Leaderboard

I added the following rule to the list: 4) Do not plagiarize other composers works or modify or use elements of another composer's compositions in your own works without permission and giving proper credit to the original composer.

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 8 8 10 8 10 10 9.5 9 Avg: 9 This is such a beautiful piece. Even though it's not your best work (your words), I feel like the simplicity of this style is what makes it so powerful. Yes, it may be simple, but I feel like the technique is not so simple. And the emotions you were able to invoke were very real. Honestly, isn't that the point of music? The harmony also has extreme focus and purpose. I love towards the end when you just flip the key completely; such a powerful key change moment. The ending is also very nice, with the imperfect cadence. The balance of your instruments are done very well, and not overwhelming at all. This is important, you clearly know how to use the instruments to the song's advantage. Your techniques are fun, the cello knows just the right moment to chime in, the violins have a purpose and the piano does its role in supporting the harmony.

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 10 10 10 10 10 7 8 10 Disqualified due to being too long, but otherwise Average is 9.4 Congratulations! You got the highest score from me. I scored everyone else quite low. My only issue was the horn was sometimes a little high, and although each instrument is generally well written for, the ensemble would be a little imbalanced if performed live I think. But besides that, it was great. It's a shame it's too long! Thanks for sharing, it was a very enjoyable listen!

I didn't know the ship sank

Vote for the winners of the Landscapes - Soundscapes competition! Please note that the themed badges were created for the following pieces: Padovana et Gagliarda “Detta la Lombarda” by @L.S Barros - "Rustic Mood" Award Amidst the Clouds & Flowers by @InstrumentalistElle - "Nature's Garden" Award Morning On Whidbey Island by @BipolarComposer - "Peace of Nature" Award City Rail and Nightingale by @Wieland Handke - "Nature and Civilization" Award Alishan (for Flute Quintet) by @HoYin Cheung - "Forest Echoes" Award “Warmth” by @UncleRed99 - "Home and Hearth" Award Lamentare Ciobanului - “The Shepherd’s Lament” by @ComposaBoi - "Pastorale" Award We have decided not to create more badges because it was inevitable that there would be some overlap/competition in the theme-ing of the badges. For that reason we concede that although the above badges were created for those specific pieces, it is up to the voters at large to determine whether those pieces will actually win those badges. The winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies will be determined by points allotted in the following way: Every 1st place vote in the poll gets 3 points. Every 2nd place vote in the poll gets 2 points. Every 3rd place vote in the poll gets 1 point. 1st place will be given for the entry with the highest number of points. 2nd place will be given for the entry with the 2nd highest etc. .... The poll will close and the competition will be finalized and winners announced on Tuesday, June 9th, 2026. To listen to all the entries go to the submissions thread: And for the competition announcement go here:

Hello @ferrum.wav , thank you for your kindly review of my piece. I’m pleased that you could follow the imagination and story I wanted to depict musically! Since there was still plenty of space on the score, I decided to follow the example of @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu 's “Joking Fugue on Jingle Bell …", which also includes such humorous comments ... Yes, that’s right. Even though this is a new composition for the competition, I just started to compose the piece for piano solo (to include it in my collection of preludes and fugues) and then „enriched“ the piece with the further instrumentation by the strings. Therefore, the main texture is performed by the piano(s) alone and the strings serve to create more „color“ or „soundscapes“. However, there is a theme or motif in the “Nightingale” B section, played by the strings (measures 35–37 by the cello and measures 44–47 by the violin), that does not appear in the prelude for solo piano.

i definitely can paint a landscape with this piece!! from the mechanical movements of the historical train to a stroll along a garden complex, it encapsulates the journey effectively. i like the depiction of the moving train itself using the tremolos and the wandering upward melody line. that upward melody line here signifies a "progress" i think? the B section is about taking a stroll through a garden complex and i notice it being used there but slowed down. the contrast between machines and nature is very clear: the mechanical dissonant of the old train and railway machinery is contrasted against the light wandering melody of the B section. the nightingale depiction with the trills is also neat. i wish the strings got a more prominent presence here!! theyre mainly used as a doubling with a piano and overshadowed by the two pianos imo. those low thirds on the cello (b8) might be difficult. its fun to read the score because how the programme is woven into it. i like reading what one passage is supposed to represent. and lastly, the story is just so simple yet warm. you take an old historical train in the evening to a garden and notice some nightingales, d'awwwww how cozy and nice i love itttt Melodies Themes Motives 8 Harmony Chords Textures 8 Form Development Structure Time 10 Originality Creativity 9 Score Presentation 8 Instrumentation Orchestration Playability 10 Execution of Given Challenge 10 Taste 8 Average Score: 8.9 end note: how i feel when describing the story

I think you have a lot of natural talent and creativity. Attending a class for something is nice, and can be really helpful, but there's really no substitute for just doing something and seeing and hearing for yourself what works, and what doesn't. Listening to and analyzing what other composers have done is an incredible education in and of itself. It's impressive that you wrote this in such a playable and natural way! I hope you hold on to this colorful whimsy, too. Thanks for sharing! This was a lot of fun to listen to.

