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Anna's Lullaby was the culimation of an instrumentation challenge posed to me by @MK_Piano , and a Piano Chord Progression & Motif that I came up with during my down time. It elicited, to me, what felt like a lullaby, or, a loving embrace. Which reminded me of one of the Family dogs that we had, growing up. Her name was Anna. She passed, in recent years, due to her old age, and she was one of the most memorable parts of my childhood. So I've dedicated this score to her memory. I feel it lays her to rest, in a careful and loving way. Feedback is welcomed! -Unc Updated - Added Oboe part, adjusted Harmonies, fixed Piano Ped. Mark Engraving. AnnasLullaby.pdfAnnasLullaby.mp3 P.S. She was 17 when she passed. Updated with some more flattering photos I was able to locate of dear ole Anna Belle. :)

The members have voted in the poll and decided upon a theme for the next competition - "From Nothing, to Something"! This competition has no monetary awards - only kudos and badges. We are inviting the members/competitors to review and to participate in the creation of the badge awards that will be dispersed at the end of the competition! So if you have any ideas for particular badges that would accord with the kind of music that will be submitted for this competition and the theme of this competition, let us know in the List of Manually-Awardable Badges thread and we will take your ideas into consideration! Please reply to this thread to declare your intent to participate in this competition! The winners will be determined by popular voting polls! The duration of each piece should once again be between 3 - 7 minutes. Reviewing the entries will once again be spearheaded by the members/competitors at large. You are free to use the Official Competition Reviewing Template or you can review the entries in any way you see fit or create a template of your own making! Thank you for whatever time and effort you are able or willing to give towards reviewing the competition entries! There will be tiered "Ardent Reviewer" badges given out for this event: Featherweight Reviewer - for reviewing 33% of the entries Welterweight Reviewer - for reviewing 66% of the entries Heavyweight Reviewer - for reviewing 100% of the entries We are instituting a policy of not allowing any AI generated works in the competition. Because of this you will be required to detail how you created your piece and submit a PDF score or midi file for the perusal of the staff and members at large. The musical entries to the competition are final once submitted. This is for the sake of consistency of reviewing (so that each reviewer reviews the same piece of music without any changes). Instrumentation: As per the poll, the competitors will be tasked with writing a piece for a mixed trio/quartet/quintet of individual instruments/players/singers. Deadline: As per the poll, this competition will take 2 months, so the deadline to participate will be Thursday, September 24th, 2026. @MK_Piano's theme for the competition can be found below: What greater challenge of a composer than to take nothing and turn it into something! Your goal is to take the text from Paul Verlaine’s summer poem “Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été,” (So, on a bright summer day it shall be) and turn it into a piece! This poem is short, but filled with evoking images of what summer can feel like. Attached is the poem in English: So, on a bright summer day it shall be: The great sun, my partner in joy, Shall make, amid the satin and the silk, Your dear beauty lovelier still; The sky, all blue, like a tall canopy, Shall quiver sumptuously in the long folds Above our two happy brows, grown pale With pleasure and expectancy; And when evening comes, the breeze shall be soft And play caressingly about your veils, And the peaceful stars looking down Shall smile benevolently on man and wife. The poem in French and English Entrants to the competition thus far: @MrBelegro @Fruit hunter @Ninja Nolan @Kvothe @TristanTheTristan @MK_Piano @Matthew M @GMoneywroteasong Here is the submissions thread for the competition where participants are encouraged to post links to their composition (rather than posting their piece directly into the pre-existing topic - make your own dedicated topic so the members at large can review your music there):

Hello again! I spent the last few days annotating the first movement. I did about 20 pages worth and you will find my written and explicit comments at the end. I will address any questions or concerns here or in a DM, good work! D. Chenfeng - Piano Concerto no.2 [ANNOTATED].Pdf

A very pleasant sonata with clean lines. I’d classify it as early classical in style, perhaps with hints of musique galante. I think it would sound good on a harpsichord. But given that the piano has been chosen, I do think it’s advisable – as @MK_Piano rightly points out – to be thorough and precise with the articulations.

