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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

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.

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!

hello, I’ll be saying a lot about your piece because I’m really enjoy it, and I listened to the entirety of it i’ll probably deep dive on this one because I found a lot of orchestration things that are interesting which I do wanna point out, but let’s talk about the general effect idea Ideas of general effect: as an audience member and also as a person looking at the score, I enjoyed this stylistic idea, listening to it blindly without program notes. This definitely does scream Russian. but after that, I could definitely hear the Jewish/Romanian inflections. I definitely enjoy a fun fast paced folk dance. The harmony was definitely colorful. I must say in the orchestration was interesting as well. Also, there was a great touch with tempo changes as well. You decided to go the abrupt option which makes sense where they seamlessly don’t change rather than a seamless change. Maybe you could’ve experiment with more gradual tempo changes but it’s more of a stylistic choice if you leave them out, which I definitely respect that. Tambourine would go so hard with this. I compose my pieces with a ton of percussion so you could add more percussion if you want, but I get if some composers don’t like doing so. with the general idea with the effect of the sounding its own thing is the effect on that fails as it sounds way too familiar and it feels more of an adaptation on existing earth culture rather than a culture elsewhere. about orchestration I will look at the score, but here is some first impressions I love that thing that you did with the clarinets in thirds that was really creative and it was a quick change of character, which I definitely appreciated. And you definitely passed the idea around as well. I have some questions as well while else re-listening to it, this is more of a stylistic approach on your behalf, but I would definitely add trombone in with that first brass entrance if we’re adding tuba, but then your argument could possibly be that the tuba provides the base and is not as harsh as trombone’s, with page 4, when the melody is passed to the Lows the patterns I would usually see is woodwinds doubling with each other with the additional add-on with strings. The first time with strings you add low brass rather than low Reeds what I was thinking by intuition Page 9 features Viola and clarinets a nice velvety, warm pairing. with page 10 features the thing I was talking about with the clarinet in thirds. A trumpet feature follows after that I would say it’s unusual for a folk color, but it serves well as a pallet cleanser Page 14 contains a call and response sort of idea with the brass note that bass doubles tuba; in the concert band setting this is a strong orchestration technique, given reinforcement in a orchestra given that there’s more string basses the strength and reinforcement is more effective later on the idea was given to the entire orchestra, allowing more color and blending you should be awarded amazing orchestration on this Anyways, this was very fun to look at, and this was full of amazing orchestration

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

Suite for mezzo-soprano and string quartet, “Forlorn Images”. The original title, "Неприкаянные образы" (“Neprikayannye obrazy”), cannot be translated into English exactly. The Russian word "неприкаянный" (neprikayanny) has no single equivalent in English. It describes someone or something that has no place to belong, no refuge, and no peace. It is a person or a spirit drifting without purpose, restless, a little lost and lonely, not accepted anywhere. The word is often linked to the old verb "каяться" (to repent), and it carries a faint religious shade: something left unreconciled, with no rest or shelter. English words such as “forlorn”, “restless”, “drifting” or “homeless” each capture only part of this. So “Forlorn Images” is only an approximation. Think of images, figures and visions that wander without finding their place. The 5th movement, "Звездочёт" (Zvezdochet), is an old, slightly fairy-tale word for an astronomer or astrologer. Literally it means “one who counts the stars”. It belongs to the world of medieval wizards, court sages and folk tales, where a person watches the sky and reads fate in it. The nearest English word is “Stargazer”, though it can also suggest a daydreamer. “Astrologer” is closer to the mystical side. Please read it as an old sage who observes the stars and seeks meaning in them. Music by A. Khomenko, lyrics by V. Osadchenko. In five movements. Silence Reflection Desire The Master (attacca) The Stargazer Part1 Part 2 Part 3 Parts 4-5