Just a little update on reviewers and their reviews: @TristanTheTristan you've done 6 reviews - you need 2 more to get the Welterweight Reviewer badge, otherwise you will be a Featherweight Reviewer @ferrum.wav you've also done 6 and need 2 more for Welterweight @HoYin Cheung you've done 5 and need 3 more for Welterweight @Fruit hunter you've done 7 and need 1 more for Welterweight @UncleRed99 you've done 4 and qualify for Featherweight Reviewer

Just a simple piano romance for my girlfriend Julia (for her birthday). Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think! A Romance.mp3 A Romance.pdf

Hello all. I had a really hard time figuring out what to do. I had a piece I wrote a while ago about Princess Tuvstarr and Skutt the Elk, where a geological formation called a tarn has an important role, but I decided I need to practice writing things for a deadline, so I needed some new idea. For those that don't know, I am ethnically largely Romanian (though I live in the US), so I settled on some Romanian landscape, and what better than the Carpathian Mountains! In fact, I had a drawing I made a while ago of a Romanian Shepherd (obviously as a furry, if you know me at all) in the mountains playing a Taragot - which sounds like a mix between an English Horn and a Soprano Saxophone. There's an old Romanian tale of a shepherd who lost his sheep, so I wrote this piece following that theme: a shepherd lamenting the loss of his sheep. Please enjoy :) Audio.mp3 Score.pdf

helloooo "The Voyage of a Lone Ship" is a piece for mixed quintet (violin, cello, horn, timpani, and piano). it is based on a sketch from the website youraislopbores.me*. i've asked a random person to draw a landscape for me to base my composition on and what i got is this sketch of a lone ship sailing on the sea under a starry night. the piece contains many different aspects that i try to portray: the lone night voyage, the shimmering star, the creaking wooden ship, the wavy sea, the exciting morning conundrum, and the night fall once more. *of note, youraislopbores.me is a website where real people can roleplay as an ai and answer/draw prompts from humans. people can also be the role of the humans and give the "ai(s)" (people who's roleplaying as ai(s)) many kinds of prompts. therefore, this artwork is not made by ai. a real anonymous person sketched my prompt and created the artwork below. this website is an act against ai art in general. im going to be honest, composing this piece was a tough journey. i had to rewrote the early sections so many times and my motivation keeps dwindling down day by day to finish this, but ive pulled through!!! i'd say there are many things that i'm not entirely satisfied with the piece, but it's in a good enough condition for me to post. also mightve gone overboard with the duration, oh well lmao enjoy the piece guysss The Voyage of a Lone Ship.mp3 The Voyage of A Lone Ship.pdf

Title MelodiesThemes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste AVG The Voyage of a Lone Ship 9 9 7.8 9.8 9.5 7.8 4.5 9.6 8.37 Overall, you did a really good job with the piece the one gripe I only have though is just some of the double stops in quadruple stops could be impossible. You did a really good job of storytelling. The reason why i tanked your execution score Just like all the other responses, this exceeds the eight minute maximum however though I must give where credit credit is due as I think that the nine minutes was all enjoyable and wasn’t a huge problem musically This is a good story, but it doesn’t correspond to a specific landscape strongly but anyways good work

im really fond of how experimental this is. the variety is wilddd and the inclusion of handmade instruments?? very creative. i quite like how blended the different percussion timbres are and they definitely provide unique textures. it's fun listening to the rambunctiousness of the different percussions as they come and go. unfortunately, as @UncleRed99 has pointed out in the rules, there should've been only 3-5 monophonic or polyphonic instruments present. HOWEVER, i am not even going to try to discourage you cus this piece is funnn to listen to. i notice that the themes have distinct characters. they clearly portray a set of vibes and imagery. i can imagine a landscape according to the story. the score couldve been presented better. its very small and reminds me of my score entry for the "bits and bangers" yc competition years ago lol although the middle section feels directionless, the return of the beginning theme and texture ties it up!! its also appropriate for the context of the piece. the story that youve provided is very whimsical and i thoroughly enjoyed reading it!!! its honestly nostalgic for me cus i used to play and wander with my childhood friends too when i was a child. not to the extent of forests and a colonial place per se, but it was definitely an adventure. goood job!!! Melodies Themes Motives 6 Harmony Chords Textures 8 Form Development Structure Time 7 Originality Creativity 10 Score Presentation 3 Instrumentation Orchestration Playability 10 Execution of Given Challenge 5 Taste 7 Average Score: 7 (how rounded) end note: handmade instruments

Title Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste AVG The Voyage of a Lone Ship 9 9.5 9 9.7 8.5 9 9.5 9.5 9.21 Hi @ferrum.wav! This is a very creative piece. The harmonic development and texture is really rich here. Really appreciate your exploration of different playing techniques to create different textures. Good work! The motives is passed on throughout the piece and makes the piece coherent. I particularly like the part between 4:33 and 6:33 and I truely believe I am on a cruise! And it is like a parade. The build up and resolution around 8:30 is also very satisfying. Looking forward to a film that can fit your music! 🤣

Title Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste AVG Lamentare Ciobanului - "The Shepherd's Lament" 9 8.5 9 8.5 8.5 9 9 9 8.81 Hello @ComposaBoi. I really like your work. I would say among the entries of this Soundscape competition, I find your piece the most "storytelling"! And that is acheived through minimal orchestration. I admire your gift in this aspect and I really wish I could write melody as you did. By the way, your choice of English Horn is quite tasty as it is mellow and antique and blend well with the sustained strings. Like other said, this work has distinctive sections like "chapters" of a novel. While they have different textures, the overflow is quite natural and the build-up is nice.