Hello, @jejrekmek! It seems no one has commented yet, I wonder why. I find this track really interesting; the unique atmosphere is fantastic. Your exploration of rhythm is excellent, and I love the chaotic vibe, reminiscent of Igorrr, as well as your sense for harmony (I noticed you used some intriguing chords in your other piano pieces, too). The way the song unfolds is unpredictable as well. I see from your profile that you're around 18 years old? It’s really amazing that you’re creating such an original atmosphere at that age. Age might not matter. However, there is one point that stood out to me: the mix feels a bit rough around the edges. I’m not exactly good at mixing myself, but let me share my impressions as a listener. Upon first listen, the volume felt too high, and the vocals were getting buried by the instruments, making it difficult to clearly hear the melody and individual instrumental parts. Personally, I think adding a bit more reverb to the vocals or positioning them more three-dimensionally within the mix would help. You might already be aware of this, but how about using plugins like "DearVR pro2" to position the sound more precisely? Instead of relying on extreme panning (left/right placement), using such tools to position instruments spatially would likely improve sound clarity and the overall mix. You might also want to lower the master volume slightly. I think your work is really original!

Wow! What a cute piece of music to have listened to. Very reminiscent of classical style and a treat to come across. This said, I do have some comments regarding the work; partially with engraving and partially with the music/form. Engraving: From what I can see, everything is playable for a pianist, and with this style, or earlier, I would put more articulation marks like slurs or staccatos. It will help us understand the dance-styles better throughout the work/ see the phrase ideas more clearly. If I were to go and play this at my piano, I would approach it as a Mozart keyboard work and focus a lot on phrasing and articulation. For my preference, since this emulating classical style, I would also use classical dynamics (p, mf, f and ff) versus mezzo piano. Form: The thing that stuck out the most was not the musical content or the form per se, but how you notated each B-section in the first two movements. While Mozart did add key signatures for some developments within his sonatas, I do not think it is necessary to change the key signatures in each movement as they are so short. (Of course, change the key sig on each movement however) This is not a challenging piece in the catalogue of piano repertoire and if I were to give my students this to sight-read, even they could get thrown off by the signature change. I think it would be better to remove the G-major signature in mvt. 1 and keep the sharps explicit. Same in mvt. 2 with the C-major section. Lastly, I do think in terms of musical content, you can mess with a more active recap (or final A in the rondo form) in each movement. Simply hearing the themes again without a change in the harmonic scheme or texture in a big way leaves each movement as a little lackluster; at least in the way they end. Here is some food for thought and I’d be curious to see what you can come up with in the future. Good Job!

Hi @Vasilis Michael ! This one is wonderful! Recently I finally get more in touch with Scarlatti and your piece shows heavy influence of his Sonatas: echoing of passages, abrupt and wonderful modulations, all the m.d. and m.g., dexterity and touch required to play, abrupt changes of style or mood. Yours is no less wonderful than Scarlatti's Sonatas I can definitely say. Thx for sharing! Henry

Hey Kyle @UncleRed99 ! What a lovely piece which is clearly in your style: sentimental, refreshing and lovely. I like the tone color of the whole piece, and all the solo passages of the winds. Just some suggestion of mine: first the pianist isn't given a chance to play the melody at all except b.41-44. Since I've just reviewed @MK_Piano 's October piece it immediately reminds me of his piece where there is piano solo passages. I think here you can extend your piano solo passage as well and also have the winds accompanying the piano melody. Also whenever two winds are in pair, the upper instrument (in terms of score position, not range of the instrument) always have the melody. What if clarinet and oboe playing together and clarinet gets the melody? Or bassoon getting the melody over a flute countermelody? You can think of more varieties in the instrumentation as well! Also for the recurring figure in b.13: Seeing this figure immediately reminds myself of my own Clarinet Quintet 1st mov to advertise myself lol: Thx for your sharing, and my deepest condolences to you and your family for losing a family member, as Anna accompanies you for such long years as a lovely pet and family member. Henry

Hello, TristanTheTristan. This is a wonderful piece! The atmosphere of the track shifts smoothly, drawing the listener in. The composition keeps things engaging from start to finish, and the use of fast passages (rapid note sequences) is truly impressive. Personally, I like the section starting at 2:44; it has a unique yet lovely vibe. The piano part is also fantastic. Given the high quality of the work, I think it would be even better if you cleaned up the rough spots, like the audio distortion (clipping) occurring at 4:01 and 7:44. Then again, if this is just a sketch intended for a live performance, perhaps strict correction isn't necessary. You have amazing talent for composition. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful piece! P.S. I agree with @gooberro. @MK_Piano, thank you for always providing such great reviews! That said, this piece is really great!!

Thanks! I want to be able to give feedback like you one day!

For all my music needs, I use forScore. (I compose using MuseScore however.) I use forScore to read and perform my repertoire and to annotate PDFs. It cost around $25 USD as a one time purchase. You can annotate combine PDFs, rearrange documents, etc. The first one I used starting in college was called PiaScore and is free to use. It’s similar in features to forScore, however, in my opinion, has a lackluster user interface. I would recommend both in a heartbeat regardless!

