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This is my first attempt (excluding some best-forgotten teenage stuff) at writing a concerto. The style is my own blend of Classical and some early Romanticism and perhaps a dash of Baroque, but I wrote for the modern valve trumpet. Admittedly, the tessitura may be a bit high, frequently going up to the 8th and occasionally the 9th harmonic. Any comments or feedback would be most appreciated!

Hello my dear composers. Here my 2nd movement of my latest Sonata. I hope you like it.

Hi @Aiwendil, Now is the time for the 2nd movement. I like the broad theme and structurally you keep varying and contrasting which makes the movements more interesting. Structurally the arch form is also interesting. I really love b.27 when the orchestra takes the lead as it sounds really grand, and more so in b.140 with the dialogue there! The turn figure in the D minor contrasting section definitely reminds me of Don Giovanni. B.73 passage reminds me of Beethoven’s 7th’s slow movement, good use of the opening theme. B.116 horn solo really gives a broader sound contrast with the trumpet soloist. Love the ending as well. Looking forward to the finale! Henry

Hi @Vasilis Michael, As I mentioned in YouTube the influence of the slow movement in Schubert’s D960 is quite notable here! (As well as the same key of D959 slow movement) The turn to a surprising F minor chord and subsequent F# minor return is a good use of the interchangeability of Dom 7th and Ger 6th chord like Schubert’s usage of them! The rhythmic usage also reminds me of Schubert, as well as the ending! Thx for sharing. Henry

I've now moved on to Chapter 4 of Persichetti's "20th Century Harmony" which is about quartal chords. The prompt for this one was "10. Extend the following string-quartet opening. Feature pentatonic melodic and quartal harmonic writing." Thanks for listening and I'd appreciate any comments, suggestions, critiques or just observations!

I love the quartal chords, and the harmony in b.10! I literally do the same thing in my Sextet when C and Gb pentatonic just juxtapose with each other. I also love your sul tasto touch! Henry

I was thinking about the ice that's formed here on the ocean. How in foggy conditions it looks like it never ends. I'd like to go sit at the beach of my cottage with an omni mic and just stare into the fog and play this... This is also a slight experimentation on both microtonal tunings (aesthetic) and in player's freedom. You'll note that my recording sounds a bit different to this (and was actually played on steel string guitar), but that's the point :D. I often feel that the player is not given enough free reign to interpret what they are playing - not enough free reign to bring themself to the stage. So this is a slight complaint to that I suppose. All thoughts, feelings, colours, landscapes, gibberish, textur 21st of jan.mp3 es that come to mind please tell me.

Sad, I'm too old for it!

Quite excellent! More like Haydn to me. I am good at using elements of the Classical, Baroque, or even sometimes Renaissance styles, but am not good at staying in style!

It's good to see how others organise themselves. The idea of working on the sketch in three staves or more, depending on the volume, is great. Perhaps in a future project I will try to do the sketch for solo piano, as the intention is not so much to imagine orchestral colours as to establish the structure, parts, climax, harmony and rhythm.

Hi @Churchcantor, Welcome to the forum! I only listen to the first movement and I quite like the modulation you have in the movement. For me maybe you can add more moments when the piano carry the melody and the violin can sometimes play the accompaniment. Also, slurs for the violin would be essential! Dynamic details and phrasings are also crucial in both parts! Thx for joining and sharing. Henry