Hello @PikapikaHei ! Welcome to the forum! To me actually the piano writing is idiomatic! The melodies are also good. For me it would be the structure of the piece. You are going for an ABABA structure which the A and B sections provide good contrast with each other with different mood, tempo and texture. I would suggest you adding more developments in each of the A and B sections after their initial presentation, rather than just changing keys. For example the recurring A sections you could have developed the melodies with variations rhythmically and texturally. Also, it would be great if there is an assimilation of the two sections at the end. However, this is a very good attempt especially from someone who has never attended a composition class, so props to it and keep writing! Henry

Hey Jonathon @ComposaBoi ! I like the part writing here and the Cor anglais is definitely better than oboe for presenting the Romanian mood, I think. The melodies are really memorable to me as well. I would say in terms of structure you could have introduced more contrast between in the middle sections, rather than just modulating and changing the modality to major. To me there's an imbalance of structure as you put the contrast solely at the end, which somewhat sounds less move forward. I would also say the tragic ending in b.81 is a bit abrupt to me. I like the passage itself but the preparation to it is not enough for me with only an accelerating bassline and suddenly modulates from a different key. I am nitpicky here probably because I listen to @ferrum.wav 's piece before yours, so sorry for that! I like your piece though even if my words are nitpicky! Thx for sharing! Henry No less you are a German. Very precise value 😗.

im not that well versed in renaissance writing style (and instruments), but it does certainly sound like it. however, i do find it difficult to associate with the given landscape. i also think its hard to do originality since you chose a distinct style and has to follow the rules in order to sound like said style. nevertheless, i quite like the harmony and melody. they sound playful, especially on the 3/2 section. Melodies Themes Motives 7 Harmony Chords Textures 8 Form Development Structure Time 10 Originality Creativity 6 Score Presentation 9 Instrumentation Orchestration Playability 9 Execution of Given Challenge 6 Taste 6 Average Score: 7.62 end note: renaissance good

After reviewing eight of eleven contributions to the contest, there are now three ones remaining which challenge me the most. That are the ones of @InstrumentalistElle , @BipolarComposer and @HoYin Cheung . The reason for this is that they have so much in common, both in terms of their qualities and their style and mood. Since my comments would hardly differ, I have decided to copy and paste passages verbatim, which I will therefore highlight in blue, while my individual thoughts are written in the standard color as usual. With your submission(s), you have presented compositions that best meet the expectations one might have given the “Landscapes-Soundscapes” challenge: Pieces that depict a landscape as a “still life”, utilizing every conceivable timbre of the instrumentation, blending, etc., to create true “program music”. When listening, one can easily imagine a scenery from the nature: clouds, trees, a quiet lake or sea, a sunset etc. All this has been executed very well. On the other hand, the piece(s) are sometimes hard to memorize because there is few or even no thematic material in the sense of a recurring melody that is developed throughout the piece, giving it its own unique and memorable character. In fact, to be honest, as I listened to them in a loop —which is exactly what I did during a walk to familiarize myself with all the submissions—I sometimes thought the next section was coming up in the first piece, when indeed the next one had already begun. So I could imagine that this kind of music would work well as “ambient music”, for example, a CD someone might listen to at night if they have trouble falling asleep. Melodies Themes Motives: The motivic or thematic material of the piece(s) is used primarily to create a „soundscape“ depicting the certain scenes or images, such as the clouds, trees, mountains etc. The development of the motifs does not create any melodies but ongoing sound structures which themselves produce an interesting progression. Harmony Chords Textures: The texture is amazing. Together with the dissonances, the piece – while being slow in pulse – creates scenes with constantly growing tension or, vice versa, release, thus having a very cinematic character. Form Development Structure Time: The composition is not in a specific traditional form, the different sections or passages could be considered as „episodes“ or different „pictures“ of the entire imagery, which is fine for a piece intended to portrait a certain scenary from the nature. Originality Creativity: The creativity and originality clearly arises from the way how the different motifs create „sound snippets“ which finally draw the „soundscape“. Even if there is no „melody“ – which usually makes it more difficult to memorize a piece – the entire impression based on its mysterious mood and timbre makes it unique. Score Presentation: The score is easy to read with no engraving issues. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: You’ve mastered to evoke an astonishing colorfulness from the string quartet, particularly by applying natural and artificial harmonics and flageolets, whereas that might be challenging to perform. Execution of Given Challenge: You have clearly mastered the challenge of the contest with excellence, creating an inner imagery for the listener with your „soundscape“ that depicts the „landscape“ as described by the posted picture. And the term “soundscape” perfectly captures the nature of the piece. Taste: It's very nice for relaxing, though I prefer music that focuses more on thematic material and form (perhaps that's why I'm more of a fan of the Baroque or Classical periods than the Romantic one). Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 8 10 8 8 9 10 10 7 Average Score: 8.75