Nice to meet you! First, I want to say this melody you made is familiar, catchy, memorable, and I think it's nice. Playing the main melody on bass or guitar might be nice. I like it. Anyway, it doesn't matter, just my impression when I listened to this. Ok - about mixing. I think you're doing well using panning and making all instruments clearly recognizable. I always have my attitude to respect what you want to express even if the mixing sounds unusual. For example, if the bass note was so strongly panned or much stronger than other instruments, if you have some purpose it would be part of creativity, I think. So please keep this in mind, as I'll give you what is called "general" mixing tips. I'm not sure what kind of sound you want to achieve, but starting around 1:25 many elements come in although the right-panned bass sound has almost not changed, and it's not clear in that section, which is what you call muddy or something like that. Solution: be careful about reverb and volume, use 3D panning plugins like Parallax Audio, or—it's a bit different, but—you'll be able to use PanCake. I think the biggest improvement right now for your situation is "volume". You can adjust volume balance - changing balance and finding your preferred version; if it's found, that means you have better mixing and can improve like "oh, I like this one better - this one sounds better" to the point you are satisfied. And leaving the work for one day and readjusting the mixing is so powerful. Also, writing down your vision or ideas about placing, mixing, and trying it anyway. I suppose the most important thing is not to compromise. Pursuing what you want to do with "no compromise"! Observing your favorite mixing/music is important too. Your piece has several nice parts and ideas, and I don't know the details about your game project, but this piece has a hopeful, beautiful vibe, so keep it up. Happy to hear your piece and welcome to YC, Forty6! Side note: just in case you're not familiar with it - Plugin Boutique is powerful for finding new free VSTs. However, be careful—there are a bunch of free VSTs in this world, so you need to choose great ones. If there are too many, you'll probably have no idea what to use, so at first, watching YouTube reviews like "best free reverb" and discovering nice ones is a good idea. Best, Lithl.

Hello I’ve listened to the first two tracks; I’ll listen to more tomorrow… It’s a shame that, particularly with vocal works, we have to use our imagination quite a lot, given the virtual instruments we have. I think it’s a fantastic piece, with a distinctive harmonic language that I haven’t bothered to analyse – nor do I need to, because it sounds phenomenal. The choice of a string orchestra alone feels rather ‘restrained’ (one could imagine a larger orchestra), but I think it’s a good choice.

Many thanks, @PeterthePapercomPoser Two years ago, I (almost) discovered I had Final Cut pro that was coming along with Logic Pro when I bought it with my computer. So I thought it was the occasion trying to put together some music video. They require a lot of work, though, but I had great fun doing it. For my electronic music, I don't usually notate everything, but I still like to work on paper to scribble notes and thoughts. I found nice to show them in the video 😅

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 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.

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

I forgot to mention this album: Outlaw Star OST (my favorite anime) My favorite tracks are: FLIGHT POWER GENTLE SUZUKA GRAND EXPECTATION DAY BREAK

Thank you for the positive feedback :) I’m very glad you liked the suite. The ensemble could indeed have been larger; at the very least, a string orchestra could have been used. But I deliberately chose a quartet because I wanted a chamber feel. I perceive this work as very intimate. Besides, it’s much easier to find five performers (a vocalist plus a string quartet) than a whole orchestra :) I hope the remaining movements won’t disappoint you :)

“Moreshka” is one of the musical illustrations to Max Dalin’s novel “The Bonfire and the Salamander”. It is a folk dance of the Coastland, one of the countries in the novel’s fantasy world. Imagine a southern port city at the beginning of the 20th century: its people, its life, and of course its music. What you will hear here is the music of the city’s lower classes, the kind that was played in the streets, in taverns, and on town squares. A dance of fishermen and sailors. In terms of melodic character, I deliberately tried to create something that sounds both familiar and national, yet at the same time neutral. Of course, you will hear echoes of Russian, Moldavian, Jewish, and Romanian melos. However, I avoided any overly obvious stylization. Imagine some folk festival where ordinary people are celebrating. And tell me, did it work? =)