What software do you use? Or just photo editor

God, I can only dream of giving advice like this and such good handwriting too! 😭 You need to teach us all, I just yapped about how you can change clefs.. 🫪

Hello dear UncleRed99, This is a wonderful piece. Since she lived to be 17, she certainly had a long life. Of course, I hadn't heard the piece before, but it has a lovely, nostalgic quality to it. It’s not nostalgia for a specific place or time, but rather the kind that comes from looking back on cherished memories. It has become a beautiful memory paired with a beautiful song. Your work is always so gentle and warm; it brings a sense of comfort. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful piece and your memories. Rest in peace, Anna. Best, Lithl.

Hellooo, This is a very short galliard for keyboard with the diminutions written out, in a real performance scenario the diminutions would have been improvised by the player on the spot, but since i can't perform it and i don't have a harpsichord (yet) i just have written them note by note. Enjoy! LOB 107 Gagliarda Detta la Maritima.mp3

Thank you for offering! I inteded this to be played on a italian harpsichord, and yeah i know about the manuals and stops, i'm a harpsichordist myself. It would be lovely if you could play it, because the harpsichord i play on i have access to it only once a week.

You’re welcome! Depending on the notation software you are using, there should be ways to get rid of excess measures or bound measures to a system. I had to spend some time on my own with my software just reading the handbook or shortcuts for this stuff lol

Hello M.K Piano, Thank you very much for the constructive feedback. I have tried to correct the score accordingly. Unfortunately, I was unable to successfully shorten the final bar. I must admit that some of these errors arise repeatedly because of the formatting, such as the incorrect ties on the pedal point. Thanks again. Fantasia with a change of mood new version.pdf

this is a bit of a vent piece and a self-soothing one. ive realized that one of my uses of composition is as means of escapism too. also keeping the titling convention of "To ...." of my woodwinds pieces. to look at your phone, to scroll through social media, to see strangers go out, doing activities with their friends and partners, to observe their poses as they look ever so content, to envy their posted achievements of their life, to fantasize how it looks like if you were out there having your own fun, to then have a dilemma of the smokes and mirrors of social media, to realize these posts are just highlights of their special days, to notice and understand their hidden struggles behind the pictures, yet, despite all of that, they still had those days. they still had the reminiscence of their experience. they still experienced them while youre here, stuck, as the world moves so fast around you, as you fantasize your own contentment alone. enjoy. feedbacks are welcomed. To Fantasize Contentment.mp3 To Fantasize Contentment.pdf

well less than a month later, i finally had the chance to comment on the piece more it definitely sounds operatic. i could definitely see this being like one of the first numbers of an opera. i could also imagine the orchestral sounds coming from the piano. the piece fits the text well. i like the subtle harmonic changes when the text sings the notice of a change, it feels like the desire to comprehend the changes around them. its gradual as well, from a month, two months, four months, as it leads to a climax. i like that the question at the end is cleverly treated as a punctuation, both in the music and in the text, before the final cadence. i like the sketch as well, its definitely virtuosic but i like the effective use of the piano figure as it travels to different harmonic context. the little introduction before the main stuff is also a good contrast to accentuate the preceding section. thanks for using my less than desirable poems lmao, and writing a little sketch dedicated to me!!

@MK_Piano Appreciate the feedback and the time! Definitely agree with the more active recap. I am still struggling with writing longer lines that I feel would give me a lot more space for expansion compared to my short cell approach. Funny enough, you mentioned the sight reading confusion with the key change. I try to be very mindful when I write to make everything very readable and in my head I thought the key change might help to understand where the structure is, but I totally see your point that for sections this small, it will just create more unnecessary information that might be a distraction. This is super helpful information because I want to create a compilation of sight-reading material for beginners progressing to an intermediate level. @Luis Hernández Appreciate the feedback and the time! Articulation sometimes is a struggle for me, definitely should be more firm with it.

Hello MK_Piano, Thank you for your response. I agree that there are a lot of musical ideas throughout the movement. The introduction, for example, is a continuous flow of ideas that eventually leads to the slow march-like melody. I believe the A theme returns effectively in the recapitulation. As for the B theme, I reused some motives from its first appearance, so it is perhaps less obvious that the fast E-major section represents the B theme. I must apologize for the improper use of the tempo markings in the score. Those were mainly intended to improve the MIDI playback and would certainly be revised before a live performance. I really appreciate your feedback, and I will definitely work on these points. Thank you!