alrightttttt time to respond to some of the comments @Kvothe @Wieland Handke @ComposaBoi @chopin @Luis Hernández i am very aware of the rule violation and i honestly dont care to be honest lol. ive already made peace with it. also, ive gone with the mindset of atleast i've finished a piece and not leave it unfinished like my other pieces. working on this piece was hard enough that im really proud to have enough determination to actually complete it. this is what i thought and heard as well during my researching process. i was listening to dohnanyi's sextet, which included horn, and horn could definitely project powerfully. furthermore, when executing loud dynamics, the virtual instrument that i've used aren't very capable to project strongly. i do acknowledge that. my method was to give the horn rests before and after the high register sections and make sure to only do loud dynamics. but mayyybe i might still have gone overboard with it lmao i'd love to hear more specifics about this tbh ive researched this many times and my conclusion is that it is the standard? maybe ive looked at the wrong discussions but the majority said that for chamber music, the staves besides the piano may be smaller to conserve space, which it did. but they also said that this applies to formatting for the piano part. soo i guess you could say that my score is the piano part. idk glad you hear those things that ive tried to portray! it was definitely the vision that i was trying to achieve and im satisfied you got those impressions. yesssss you noticed the whole tone scale scattered throughout! it was definitely cus of just, "water," but yes it definitely added a tone of mystery too. yes! there were fair few selections of artworks that i had to choose from, here are the two of them there shouldve been two or three more drawings but i didnt download it in time before it got wiped with the middle section, i had wanted a clear contrast between the dreary beginning and ending. so i sketched up a rhythmically active theme. as it evolved (with instrumentation and other embellishments), it turned into somewhat of a "pop-y" sound - catchy, syncopated and all - and i liked how it sounded. it definitely does sound like an adventure! form: b1-b38 = intro (contains fragments of Theme 1 (T1), specifically the first three 4 notes), i imagined this to be like the entrance appearance of the ship, the sound of a creaking old wooden ship b39-b84 = full intro and repetition of T1 (the dreary and mysterious theme) b85-b101 = a whole tone scale "storm," Theme 1 is pitted against Theme 2 motif b103-b155 = full intro and 2 repetitions of T2 (the bright and catchy theme) b156-b193 = a fugue section of T2 and T1 meant as a transition b194-b232 = T1, cut and altered b233-256 = coda, contains the final climax. the "misterioso" part meant to be a call back to the intro (b249 right hand piano arpeggio figure, b250 piano left hand the "atonal" figure) with T2 motif on the horn. definitely due to the massive piano chord arpeggios and the syncopated triplets lmao i think one of my principle of writing for instruments is to squeeze and extract as much as possible out of them. i could definitely see some issues with this but in my mind, i always think of playability, even in the brink of it lol. with the stops, most of them are 6ths, 8ths, open strings, the triple stops are in 6ths with the exception of including open strings, the quadruple stops always have open strings to them, and im aware of the difficulty of executing these in faster speed, the challenging registers (high for violin, low for cello), and the possible positions with each strings. the col legno are performed at open strings as well. i am honored lol i am GLAD and SATISFIED that everyone liked the presentation of the score. i worked soooo hard on it and it is definitely satisfying to see everyone like it thank you so much for everyone that has commented so far! i will definitely try to comment the other pieces. i meant to start early with that (and i did, with 1 piece lmao) but i always struggle to put my thoughts into words as they are very scattered in my mind.

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9.5 7.5 9 10 9 10 9 8 Avg: 9 What I like about this piece, is the diversity of emotions and techniques. And in my opinion, your ending is the strongest part of the piece. But there are many good techniques you use here, so let's go through some of them that I've observed. First is your ability to create anticipation by using certain themes with instruments. You don't rush through your music which is something I admit I even have a hard time with. For example, you understand the usage of rests to help build tension and clarity. This is really important in all types of writing, not just music. The body of your piece has a clear theme / melody, but leading to that melody is what is even more impressive to me. You have a non standard first 1/3, but clearly lead to a more structured body. And as a result, this makes your music creative, but also very easy to follow. And now to the strongest part which is your ending. You flip the harmony and mood completely here. What makes this section so memorable, is the fact that most of the piece is pretty tame. So your ending becomes so unexpected, but it also gives the listener quite the shock. Very well done.

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9 9 8.5 10 10 8.5 9 8.5 Avg: 9.1 The intro is awesome! I love how you start this out, as chaotic, but structured chaos. I observed some instances of the whole tone scale towards the beginning, which I feel adds to the mystery of the voyage. It's clear from the music that you intended this to be a chaotic voyage, with the instances of adventure and reprieve. Fun motive towards the first third / or middle section of the piece. Very swing-like here, and I definitely get a sense of exploration and adventure around this section. Then you change it up the last 3rd (beautiful usage of a rest, creating anticipation, or a scene change), followed up with instances of mystery, calm and some chaos. For some reason I get a bit of a Rachmaninoff vibe here. Very jazzy ending, and yes as I listen to the ending right now, I definitely hear a tiny bit of Rach influence...this is pretty awesome! There was a lot of musical content here, definitely one of the more complex pieces in this competition. Either way, complex or not, this is an extremely creative piece. Your intro was killer, your middle section introduced the fun swing-like motive, the last third was enjoyable and quite melodramatic. Awesome use of the whole tone scale; you didn't overdo it, but used it just enough to add some fun mystery to this voyage. Well done!

Melodies Themes Motives: The piece is full of motifs that reflect the various impressions experienced during voyage of the ship. Most of them not in the manner of a melody but rather to create the respective impression: the waves, the storm, and the loneliness of a quiet night. However, there are also some melodic lines that turn the whole thing into “music” and not not only an agglomeration of imitated “sounds.” Well done! Harmony Chords Textures: The harmonic style is—though surprising at first—very varied: dramatic, atonal passages shift directly to more tonal, calm ones and are then interspersed with jazzy sections—which I really liked. One can literally imagine the different situations of the ship’s voyage: storm and heavy waves – and then again the calm, open sea or a lonely starry night. Form Development Structure Time: The composition does not follow any specific traditional form, which is perfectly acceptable for a piece intended to depict certain images, tell a story, or even serve as film music. Unfortunately, the playing time of more than 9 minutes exceeds the limits requested by the contest’s prerequisites. Originality Creativity: There is a lot of creativity! First, your attempt to get the inspiration from a prompt given random people with the task to draw the picture. How many attempts did you need? Or did you go with the first one? Since the result was unpredictable, you had to take up a scenario you perhaps did not think on and translate it to the music! And there is also lot creativity in the music itself. The instrumentation and the contrast between the more dramatic and the playful, jazz-like sections! Score Presentation: The score, while being dense due to the many “virtuoso” passages that need to be engraved, is clear and readable. Perhaps you have decided for the smaller font on the other instruments than the piano to achieve that more staves would fit on a single page. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: The instrumentation is very interesting: With the piano as the foundation and providing the more rhythmic and percussive base, the strings consisting of a cello and violin—thus offering a large ambitus—and the horn and timpani serving as festive and signaling elements, you have a variety of sounds at your disposal to create a piece with different colors. As for playability, I think it would be at least “challenging” and would require a certain degree of virtuosity if performed by human musicians. Execution of Given Challenge: You have clearly mastered the challenge of the contest with excellence! But – and that hurts me to say – not met the rules of the competition. As you stated yourself that you „might’ve gone overboard with the duration“, you are aware of that rule violation. And I can truly understand that, when being in a „flow“ composing, it is sometimes hard to come to the end if there are a number of ideas which have to been expressed. Concerning the huge amount of effort you must have spent to achieve that final result, you’re tempting me to break the rules as well by giving you a score that takes all (other) criteria into account and doesn’t skip your piece due to disqualification. Taste: Even if that genre (let me call it „soundtrack“ or „movie score“) is not my favorite one, I really like it due to it creative ideas and colorfulness. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 10 10 5 10 8.5 9.5 10 9 Average Score: 9.0