Hello! Thank you so much for such a detailed review and for your positive feedback. As for whether the music comes across as something of its own or as an adaptation of the music of our world, perhaps I didn’t phrase my idea very well in the opening post. I actually wanted the music to resemble the music we know. By “its own” I meant not something invented, but something heard since childhood and well settled in memory. I wanted it to feel familiar, but not to be merely what one’s memory supplies. The novel itself, which this piece was written to illustrate, is a fantasy work set in a world strongly resembling Europe before and during the First World War. Naturally, there are references to the Russian Empire as well. For example, the author even added poems that directly recreate the style of the so-called Silver Age of Russian poetry. And I wanted to do the same thing in the music. However, I’m only describing my intention :) It’s by no means certain that I succeeded. A composer often can’t tell the difference between what he planned to create and what he actually ended up with :) Special thanks for the praise of the orchestration :) It’s very pleasant to hear. Thank you :)

I just turned this into a YouTube short!

Hello First of all, I’d like to say that I found the piece lovely and very pleasant to listen to. At the start, the piano has quite a ‘minimalist’ pattern, but then it breaks away from that and sounds a bit odd. However, given the prominent role the piano takes on later, I think it’s fine. I haven’t checked the range or anything. But could the clarinet be a standard one rather than a bass clarinet? In many places, it’s in quite a high register. Thanks for sharing.

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

A beautiful score and piece of music. I think it keeps you engaged throughout. Brilliant orchestration. There are moments that I might perhaps have approached differently, but it’s simply a matter of one style versus another. Orchestrating is about making decisions all the time, and it’s brilliant. Thank you for sharing.

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

EDIT: I composed a B section too. I modified the text to address that. Hello everyone! I recently composed an AABA jazz ballad. I wrote the melody and chords, made a lead sheet, and arranged it for piano using basic techniques from the jazz book I'm studying. The first measures' harmony is based on John Lewis's "Afternoon in Paris". I'm sharing this work-in-progress because I'd love some feedback on a few things: 1. B section composition: I wonder if the B section works. I do kind of like it, specially the ending where I use parallel minor chords. But I would like other's people opinion. 2. Overall jazz language: This is my first non-blues piece using jazz harmony, so I would like to know if it actually sounds correct and idiomatic. 3. Two really objectionable harmonic moments: a. m. 2: A Db on beat 4 over an Ab7 chord (a natural 4th against a dominant chord). b. m. 4: An F on beat 4 over a Gb7 chord (a major 7th against a dominant chord). These are textbook "avoid notes" for dominant chords, and both are approached and left by leap. I wrote most of the melody intuitively without analyzing much. Once I analyzed it and noticed the clashes, I tried everything to fix them (changing Ab7 to Asus4, trying other substitutions, reharmonizing the whole piece, and rewriting the melody to resolve them by step or remove them). Nothing sounded good to me. I just prefer how the dissonances sound. I know how unusual, and probably wrong, these choices are (for now, I couldn't find a single example of them in any jazz standard) so I’d love to know if they actually work here, or if they just make the piece sound amateurish. The audios are myself playing at the piano. The video is the ABA arpeggio arrangement. Before that, I would play A once in another chordal based arrangement, thus making it AABA. You can find the piano arrangement score and a slow version of this first chordal A in the attached documents. Thank you and any feedback is welcome! jazz_ballad_part_1(slow).mp3 Maranta's_Prayer_Lead_Sheet.pdf Maranta's_Prayer_Piano_Arrangement.pdf

Wow, I can't do that at least as of now, unless very slowly, likely very much away from the intended tempo, or that it is a really really slow piece

How did you do that?? (Asking for a friend)

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.

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!

"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

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

Not sure where you're based. In the US, courts require "meaningful human authorship" to claim copyright, not just human contribution. You did not author the final product, just the prompt. It is possible to claim copyright to your part, but not to the final recording. Suno may have granted you commercial license rights if you paid them extra, but that is not the same as being able to claim copyright. Also, after listening to music created with Suno like this, I'm always less and less worried about AI music taking over. The use of kitsch and corny elements are through the roof, seem to have no relationship to the genre/style of the original concept, and have a redundant, non-developing form. "In my AI ethics course, any user that creates with AI is the sole author." - I am quite curious as to what sort of unreliable AI ethics course would be promoting this, as it's standard knowledge that all writing, graphic, and musical LLMs are only possible because you are not the sole author.

