal transposition) to a B, in order to stay in the tonic key of B major for the first while. That is a kind of a „tonal answer“, but interestingly not applied at the fifth or the fourth, but on the third. There is nothing wrong with it; rather, it proofs that the fugue subject is somewhat „advanced“ or „challenging“ in its harmonic line. Counterpoint and Countersubject. The counterpoint is a distinct melodic line that accompanies the fugue subject (or its answer) in a different voice. It provides musical contrast and rhythmic independence against the main subject. Whenever it appears more than once, it is also called „countersubject” - as it is a recurring companion of the subject, perhaps throughout the entire fugue, but at least during the exposition. It must be constructed to sound harmonically correct when inverted (e.g., if it is used below and above the subject), calling it an „invertable counterpoint”. If the melodic line accompanying the subject does not return regularly, it is considered rather than a formal countersubject. Your counterpoint is a „free counterpoint“, not a recurring one that could be considered to be a „countersubject“. Because of its sixteenth note figures, it moves forward, introducing momentum. Furthermore, especially in bar 5, you have distributed that movement between the Soprano and Alto which is a good example for counterpoint in its rhythmically sense. All in all that rhythmic texture creates a (nearly) perfect „complementary rhythm“, that is when the different voices complement to each other so that there exists a played note on every sixteenth beat, from whatever voice it comes. In the transition from mm. 3 to mm. 4 I have introduced some slightly modifications (highlighted in yellow) in order to emphasize that complementary rhythm, ensuring that all sixteenth notes beats „are played“ mitigating the somewhat „thin sounding“ octave on F# on the first note of mm. 4 (even if it is not a parallel octave, that particular note sounds „thin“ for my ears, causing me to “stumble” a bit while listening). By the way, the tritone in bar 6 – which was mentioned by @LuisHernandez – does not sound so bad to my ears, so my mitigation for that passage is also more a rhythmic modification in the sense of complementary rhythm (with the benefit that the dissonance is shifted more to a passing note): Exposition and Development. The complete, subsequent entries of the fugue subject in all voices is called a development of the subject. The first of that development sections - e.g. the initial introduction of the fugue subject through all voices - is called the exposition, since the subject is presented here for the first time, usually obeying the rules of „Dux and Comes” as explained above, thus presenting the subject in the tonic and the answer in the dominant key. In the subsequent development sections, those „rules” are often interpreted more „relaxed”, meaning that the subject now appears - after a modulation by an interlude (or „episod”) - in other keys (such as related keys as the dominant or subdominant or the parallel key, or even in more distant or unrelated keys). Furthermore, now „fugal arts”, such as inversion, augmentation and diminution and stretto are applied increasingly to depict the subject in an altered nature, or to create tension. In the closing section of a fugue, the subject finally returns to the tonic key, sometimes over a tonic or dominant pedalpoint. There might be a passage after the ultimate subject entry, which is called a coda and whichs purpose is to bring the fugue to the end with the respective cadence. Your short example (measures 1 to 6) is – in my opinion – a good exercise for a fugue exposition. Episodes . An episode is a transitional section that separates the development sections of a fugue, acting as an interlude to modulate between keys and to create contrast. Episodes often feature sequential repetition of a melodic pattern, which contributes to the modulation and creates a sense of forward momentum. As a general “rule”, the complete fugue subject does not appear within an episode. However, episodes typically - though not always - use motifs derived from the subject or countersubject. Measures 7 and 8 could be the beginning of an episode (while I consider mm. 8 „unfinished“ in the soprano part). When listening that final two bars, I could imagine, that the fugue subject re-enters in the second half of bar 8, thus closing the gap in the soprano part with its first upbeat-motif ... Conclusion. I very enjoyed your attempt at composing a fugue and I’m excited to hear more about the success of that fugue(s). Perhaps, my comments and my slightly modified version can be useful in that process. (And as you can see – and hopefully hear -, I have introduced some extend of dynamics, articulation and tempo changes in the score and audio, expressing somewhat how I would interprete the piece as a piano player.) As for the suggestions to start by studying books and trying out “simpler exercises” (such as inventions, etc.) - yes, that’s undoubtedly true. However, if you enjoy trying out writing fugues, I would strongly recommend to continue that - and, of course, study Bach’s fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier - only the best source is good enough for learning! B-Majuh-piano-steinway-b.mp3 B-Majuh-colored.pdf