First of all, congratulations on meeting the submission deadline. This competition was a real challenge, and despite the two-month timeframe, only half of the participants who originally planned to submit a composition actually finished their work! Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: There is a distinctive motif introduced by the English horn in measures 3–4 that runs through the entire piece in various variations. Other motifs serve to create a kind of counterpoint in the “rich” sections of the string accompaniment, while other homophonic and rhythmic passages feature an interplay between “pizzicato” and “arco,” resulting in a varied texture. The harmonies are „friendly“ and I like that there is sometimes some „spice“ with dissonances. Form Development Structure Time: Even though I can’t identify any specific traditional form, such as ABA or rondo, the piece is nonetheless structured into, shall we say, “episodes,” which makes it more distinctive than other submissions that consist of an “endless” flow of motivic material. Originality Creativity: It was creative, not only to portrait a landscape as a „still life“ but telling a little story, the „lamento of the shepherd which lost (hopefully only one of) his sheep“. Especially the „coda“ (from mm. 89 on) reminds me of this lamento – while, fortunately, not in a deeply sad way, but in a somewhat humorous one! Score Presentation: The score is clean and easy to read. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: The choice of using a string quartet as accompaniment and the English horn as the solo instrument gives the piece a rich, pastorale mood. I think, there are no playability issues. Execution of Given Challenge: The challenge of depicting a landscape and thus creating an image in the listener’s mind’s eye has been met with great success. Moreover, you successfully avoided the risk of creating an endlessly meandering flow of sounds by using simple but memorable motifs and a variety in the texture. Taste: I very enjoyed it with its calm and, at some passages, humorous character. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9 9 8.5 9 9 9 9 8 Average Score: 8.8125

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 8 9 8 10 10 9 7 7 Average 8.5 This was really well written piece and the score is beautiful. And I say this despite it not quite being to my taste. Your talent is very much recognized and appreciated

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 4 4 4 2 6 3 2 GoT Disqualified because string orchestra is not a 5 instrument ensemble. Otherwise average is 3.6 A sunset isn't a landscape, and the piece didn't really convey a sunset to me anyway. Sounded just like Game of Thrones. As a constructive note, Violas have only four strings and can't play a sextuple stop.

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 7 8 5.5 1 7 10 8.5 6 Average 6.6 Not much going on motivically (not a bad thing) but the few that are present work well for the style, and I quite enjoy renaissance harmony. But I can't say it's original at all. Sounds like any other renaissance brass piece. The score is ok, be sure to put fermatas in all voices at the end. Not very well versed in the instrumentation, so I'll assume it's perfect, and the style and instrumentation certainly evokes the landscape. Good job overall.

Yes Good-Luck to all the Contestants.............................Although i think i know who's gonna Win it.

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 8 10 8 9.5 9.5 9 9 8 Average Score: 8.8 Review: This piece features a rich variety of motifs that also capture the pastoral mood. The textures are excellent, in my view, with sections where certain instruments fall silent (which I find an interesting way to thicken and thin out the textures and create contrasts), and there are many contrapuntal passages. At the same time, the lines are crafted with relative simplicity, without resorting to technically demanding or uncertain passages. I think it is an excellent approach to stick to what one knows is possible and make the most of it. The sections are distinct, but I also feel the overall impression is quite free. The score is very well presented. Although it is implied, given that the English horn is a transposing instrument, it might be worth mentioning that it is in concert pitch. There is one section which, I think, could be handled differently. Between bars 49 and 56, an attempt is made to create a climax leading into a new section and the entry of the English horn. However, I do not find this entirely effective as it relies on a ‘crescendo’ increase in volume; it would It is also worth mentioning that the English horn is pushed to its limits in the high register (I seem to recall a C5). However, the lower register does not appear to be explored, which is precisely where a standard oboe cannot reach.