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.

[UPDATED - OCT. 2026] The following post was a formal submission for the 2026 Summer Competition: From Nothing, to Something. Below includes a detailed and extensive explanation of the work, both in inspiration and construction. If you wish to skip, the score PDF and Audio will be found at the end. Thanks for viewing this work! [TAKEN FROM SCORE] Plus belle encor votre chère beauté  - Your dear beauty lovelier still Duration: c. 6:08 Written in 2026, Plus belle encor votre chère beauté is a work for piano quartet that evokes summer and the experience of love. It was composed for the “2026 Summer Competition” hosted by The Young Composers Music Forum and is inspired by Paul Verlaine’s poem “Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d’été,” whose opening line may be translated as: “So, on a bright summer day it shall be.” The poem is number nineteen in Verlaine’s collection La Bonne Chanson (The Good Song) Find the French text and translation to the poem here The title of this work is drawn directly from the French text and has similar inspiration as the Gabriel Fauré song from his op. 61 bearing the same name as the Verlaine poem. However, this work takes the title from the fourth line of text, and unlike Fauré, this work is late-romantic in style. The musical inspiration came from two places: Tchaikovsky and his Nutcracker ballet, and a spell of improvisation at the piano. This work was created in late July and early August 2026, and during that time, I was experimenting with modal improvisation, and felt drawn to G-lydian. Specifically, the iv 7 chord you can build and find in Tchaikovsky’s music. However, I did not set the piece into the lydian mode, only hinting at C# to use for predominant and secondary function. It was also around this time I was listening to parts of the Nutcracker, where I felt drawn to the idea of harp-writing, and thus, during a period of improvisation, the foundation of this work came to be. With structure, Plus belle encor votre chère beauté is in ternary (A-B-A’) form and includes an intro and coda. The B-section acts as our development while the outer A-sections are comprised of a smaller AABA form. The principal theme stated in the A-section occurs throughout the work, where it can be heard in the introduction, coda and within the development where the piano states the principal theme in inversion. Lastly, I composed this work following the end of a relationship. In short, this work evokes those unspoken emotions I harbored and the romance I long to have one day. A day where I too can say “Your dear beauty.” (The art on the cover page is Claude Monet's "Woman with a Parasol." A wonderful piece of art!) Comments are welcome, both constructive or positive! If you enjoyed this work, leave a react, and follow my page so you don't miss any new works in the future. It's free and you can always remove it later. Thanks and see you all soon! AUDIO_YourDearBeauty.mp3 SCORE_YourDearBeauty.pdf

Those are very different things. If I buy a hydraulic press and use it to flatten a stainless steel pipe, obviously I'm morally responsible for flattening the pipe. If that pipe belonged to someone else, I can hardly evade responsibility by saying, "Hey, it wasn't me! It was the hydraulic press!" On the other hand, it's equally obvious that I can't lay claim to flattening the pipe as a feat of strength. If I cry, "Behold my strength!" as I hold the flattened piece of steel aloft, I am quite rightly met with, "Uh... you didn't do that. The hydraulic press did."

For this piece I made two versions. While inputting the piece with all its microtones into Musescore, it ended up sounding quite bad with all the microtones that I had included (probably owing to the fact that the piece is already quite dissonant without the microtones). So I removed all the microtones and made a version of it that's free of any microtones. That's the 1st version. Then, once I was done with that version of the piece, I went back and made a 2nd version with very light microtonal embellishments, mostly only in the melodic voices and only on minor chords (making them sub-minor in 24TET, meaning I brought the minor 3rd of minor chords down a quarter-step). My intent with using those particular microtones is to make the piece even darker than it would be if it was just a regular minor key piece. But let me know what you think about both versions and which one you like better! I welcome your comments, suggestions, critiques or just observations. Thanks for listening!

This is really beautiful! I would love to hear a "finessed" version of this piece, as the MIDI isn't doing it justice at all. I like the choice of time signature change in the middle, I think that was a really clever way of developing the piece.