Hello! On first glance at the score, no, it is not suitable for piano performance. Mainly caused by the page layout and measure size. Below, I have attached some annotations for you and a separate PDF of what is normal to see for a pianist. (Girl with a Flaxen Hair by C. Debussy) Photo.pdf Tristan - Revised Fantasie [ANNOTATED].pdf

Hello, what a lovely little work! Did you intend for this to be played on the specific type of harpsichord (French or Italian)? Depending on the builder, you can have two manuals and most come with a lute stop. I have two I can access at my university and can try it out sometime within the next two weeks. :)

Thank you so much, my dear Henry ! Your comment truly means a lot to me, especially coming from someone with so great music perception and skill of composing. I'm especially happy that you noticed the Scarlatti influence. His sonatas have been one of my greatest sources of inspiration ever since I began composing, and the Binary Sonatas are my own humble tribute to his extraordinary musical world. These sonatas also hold a very special place in my heart. They are my musical diary, reflecting my thoughts, emotions, and experiences over the past few years, which makes your appreciation even more meaningful to me. Of course, my goal has never been to imitate Scarlatti, but rather to let his spirit inspire me while gradually finding my own musical voice. Your observations about the echo effects, the sudden modulations, the dialogue between the hands, and the changes of mood made me smile because those are exactly the elements I enjoy exploring the most. Thank you once again for your wonderful words and for your continued support over all this time. It truly means a great deal to me, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy the musical journey ahead.

I love the suggestions. I also didn't notice that I'd had them playing where only the instrument above the secondary was playing melody. Just sort of happened that way I suppose. Regarding piano, I would've liked to do something more for the 41-48 section for it, but for the sake of maintaining simplicity, I thought against it, as I quite liked piano playing the role of rhythmic and harmonic support throughout this score. And it seems great minds think alike ;) Thank you for reviewing! -Unc

Thank you for your kindness, @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu. I'm so happy to receive a comment on this work from you. Personally, I only write reviews for works that fascinate me, so I will continue working to create something that might one day elicit that kind of reaction from others. By the way, I recently listened to some of your past work, and it was wonderful. I'm looking forward to seeing you upload new works. P.S. Thank you for telling me about Schnittke's Symphony no.4. I hadn't heard it before, so I really appreciate the recommendation. You seem to have amazing musical knowledge too! Best, Lithl.

Hi @Lithl ! It's sad that you keep reviewing other members' posts while no one reviewing yours, so I will review this one first! I enjoy the ominous mood by playing only on the high register and the very precise rhythmic marking which creates the more random (in a positive way) effect to enhance the ghostly mood. My fav. is the no.7 one especially when there are repeating chords which is really exciting to me. I imagine the piece to be placed alongside celesta and harpsichord as in Schnittke's Symphony no.4: To me it will make the piece even more ominous! Thx for sharing! Henry

Hey Mason, I think the duration and the difficulty of the piece matches the wedding occasion: short enough, sincere enough and not overtly showy and virtuosic. It's great you have the piano playing the solo in b.30, as mostly it's doing the poor accompanying job haha. I imagine that if this piece is played in real life, you will be saying some congratulatory words and blessings to your sister in the fermata in b.29, playing the solo yourself, maybe improvising a bit, before getting back to tutti. Thx for sharing! Henry

thx！dw i am not at home either. I will be back tomorrow. Please do check out all of it if possible! I will change the music asap as well, to make it more human and stuff.

I do not mind looking at the other movements; however, I need a day or two break lol. I’m currently on a vacation visiting my parents and there’s a lot of plans this weekend. If I do, it’ll be starting next week.

Bro Seriously thank you so so so much! Idk how to tell you how happy I am! Also, will you analyse other movements too? It's fine if you don't, I am already the happiest person in the world! Thx! -TristanTheTristan

Lovely sentimental work. I loved the bassoon solo in the beginning! Mark

With respect to tempo/breathing etc. - the oboe part is NOT well thought out at all. You really need to learn about the strengths and limitations of instruments and players; whether you write for woodwinds, brass, strings or percussion. Best to talk to players and show them the score and learn from them. <ark

Ohhhh.... The Double -Barrel Big Guns !...very nice.....no wonder it sounds so good.......That will create alot of Inspiration

Thank you, Lithl. :) I have a few thoughts of something I want to add to this piece, despite finalizing it. (I also noticed some engraving errors I'd like to correct.) Stay tuned, if interested :) -Unc