I am stoked to finally release this great collaboration with @Maharani that we've been working on for over a month! I first found out about Marissa's Solo French Horn sonata through the United Composer's Collective discord server (UCC). I offered to play and record at first just one movement but then it turned into a full 4-movement project. I spent a lot of time practicing almost everyday getting my chops into a state of preparedness. Honestly - it was a bit like training for a marathon! LoL The movements are as follows: Sonata Aria Capriccio Ciaccona We are also including two versions of the score - the handwritten one by Marissa and a more official and mistake free engraving by me. Bandcamp link: https://maharajah.bandcamp.com/album/sonata-per-corno-op-4 Let us know what you think of the composition, engraving as well as performance of this work! We'd be stoked to hear any of your comments, critiques, suggestions or observations! Thanks for listening. Sonata per corno – 1. Sonata.mp3Sonata per corno – 2. Aria.mp3Sonata per corno – 3. Capriccio.mp3Sonata per corno – 4. Ciaccona.mp3 Sonata per corno – handwritten score.pdf Sonata per corno Complete.pdf

These days are great in that I can see such nice collaborations like Henry & Vasilis, plus the Peter & Maharani pair! 😊 Peter, these pieces were good to hear. This kind of solo melody music is somehow difficult and you made nice pieces. I love your reverb version and, of course, Maharani's one. I think I like "Sonata" - this is a good opening for starting listening to these. Thank you for sharing. By the way, I've never listened to horn solo pieces. I know solo trumpet, saxophone - jazz sometimes does that but are there any solo horn pieces like that? I don't know. As for solo music, I love Paganini Violin Sonatas, not horn, though. That's awesome, isn't it? Anyway, nice job, both of you! I enjoyed it :) Hello Alexx, you can see Peter's horn in this topic, haha. For your reference! Best, Lithl.

Nocturne- E minor.mp3Nocturne- E minor.pdf Hello. Recently finished this piece and felt it was something interesting to share; What i feel makes this piece distinct is that its quite heavily harmonically driven, as in the melody doesn't stray far from the current harmonic background; I'm quite satisfied with the structure, as i feel it keeps the piece interesting and fresh all the way through; I'm still not sure if i should say this piece is in E minor, as its never really suggested until the very end. (also this piece used to have a subtitle in early stages, but as i was composing further on it didn't quite stick, so some ideas of what to call it would be nice) Thoughts and feedback are always welcome. Enjoy the music.

Good evening=) I’ve watched and listened to your Quartet. It seems to me that this is a very raw piece that needs serious revision. There are a great many purely technical issues. Even in computer playback, your texture doesn’t sound good, and with live players it will sound even worse. Your voices often cross and double each other. For example, in the “Pastorale”, right at the beginning, the cello and viola play the same notes, but the cello sustains quarter notes while the viola plays eighths. As a result, both will sound poor, and the accompaniment will get muddy. What’s more, your voices aren’t independent. You double many of the moves (literally in the second measure the cello, the viola, and the first violin, which has the melody, all play the same descending B–A together, and in the fourth you for some reason double the melody in the bass). This sounds extremely inexperienced. Avoid this. If you do double something (for example, if you need it for some effect), double everything, and do it consciously. If you don’t double, then don’t do it anywhere. Avoid moving all the voices in the same direction, especially in four or more parts. You’re working in a style close to the classical one, and such moments really grate on the ear here. In fact, they sound bad almost everywhere, and here especially so. Why you changed the type of texture in the 5th measure is completely unclear. There is neither the end of a section nor some especially important part of the theme there. It isn’t needed there either structurally or in terms of meaning. It’s as if you tugged the listener by the sleeve, they got ready to hear something important, and you didn’t say anything. The listener was disappointed :) You are trying to fill the entire vertical space from the bass to the very top, and there is no good reason for it. There is a good rule: the lower the register, the wider the intervals. Narrow intervals in the small octave and below sound unclear. They can be used there only with a clear and evident purpose. In your piece they often just sit there for the sake of being there. That will sound bad too. More notes doesn’t mean a richer sound. Four voices are quite enough in a quartet. They will then sound very clean, expressive, and beautiful. And if you want a rich sound, it is achieved by making the texture more polyphonic, not by mechanically adding notes. I hope you’re not offended by my remarks. All of this can be easily fixed, and it will come with practice :) I wish you luck and inspiration. Alex