If you intend to write romantic-styled piece, You may want a good melody to start the piece, like a singable theme which the listener can easily recognize throughout the piece. By good melody, in my humble opinion, should have "up's and down's" and good contrast other parts of the music. There are some horizontal motion but it is rather oblique and it does not stand out much from the accompliment. You may think it as a opera singer singing passionate tunes and interact with the orchestra. I would also expect more chromaticism in both the baseline and the melody. Candences. I would expect a stronger sense of cadences for the phrases in a romantic piece. It is like journey - you need some rest between the beautiful scenaries so you can stay energetic and focused. Your improvisation seems more modern to me as it reminds me of the never-ending minimalistic music with non-diatonic (non-triadic) lines. For the variety part, you may want to try with Change of tempos Change of baseline rhythms Change of scales/ modality ("colour") Change of timbre (high vs low register of the piano) Change of texture (Density of chords)

Hello there! The Sherphad's Lament Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 10. 10 10 10 9.5 10 9 10 Average Score:9.8 Review: The general score presentation and layout was clean and readable. There were a few collisions errs that were noticeable. With the given forces at play, this can be easily playable. There were no imbalances between strings and the E. Horn. Yes! this piece is creative and original in nature. The given forces create an interesting. There is interesting dovetailing with the strings. The strings provide a rich background and middle ground material while the EH carries the foreground material. This, indeed, creates a rich harmonic palate. What I am not sure about is the form of the piece. It seems to free form. Free form pieces (fantasia, preludes, and etc) tend to flow like a river. They have sections where previous comes back. But that depends, on the style and the composer. Here, I think the intent was to create fluid piece that logically flows from start to finish. The high use of motives was well done. The 6 minute mark is one minute above sweet mark. But that is fine. Overall, this is piece I enjoyed. Yes, it is hard to write something. That is where I am at. I am stuck too.

I apologize, I meant to respond to this part of your reply as well. You hit the nail on the head. "Warmth" isn't meant to portray the temperature of the surrounding landscape, rather, the warm feeling of entering the "home" space, or, as others would call it, your "sanctuary", a place of rest, safety, closeness to family... a place where you can be "you" unapologetically, without the judgement of the outside world. That kind of "warmth" :) -Unc

It’s a bit weird you are reviewing @ferrum.wav ’s work but mentioned him as a he rather than a you 🤪

Hello @L.S Barros ! To me, your piece is the one with the most solid musical form and structure, which makes sense, of course, since you chose a piece in the Renaissance or Baroque style; in that era, the musical forms—e.g., melodies, harmonies, voice leading, etc.—came first, before they evoked a specific mood or image—whereas in the Romantic period, it was the other way around. This strength is—on the other hand—also a weakness, since I cannot easily recognize an association between the music and the image it is meant to represent. This might be because I initially associate such a brass ensemble (which reminds me of a German “Posaunenchor”) with Christmas rather than with a serene spring scene. And—since I’ve never been there—I don’t know whether sackbutts are used in traditional Lombardian music. Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: The piece features simple melodic motifs that harmonize perfectly, giving the dances the character of a chorale. The voice leading sounds harmonious, so I chose not to look for parallel fifths. Form Development Structure Time: You have well done to combine the „Padovana“, a slow, stately processional court dance with its „afterdance“, the „Gagliarda“, which is a fast-paced energetic dance in 3/2 meter with repeated sections (AABBCC). Originality Creativity: You did not invent something new, such as a weird instrumentation or rhythm, but the solidity of the piece makes it unique between all submissions to the contest. Score Presentation: The score is clear and with no issues. It is in concert pitch, e.g. the part of the Soprano cornett has not been transposed, which makes it easier to follow for a reader which is not familiar with transposing. I would have liked to have some articulation and dynamics marks, even if it was not usual in Renaissance or Baroque times. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: The usage of sackbutts instead of trombones demonstrates the thoroughness with which you have studied the period you wanted to evoke. I think, there are no playability issues. Execution of Given Challenge: The piece really reminds on a scenery from the Renaissance era, corresponding with your image taken from inside an ancient building—or perhaps of other buildings from the same era. Taste: I really like the piece as a solid contrast to the other submissions, which without exception represent “program music.” Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9 9.5 10 7.5 9 10 7 8 Average Score: 8.75

Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: As inherently for a piece for drums, the motifs are more rhythmically focused, than melodically, although the usage of pitched percussions introduces melodic passages. The textures are well balanced given the piece a natural unfolding. Form Development Structure Time: I couldn't identify any specific traditional form or structure, so I would describe the piece as a series of different scenes, which is perfectly fine as long as the music is designed to illustrate the story you're telling. Originality Creativity: This was your intent to focus on and you have nailed it! You deliberately took the risk of potentially losing points in the other criteria due to this instrumentation, but I consider that a wise decision. Score Presentation: This is a comprehensive score, which makes it difficult to read and follow (I literally can’t scroll fast enough), but the intention to present all voices separately helps the reader follow the details for as long as they like. And although the curly grand staff brackets look a bit strange, they clearly express your intention to group that particular „voices“ together as one instrument. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: The orchestration is rich and well blended. Concerning the playability, I think you have distributed the playing and resting voices well, so that each of your „drum instruments“ shall be playable by a single player. Execution of Given Challenge: There have been discussions whether or not your piece formally meets the requirements of the contest to have „any combination of 3 – 5 monophonic or polyphonic instruments/voices“. And as there where „a Pierrot ensemble“, a „kazoo trio“ and a „quartet of Tibetan throat singers“ mentioned as examples, I can well understand your creativity to assemble your own five polyphonic drum instruments from all sorts of “sound-producing” objects. So my judgement is therefore that you did not violate the formal criteria of the competition, while being borderline. However, the result you ultimately presented makes me happy to turn a blind eye: You impressively depicted a somewhat mysterious scenery in a wood - which perfectly corresponds with your story. Taste: I enjoyed the piece as a welcome change from the other, more traditional romantic compositions. And since it’s well composed, it holds its own among them. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 7 8 6 10 7 9 9.5 7.5 Average Score: 8.0