Regarding playback sound, I use Nucleus / Audio Imperia Flute & Clarinet, MuseSounds Bassoon, and Spitfire LABS Reverberant Ribbons Intimate Piano. It's just utilization of VST3 plugins to get that realistic playback sound :) Thank you for your kind words. I have more I have thought I want to add to this piece. Stay tuned, if interested. :) -Unc

Ah, thank you for teaching me a new concept @PeterthePapercomPoser . I always just thought of that chord in question as a special dominant chord that is just a half step above the actual dominant chord, so in my mind it was flat because I saw it as a C7 chord, if that makes sense :) I think I see the logic of having it as a A# now. It's kinda neat how depending on the genre, can be seen different ways. Sorry @Martynas123 !!

What a Lovely little Doggy, immediately made me cry. I think some doggy's have a spirit that can be seen beyond the Fur The love they possess can be seen in certain characteristics , wagging their tale when they greet you excited about being taken for a walk, and of course Dinner-Time That kind of spirit can't be embodied by a mere human because its Far to PURE. Regarding this composition , i did previously say that your " Best is yet to come" And this is the first one, and the start of many more... perhaps your getting Guidance from someone, with the letter "A" ? --- The whole composition sounds like its being played by REAL people Because every Instrument sounds so REAL ! I dont know how you did this, but its BEAUTIFUL , just like Anna x

Hello, It's so wonderful. I don't know why, but the part at 4:08 sort of feels off, like it should go on for a bit longer. It probably wouldn't be the case with an actual human performer vs MIDI file though. Maybe it's more of a performance thing vs compositional thing. In the Coda at 4:36, it sounds very familiar. I can't quite place it...probably a wonderfully sounding cliche that many greats have used before you? The ending has such a nice flair to it. That chord at measure 236. I wish I could give you a chef's kiss for that one. So elegant and wonderful and a bit bittersweet on top of it all. I like the choice to break with the RH pattern you did for most of the piece and just go at it hard with those wonderful consistent 16th notes in the RH. So whole piece feels like eating a lot of delicious sweets. It sounds/tastes so sweet, it can't be good for me if I listen to it too much right? ;) Anyways, those are my thoughts... I wonder what you had in mind when you were writing it? P.S. The notation looks beautifully done! So much attention to detail :).

I've just finished revising and completing my arrangement of Isaac Albéniz's España (6 Hojas de Álbum) for string orchestra. I hope you enjoy it! Any feedback is very welcome. 1. Preludio.pdf

Hello everyone! This is my first complete sonatina in three movements: I. Moderato – A simplified sonata form movement that introduces the main musical ideas. II. Andante – A gentle minuet-like movement that provides a moment of calm. III. Allegro – A lively rondo that brings the sonatina to an energetic and satisfying finish! Hope you find some enjoyment in listening and all feedback is welcome! YouTube link ScI. Moderato.mp3ore II. Andante.mp3 III. Allegro.mp3 I. Moderato.pdf II. Andante.pdf III. Allegro.pdf

I intend to participate.

I want to join!

Ah ah ! Chers collègues compositeurs, que ce message serve de déclaration officielle de ma participation. Je suis ravi que mon thème ait été retenu comme gagnant. Je suis sûr que vous allez tous adorer ce poème français et j'ai hâte de découvrir la musique que vous allez composer ! TL,DR: I’m in boss 🫡

Alex, I enjoyed the interesting harmonies; however, I felt the structure of the work to be a bit loose. I had difficulty following a coherent theme and I felt the work didn't have an arch to it to carry me through from the beginning to the end. Mark

don't worry i am learning flute next year 😁

I tried my hands at writing another waltz. Death Waltz Audio.mp3 The Waltz of Death.pdf

ʜᴇʟʟᴏ, ɪ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ɢᴏᴛ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀᴛ ꜱᴇᴀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴅᴀʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ɢᴏᴛ ᴀɴ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘɪᴀɴᴏ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇ " ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ". ɪ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ꜰᴇᴇᴅʙᴀᴄᴋ. (ℝ𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝟙𝟠𝟚𝟞 𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕗 𝕡𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕠) Jura (Ocean).mp3 Jura (Ocean).pdf

This piece is in the Rondó Form. There is a main subject (tema principal) and three subordinate themes. So the structure is ABACADA, the A part has always been modified. I have used the "classical" atonal system described by Schönberg and "friends". The dodecaphonic matrix is this: Several series are combined to achieve the variation and to create tension and rest (they are not randomly combined, as many people think about atonality). The series are notated in the score. Rondó.pdf Rondó.mp3