Hello A fantastic piece, rich in colour and beautifully orchestrated. I find this sort of work for wind bands to be a rather distinctive genre, and by no means an easy one. In the area where I live (Spain, on the Mediterranean coast) there’s a very strong tradition of street bands (marching bands?). They play whilst marching the whole time and consist of dozens of clarinets, oboes, flutes, sometimes saxophones, and percussion—including timpani, which are constantly pushed along by two assistants. There are many bands here and they play at the local festivals. For example, in many villages and neighbourhoods, ‘Moors and Christians’ festivals are held (lasting 3–5 days), as this country was under Muslim rule for seven centuries (from 711 to 1492) and these festivals re-enact the final Christian victory. Anyway, it’s fascinating. And that’s why we have such a wonderful Muslim heritage in this country in every aspect (traditions, cuisine, the language). These bands parade with various groups throughout the day and play pasodobles, music that sounds ‘Arabic’, and so on… That’s why I’m so fond of this sort of band. Anyway, sorry for rambling, but I’d like to congratulate you on this music.

Piano sketches can be useful for beginners in composition because it keeps them focused on making sure the raw musical material is worth actually expanding into something big like an orchestra. However, once you are skilled enough in simply "composing", and your familiarity with the orchestra grows, you tend to outgrow the sketch and see its very limited utility. I actually sort of dislike the piano as an instrument, because it is really not very expressive and sterile, whereas the orchestra can play from whisper quiet to deafeningly loud and with a huge number of articulations that a piano simply cannot emulate. What can happen if you rely all the time on a piano sketch is that you will orchestrate the music in a very basic manner; no trills, horn rips, portamento, mordents or other ornamentation...because the piano is not really capable of it. Another issue is that in orchestration, tone colour is of paramount importance and basically why you would use an orchestra in the first place. A melody played on the oboe can have an entirely different character than it would played by the horns; the piano captures neither. Where this also manifests itself is in harmony. For example, in a piece I am presently working on, it begins with the horns playing a Gm add9, no5 chord at piano dynamics. This has a real warm, ethereal quality that the piano and sustain pedal couldn't capture. Thus, if I had reached for the piano instead of a horns patch in my DAW, I don't think I would've come up with the harmonic language the piece has. Another thing is that: I compose for film. Two films I did this year I had just a few weeks to compose the score before the premieres in a major city. So there were hundreds of people counting on me to be on time. I just don't have time to sketch things out in a piano and then try to translate it to an orchestra. Especially not in film, where the picture itself influences the structure and orchestration; makes way more sense to just go straight for the instruments you have in mind. You can also get some sample libraries these days which are quite playable or at least set up a couple of patches to play in tandem (like staccato + long) and "sketch" that way, with the instrument sounds right at your finger tips. In notation software, you could play your melody on your keyboard, and then just enter it straight away to the violins. Don't like how it is on the violins after all? Copy/Paste it to the flutes in a second. Piano sketches have their uses. Concert composers might still find use for it and beginners will value it, but modern technology has given us better alternatives, I find. It should also be noted that composers of old often didn't really use a "piano" sketch even if they worked at a piano. Following what @Sojar Voglar said, John Williams' sketches were always 3-stave reductions for winds, strings and brass. So even when he was writing at the piano, he was pretty much orchestrating it at the same time. He was always composing with the orchestra in mind.

Hi to all, I recently recorded an electronic music piece at a slow tempo (45 bpm). It is called Jupiter's Moons and I also made a video for it: The main instruments are a Crumar Bit 99 synthesizer, an Arturia Drumbrute Imact, an Arturia Microfreak and the main theme is played on a Stylophone. I hope you'll enjoy it!

Welcome to the forum @DarwinNE ! I left you a thumbs up, subscribed and also a comment on YouTube! I'm impressed by how differentiated the video is! Including your own music notation of the composition as well as yourself playing it and also natural landscapes was just great to see and hear! I would have loved to see some images of Jupiter's moons thrown in as well! Thanks for sharing and welcome once again!