You'd be close, except, forget "tall" and forget "Muscular" I ain't that purdie 🤣 I'm 5'11", Hairy, and slightly pudgy, with some visible working man's biceps. That's about it, for my appearance. However, I've always thought about the contrast between my Burliness as a hairy mechanic & the sorrowful / meloncholic / emotionally charged theme of my original music scores to be quite humorous, myself 😅 I suppose my music can be percieved as a representation of all the things that I'm unable to say outloud, what with the social stigmas in the USA for Men that place an emphasis on refraining from expressing emotions, verbally, or through crying etc.. Music provides the outlet for some of those emotions that our society deems unacceptable for me to display. Anyhow. Thank you, Wieland, for your kind words and detailed feedback of my piece. As I stated before, I know that it isn't my most complex work... Life kept me from feeling the same desire & inspiration as I have before, while also preventing me from having much free time to actually work on the thing... I feel it could be so much better, but that's the best work I'm able to offer, at this current period of time, on short notice 😮‍💨 Thanks, again! -Unc

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 7 9 7 10 9.5 7 5 8 Average Score: 7.8 Review: This is a very creative piece, starting with the painting (which I love) and the concept. I’m not sure the music in particular evokes that for me, but it’s so subjective... It’s true that the piece goes beyond what was supposedly the challenge. The combination of instruments is original. I think the French horn works well in this ensemble because it has such a powerful projection. Although with virtual instruments, it’s sometimes easy to alter how it would actually sound. There’s a strange shift in style, but I like it. It reminds me of a contemporary opera written in a non-tonal language where, suddenly, everything sounds like jazz. The score is very good, though is there a reason why the piano is printed in a larger font? I also have doubts about those multiple stops, even with techniques like con legno.

Thank you, sir I'm glad that you were able to enjoy that, despite it being a piece that, frankly, I had difficulty finding inspiration writing for... This was definitely difficult, to me, and I certainly feel like there could've been more done within it's current duration to elaborate on the overall consensus of the story the notation is trying to portray. Personally, I feel that it's a bit repetitive, with a couple of nuanced expressions of the original idea spread throughout... which is fine, technically, but makes for a less impactful story in the end. I just hope maybe others might think differently but I suppose that has yet to be seen and we'll know for sure as more members comment their thoughts here. Thanks for the feedback, and the kindness you've shown my work :) -Unc

Hello my dear friends. Here my latest binary Sonata no 24. I hope you like it.

Dear all, This is a short piece inspired by my trip last year with my girlfriend on a winter trip to Alishan at Taiwan, and we were visiting it in the afternoon. The photo is taken at the entrance of the Alishan visitor's zone. It is a place of high mountains with tall, spiritual trees, among which we travel with light railways and walked through the bridges. Being from a city with concretes, this jungle is particularly peaceful and you can always find the beauty of nature there. I have always been eager to write a piece as a diary of my visits, and it is a completely good time (the competition) for me to write one. Hope you all like it! HoYin Alishan for Flute Quintet.pdf

This should be treated as a sister piece to event Horizon. If not, A continuation of the story . As much as I don't wanna expose myself, I feel like the story behind This is very integral to what you're gonna be hearing, especially with a bunch of source material from event horizon. Five lacrosse balls is a story built on many experiences where I felt like I have been living in a fever dream from foreseeing certain relationships into people and having a whole entire room build up with a ripple effect of the US anthem. I find pure solace on the fixation of a random tangible object something that will keep you grounded through all of life's troubles. Yes, in many ways like most of my other works to some degree is a personal narrative Five Lacrosse Balls.mp3 Five Lacrosse Balls.pdf

Great work, I througholy enjoyed it. Quick notes: your main motif that first appears in the horn, you should use sharps instead of flats, as in A# instead of Bb because you're then leading into the B. Just the more easy to read version. A piccolo to flute switch cannot happen as quickly as you have written on page 4. I have a feeling you know this an ignored it for play back but still worth mentioning. m. 90 oh my god so stunning. Shook me to my core the same way when my favorite character in a movie dies. m.120 B natural not Cb. Really beautiful melodies and accompaniment. This is phenomenal work, regardless of if it is your first. However there are some general things to mention. The first is the doubling, or in your case, half-the-orchestra-ing. Every composer has done it, but it almost always in the beginning of their orchestra careers they do so. You’ve written a phenomenal melody here. Right now, it's heavily doubled across a massive chunk of the orchestra. It's a classic trap we all fall into because the melody sounds so good we want everyone to play it! However, when everyone plays the melody at once, we lose the unique fingerprints of the individual instruments. What if you experimented with passing the melody around like a torch? How does the emotional weight shift if a solo cello introduces it, and then a clarinet takes over? Try giving the melody to fewer instruments at once, and use the rest of the orchestra to create distinct, evolving textures underneath. Make us believe that this specific instrument is the only one that could say this part of the phrase. Also for the accompanying instruments, find new ways to accompany so even the double basses can have something interesting to do. I myself wrote (and still write) works similar to yours, but I would recommend fighting your desire for the super double, instead finding new ways to fill the space with sound. You'll find this in most composers, but my favorites for understanding this is Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninoff. Also resources: Principles of Orchestration by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (Korsakov is a huge stickler for reduction in the orchestra to maximize color) The Study of Orchestration by Samuel Adler