Hi @Lithl and many thanks for your very nice comment! I like that melody, too, I'm glad it was appreciated. I did not know Parallax Audio's Virtual Sound Stage, thank you very much for the hint! Varenna Suite is a piece that dates back from 2023, in the meanwhile, I improved my setup using much better headphones (Audio Technica ATH-M50x). At least from what I can judge, I am getting slightly more balanced results in the final mix 😊 I have to say I quite like BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover. It lacks certain things and this is normal being a free instrument. I would appreciate more extrovert brasses in the forte/fortissimo range, for instance. I am going to post some of my electronic music with pleasure. I acquired a vintage synth a few months ago and I am still rather enthusiast about it 😎

wonderful feedback! I appreciate the fact you've listened to it multiple times. Thank you for the corrections, I'm going to fix the stems on 51 (and the same thing in the altos in the beginning). I have accepted the parallel octaves, wait until you find all the 5ths in the innervoices. I do agree that the tenor 2s are a little low at times, but I'm not sure if I could do much to fix that at this point. I wrote this with a specific 40 person choir in mind https://open.spotify.com/track/63UKqUzlYZmKgsIu8UEw0F?si=7c7f696d83dd4501. I understand the range of sopranos is a little crazy, but I don't intend all the sopranos to sing every note. Especially on their low notes, I kept the sopranos in on measure 14, I felt as though the sopranos should know that the [e] on pickup to 15 is not an entrance, but the continuation of the phrase. I don't even care if the sopranos sing the low notes, but I do care that they not "come in". I'm not sure how else I could make this clarification without it becoming an unnecessary burden to the eyes. For the low bass low notes, that is my voice part so I felt comfortable with what I wrote. I do sort of wonder if m. 6 will work out how it sounds right now, since it is not a very harmonically anchored chord. I can see how the 3 way split could be overkill, I think that last chord could be a little more balanced, especially with the tenors and sopranos being tutti while the basses and altos are divsi.

Hello and nice to meet you, Mr. DarwinNE! I'm glad you are here. I wanted to comment on this piece of yours, but I have had something to do so far. My first impression is that the melody starting around 1:25 is so beautiful. Catchy, heartfelt music and I felt what you want to express, your musical vibe. Some mixing points caught my attention - about clarity: I think you've already gotten familiar with it, you know, like Parallax Audio's Virtual Sound Stage — you might be able to adjust it in more detail. However, overall, it sounds great so, no problem. I'm looking forward to you dropping what you wrote recently. Also, looking at your profile and notes, you make electronic stuff, right? Please post it too - in this forum, electronic stuff is usually quiet, haha. Thank you for coming here - let's enjoy YC together :) Best, Lithl.

I listened a few times to this piece and I like it. I for instance really appreciate the planing harmonies constructed by the voices. I love the structure of the piece with the charming central section. If you are planning to have it sung by a real choir, I have a few doubts about the choice of vocal ranges. You are asking your sopranos to reach a low A in bar 14 and to reach a high B in bars 45-46, that is an extension over two octaves. While there are certainly sopranos comfortable with a high B natural, they may not be very happy (or expressive) while singing in the very low register two octaves lower, even if doubled by the altos. The tenors, even when divided, often sing in a medium register, more fit to baritones (especially T2). Especially in the more expressive parts of the piece, you may ask T1 to sing higher for a longer moment and reach a high G# that remains comfortable and sure and keep the T2 in the register that you are currently using for T1. Beware of the deep registers for the basses that may sound cavernous and give results that are not what I think you would expect. If you are not lucky, a low E may not sound tender and elegantly controlled, as required by the piece. Concerning the writing style, for instance in bar 51 the following bars, how is the divisi expected to work with T1/T2? If the quarter notes have to be sung by both tenors, I would put a second stem oriented downwards. I spotted a few parallel octaves between the parts, such as in bar 13 between the S/A (that are singing together given the very low register of the S) and the B1. If it is intentional I am not shocked by it 😊 I wonder if the triple divisi in the basses is really required for the last note.

Hello again. I have composed yet another microtonal piece - this time a prelude for lumatone (or a piano). My intent for the piece was to explore subminor and supermajor chords, as well as the subminor 7th which is a more pleasing sonority in a minor or dominant 7th chord which isn't as dissonant and yearning for resolution (the dominant 7th chord with a subminor 7th is a common sonority that gives Barbershop quartets their characteristic sound). I think a performance on a lumatone can probably best approximate my intentions with this piece in 31 edo or 53 edo or something. Thanks for listening and I'd appreciate any comments, suggestions, critiques or observations you may have!

I will look at it

With the third movement, and I think the fourth movement there is some issues with the viola’s going out of range. Their lowest note is a C you have stuff going down to a B you could probably get that with the cellos.

@Wieland Handke Thank you for the very in depth response! I actually did not know about this complimentary rhythm thing but I think it was something I was doing instinctively. For some reason I was actually avoiding it somewhat. I think I was trying to give the music room to breathe or something. And I think I might have focused too much on each line being independent and having a very coherent melody when played just by itself. At first your modifications sounded awkward to me of course I am used to my own version but after a few listens they do make a lot of sense.

I really like how the piece patiently unfolds it's texture and content without trying force it's melody out so strikingly against the accompaniment, rather they compliment one another to create that moodiness, the erraticness sounds natural rather than abrupt... The continous motions of the accompaniment make the pauses in the ending measure and the ending feel well-earned rather than just reached.

Thank you so much for the warm words! I came across the original melody by chance on You Tube, and immediately fell in love with it. So I decided I had to use it for this project.

What an interesting composition. Writing a solo piece for a single-line instrument is a kind of marker of compositional mastery. There’s nowhere to hide here: not behind harmony, not behind any effects in the texture or counterpoint. Pure melody and form. It turned out to be a captivating piece. And the performance, of course. It’s a pleasure to hear music played on a live instrument by a live performer. It was played very convincingly and delicately. Simply bravo. By the way, I didn’t know that Peter is a horn player. For some reason I thought you were a theorist. Your username pushed me to that conclusion. =)

@PeterthePapercomPoser @Maharani Wow congrats on the collaboration! I like both versions, but the reverb version really adds a layer of lushness to the sound, it's great. :) Seems like a lot of effort went into the recording and practicing, so well done there Peter. The handwritten score is clear and I'm envious of your nice handwriting lol. The language is interesting, what was the thought process behind it? ❤️ Well done you two, it's always great to hear live recordings here, and this was a fine example of what collaboration can achieve

Hi @Aw Ke Shen ! I actually did this before when I was young, as I always press the middle pedal of an upright to practice so everything is muted. I did this to strengthen my fingerings though. Your learning approach as you describe would be mainly aural and theoretical, but there are also some people who learn by auditory or manual method, so it really depends. My recent learning approach would be to play the piece as close as the original tempo with all details. By forcing myself to so many things happening I actually learn faster than just grabbing details first, probably because I’m an N person (intuitive) in MBTI instead of an S person (sensory), so I need to grab the big picture before going into details first. Henry

Hello. I listened to your Nocturne. The piece is very interesting in its musical language, and it is well constructed in terms of form. However, it seems to me that this music belongs to the category of works that look clearer and more understandable on paper than they sound. Both in the accompaniment and in the melodic line you use very wide leaps and cover a very large range. For this reason, without the score it’s not always possible to tell where the accompaniment is and where the main figure is. The pulsation in groups of nine also feels somewhat intrusive. But that is probably more a problem of computer playback. A live pianist would most likely play more softly, and that pulsation wouldn’t draw so much attention. In any case, it’s good, interesting music.

My composition. I would appreciate any feedback.

I have yet another short piano composition for you prompted by an exercise from Persichetti's "20th Century Harmony". The prompt was "16. Expand this piano passage of eleventh and thirteenth chords preserving the general character." I added lots of dynamics and tempo fluctuations to simulate rubato and bring expression to the music. Let me know how I did! Thanks for listening and I'd appreciate any of your comments, suggestions, critiques or just observations.

Hello, everyone! My name is Thiago Ribeiro, and I am an amateur arranger. I would like to share two musical arrangements that I have prepared with great care and am making available for free, hoping they will be performed by orchestras, big bands, and other musical ensembles. These arrangements have a special feature: they are written in a hybrid format, meaning they can be performed by either a Big Band or a full orchestra, making them suitable for different ensemble configurations. 🎼 The two free arrangements are: 1. Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho — Swing A lively and energetic interpretation of this traditional spiritual, featuring the groove and vibrant character of swing. The arrangement is designed to bring out the musical possibilities of both a big band and a full orchestra. 2. Amazing Grace — Samba Jazz A fresh perspective on this beautiful and beloved hymn. In this arrangement, the familiar melody takes on a samba jazz character, combining Brazilian musical influences, sophistication, and a distinctive personality. 🎧 Would you like to hear the arrangements? The YouTube links below will take you to demonstration recordings of both arrangements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWXDRKqV_xo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J9hkc6to8Y 📥 Download links for the full scores and individual parts are available in the description of each YouTube video. My goal in sharing this material is simply to contribute, even in a small way, to the musical community and give these arrangements the opportunity to come to life through the performances of musicians and orchestras. If your orchestra, big band, conductor, or musical ensemble is interested in performing either arrangement, I would be absolutely delighted! I have just one small request: if possible, whenever you perform one of these arrangements, please tag me or mention my name in your posts. It would mean a lot to me to be able to see and enjoy your performances! I sincerely hope you enjoy these arrangements and that they find their way to many musicians, rehearsal rooms, concert halls, and stages around the world. Music becomes even more beautiful when it is shared! Best wishes, Thiago Ribeiro