I wrote my first string quartet. I liked it while I was writing it, but now listening back I'm not so sure it would keep the attention of listeners. Maybe I regret opening with a slow movement. I think 2nd movement is best. I like the section in 3rd mvt. from 15:25 to 17:08, because of those chords and the counterpoint. And maybe I should have used more modern harmony in places to spice it up. 00:00 Movement I. 07:27 Movement II. 13:22 Movement III. Od. G. - String Quartet No. 1.mp3 Od. G. - String Quartet No. 1 [2026-05-29_06-41-34] .pdf

Entry: Warmth Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 10 9 9.5 9.5 10 10 10 10 Average Score:9.75 Review: With its' simple texture and harmonic language, this entry created the correct spring aura for the competition. I thoroughly enjoy strings and the piano were playful with each other. They danced around each other and provided melodic and harmonic support. That was clever. The score was easy to read. This is definitely playable. I can see being played at schools. Perhaps middle grade. As composers, it is know who will perform will our music these days.. This was truly creative. Keep writing. Kvothe.

my submissionnnnnnnn

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 8 5 5 10 8 10 10 10 Average Score: 8.25 BipolarComposer. Great job overall, my friend. You've depicted what you were aiming to with this one. Very Ethereal and mysterious sounding, just like a large still lake in the early morning on a cloudy day with a layer of mist rolling over the top of the water, is what I was able to imagine. I agree with pretty much all of the suggestions that have already been made to take this score to the next level, should you decide to continue editing after the competition. Thanks for your submission! Keep Composing! -Unc

I check from wiki and it says Muffat and Glinka were born on 1st June.

Hi! Long time for not posting anything! I'm revising my old Clarinet Quintet and learning orchestration in the process. Here's something I'm working on. Clarinet Quintet in C minor is a work I finished 4 years ago in 2022 which I accidentally began my revision of it in April 2026. It's a work in four movements and in it I want to share my feeling towards despair, dream and hope. The piece is dedicated to my friend Ms. Merina Fung. Speical Thanks to @Thatguy v2.0 for making the audio for me. Here is the youtube video of the movement: Here is the structure of the 1st movement: 00:00 1st subject, Exposition. Introduce the "despair" motive (0134), in some sort of sad waltz in C minor. The passage in 01:26 is directly copied from an old piece of mine named "Boredom" 01:48 Transition. Follow the tonal plan of the first movement of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony and modulate to tritone major Gb major (which is the tonic key of my next major work, String Sextet in G flat major). 04:09 2nd subject, Exposition. Introduce the "dream motive" (0247) and subsidary chromatic motive of (0123). Conflicts of the despair and dream motives continue, the dream seems to win at 06:53 with its own climax but easily defeated with a bold C minor half cadence right before the close of the exposition with a forceful perfect cadence in Gb. 08:42 Development, part 1. The dream breaks expectedly I really like the counterpoint in 08:59. Modulates to E minor for the transition theme, then build to a really beautiful climax in E major in 11:10 which I really love. Makes this movement sounds a bit less tragic. 11:36 Development, part 2. Another false serenity after the beautiful climax by a disappointed passage in G# minor in 12:38. The serene texture returns in B major in 13:17 but falls short to a dominant preparation of C minor in 13:50. I really love the retransition as it sounds really passionate to me (Actually I love all parts of the remianing parts in this movement after this point). A review of the keys visited in 14:27 with an octatonic falling scale, ending with two sorrowful monologue of clarinet and cello, just like the beginning. 14:53 Transition. I skip the 1st subject reappearence in the recap as it's completely meaningless to do so, given how the motive is developed in the entire movement. I really love the tragedy here, as I even have this passage reappears in the coda of 4th movement, after 40 minutes or so lol. Another false serenity in tonic major in 15:24, and I really love the nostalgic sounding passage in Ab major in 16:01, still base on the dream motive. The German sixth chord in 16:36 must be stolen from Schubert"s Quartettsatz. A fugato in 16:42 trying to fight despair and reclaim dream once more and "sucessfully" modulates to Gb major once again. 17:31 2nd subject, Recap. But when you want more you hurt more, as despair harms you more when you have hope. This time a hard C minor half cadence comes. The dream theme now becomes a nightmare in 18:07 and continues to sigh. 19:20 Coda. Previous themes keep reappearing as I myself used to ruminate my sadness all the time. Finally it ends with what begins the piece, the realization of despair in its original form. Structurally I am not really satisfied with how I expand the themes in the 2nd subject of exposition (Dream part) and how I treat the materials in development, as I am afraid I overextend too much. However I just retain most of the things originally as I wanna keep true to my old self. It's an absolute low when I composed this piece, as I really questioned myself whether I could really compose something good back then. Luckily I did finish the entire work and gave me some confidence, plus meeting some really good friends here. The whole 4 movement piece is composed with three motives mentioned above, as I wanted to keep the piece coherent. The inspiration of the work comes from Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet as I wanted to write a more tragic piece than his (of course this goal fails), but I am happy with what I’ve done. Strangely only now do I find how Brahmsian this piece is. One interesting thing is that despite the movement is in C minor, in the first 14 minutes (two-thirds) of the movement, only 2 minutes are in the tonic. In this revision I mainly modify spots I find unreasonble, some voicings and slurs, and breathing spots for Clarinet. Hope you listen through the music and read through the description, and my wish that enjoy the work! Feel free criticize the work as I know it's far from perfect. P.S. the old version of this same Quintet is posted before: It's my biggest mistake to post an hour long piece here as my first post. So I will chop up the 4 movements and post it one by one now! Henry Clarinet Quintet in C minor 1st mov V3.mp3 (For YT)Clarinet Quintet in C minor 1st mov final 20260501.pdf

I wrote another Romance for my girlfriend Julia's birthday. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think! Romance No. 2.mp3 Romance No. 2.pdf