Hi all, I finished my new work that had no title ... It took a while to find a suitable name. But here it is. The Doors Opens As it states .... please walk through. Mark As always open to improvements or inquires. The Door Opens 11-13-26.mp3 The Door Opens 11-13-26.pdf

Hi to all, it's my first post in this forum. I would like to show you Varenna Suite, a piece I wrote a few years ago. I wrote a text adventure game called Silk Dust running on many 8 and 16-bit machines and I wanted to provide not really a soundtrack that would be synchronized with it, but a series of pieces that would help set the mood. Imagine playing Silk Dust on a Sinclair ZX Spectrum or a Commodore 64 and listening to the music from a cassette player 🙃 Varenna Suite was composed by stitching together the themes that I wrote for certain parts of the game that took place in Varenna, on the shore of the Como lake, in Italy. Hence the different themes present in the suite. I used Logic Pro and the orchestral sounds are the Spitfire Audio's BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover. I also prepared the score, although looking at it again now, I have noticed a few minor typos. I write electronic and orchestral music, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated. 1 - Varenna Suite.mp3 Varenna Suite Full Score.pdf

A piece I've had in my back pocket for a while, that I finally am posting because of Cantai. I wrote this piece because I was having a tough time connecting to poems, and after years of not writing for voice I wanted to just do something. So I wrote the words myself, as if it was for my fiancée. I love you.mp3 I love you.pdf

If you are comfortable with the low register in the basses, go for it 👍 I saw a few parallel fifths, but I don't think it is a big problem, at least in this style of music. Once again, lovely piece!

Hello everyone, This is a piece I finished in April. I'm looking for general feedback on the overall structure, the melody, and the harmonic progression and of course the notation. Thank you in advance for listening and looking over the score! Best wishes, Laurent Sad-song-MIX-3.mp3 Sad song final.pdf

"A composition of very simple construction, entirely based on modulation. In a sense, it also borders on minimalism, as there is only one main theme."

The first time I feel like your account is spamming!! Like the video anyways and it’s good to revisit them. Henry

I'd like to share this untitled piece I'm writing (I might be finished with it for now but idk). It's like my 5-6th piano piece and is heavily inspired by Chopin's Raindrop Prelude, as I'm learning that piece right now (I tend to find that pieces I write sometimes have an element of a piece I'm learning at the time, like Bach Sonatina/Handel Passicaglia, Chopin Waltz in Am, but of course I haven't shared the pieces that contain these inspirations because this is my second forum post ever). It has no form whatsoever, key signature makes no sense yet, and frankly I just went with whatever I thought sounded good. Feedback is appreciated! raindropinspired.mp3raindropinspired.pdf

Hello, I love Chopin's preludes, they are so great from a compositional perspective. Yours sounds nice. Perhaps there is still more to be written - just a rough sketch for now? More of a matter of subjective taste - I would have personally kept it non - minor a bit longer at measure 14 before going into your next idea. When you change the repeating note at measure 25, it feels a bit abrupt to me. For some reason, the G nat really sticks out. I don't know. A matter of personal taste again. Bar 52 feels very satisfying. I will share a video of someone else who has been inspired by chopin's rain drop prelude. Hayato Sumino - Raindrop Postlude

Overall I really like the Hollow Knight game soundtracks, and the Celeste one as well (specifically "Resurrections"). Probably my favorite one is "Pale Court" from Hollow Knight: Gods and Nightmares (DLC). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCYP9L2FfQg Minecraft is also really good.

Great piece! I like a lot the phrasing and the interpretation. Some passages made me think of some pieces of Cécile Chaminade (Automne, for instance). After listening to it twice, I felt there may be a moment towards the central section of the piece where it was going a little too long. However, I agree with @Grant Weep analysis: the piece is emotional and it needs time to develop. Looking at the score in the video, I noticed something that I also experience with many similar videos. I usually read a little ahead of the music, so I often find that the score moves to the next line or page too late for me. I don't know whether there is an optimal solution to this, since the best moment to turn the page depends on how far ahead the reader is following the score. However, I think this may make the experience somewhat a little frustrating for more experienced musicians.

Yes

When you said You mean when you first sight read the piece you already try to incorporate as many details as possible all while figuring out the notes and playing as closely to the intended tempo?... that's really challenging haha

Barcarolle Music by A. Khomenko Lyrics by V. Osadchenko For voice and piano Slantwise across the slowly moving stream, in which the slow sky melts and slips away, an empty little boat, soundless, makes its way toward the Christmas star’s flickering gleam. The water’s dark, made thick by winter’s chill, and the light wake cannot hold on the glass, as if in a black draft notebook words pass into the page’s depths and vanish still. Above December the water closes tight, and a star falls into the shivering void. Through the cold darkness, here, arrives its light unbearably late, yet all the same it’s faster than never. V. Osadchenko. English translation by Claude.

The material that you gave to the second violin at measure 13 and 14 is out of range and would better fit the viola. I think if you are still continuing working on this piece, it’s something that you could work on just by simply switching the entrance.

Hey, I'm not offended I'm not very good at multiple instruments.

Peter asked me to write a little review, and I'm very happy to. :) For starters, I was ecstatic that Peter agreed to play even one of my movements for solo horn! At the time I was only able to offer a low payment, yet he thought the piece was interesting enough to learn, anyway. Then, after 18 years of not hearing any complete piece of mine performed, I got hungry for more, and when I got an extra paycheck, I gradually asked if Peter was interested in learning more movements I'd written for solo horn. He kept saying yes, and after he agreed to the fourth one, I decided to assemble them into a coherent four-movement sonata. Throughout the process, Peter was patient with my many requests for changes to his engraved score and for re-recording parts of movements that I thought weren't quite perfect yet. He spent many weeks practising for hours almost every day until we both were happy with the completed result, and I couldn't be more pleased with the finished recording. I added a tip to our agreed payment for his dedication to our project. I can highly recommend him to anyone interested in asking him for engraved scores or horn recordings. At some point I hope to be able to hire him for recording another horn solo sonata! :)

Hello! I need to go to sleep, so I will just tell you my first impressions! (I will come back, probably) Very good, thick textures! I like it! Seems very American in style, I love the flute part and the timpani part. The timpani part reminded me of Shostakovich 7th Symphony for no reason. The second theme seems interesting, it definitely feels fun! Igtg tho or my dad's gonna kill me... Bye! -TristanTheTristan (unfinished)

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

Hello. It's been a while since i last posted here. Today I am back with a new piano sketch. Hope to get some good honest constructive critique on this work in progress. Thanks :) The Day Tomorrow Died draft2 wip - Bjarke Tan - Flow 1.mp3 The day tomorrow died revision 1.9 score.pdf

HELLO Let me just say that if you have no experience in composition, you’ve got a long way to go before you can compose a proper fugue. I get the impression you must have some knowledge of counterpoint. But before you start composing fugues, you need to master other, less demanding areas of strict counterpoint. It’s simply not possible to come up with a logically structured composition just by studying two of Bach’s fugues and leaving it at that. What you’ve written doesn’t sound bad, but, in my opinion, there’s a point (which I think is the one mentioned by @Lithl ) where everything falls apart quite a bit, and that’s in bar 6. Because you’re forming a D#–A tritone which, although the intention is for some of these to be passing notes, I think that should resolve into a Bb chord. Enharmonically, you have Eb–A, a tritone which, in this context, must resolve in this way. The solution you’ve suggested for another context is fine, but here, at least for me, it ruins the whole thing.

Probably, this is my favorite one.

Thank you. It's the sound of blowing wind. Each sound was resampled. The train tracks were the bass drum, but I didn't think to make it punchy. Fun note, the wolf howls are the same material of sound as the bell. The wolf howls were made by manipulating the bell sound into a howl.