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Wow then I would get several of them for my works! My Clarinet Quintet is 62 minutes long so it will get 2 of them!!

We staff have decided that it might be a good idea to open the awarding of badges up to the members, not just the staff. The staff aren't perfect and can sometimes miss some good opportunities to award badges to members for some of their excellent or distinctive content. So if you feel like you have been overlooked for an award you deserve - let us know! Tell us which piece you think deserves what kind of award/badge and why and we will consider granting it to you. You can also suggest awards for other fellow composers' works! Refer to the following list of manually awardable badges. If a badge doesn't exist for your particular achievement you can suggest new badges/awards in that thread:

There gonna be this one guy who’s probably treating the badges like Pokémon

I present to you the new badge - The Colossus of Prora

Hallo @PeterthePapercomPoser, I have created a PNG which could be used as basis for a badge. Some considerations: The original photo can be found at Wikimedia Commons under https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20-07-06-Prora-RalfR-DJI_0120.jpg. Please check whether it can be used concerning the license conditions. I have nothing against a „Collossus of Prora“ badge, but I would remind that this building did not have the best reputation because of its „problematic“ history. Originally erected by the Nazis as a huge holiday resort for their „Kraft durch Freude“ (Strength Through Joy) project. After World War II it was used a long time as military barracks, first by the Soviet Army, than by the East German Volksarmee. Since the mid-1990s, it stood empty for a long time and was exposed to decay and vandalism. Now it is (at least partly) renovated and houses a hotel, apartments etc. A more detailed overview can be found at Wikipedia under https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prora.

how about, "better than th..." oh nevermind

Upps, the "Colossus of Prora". Did you mean something like that?

Hello everyone, I recently updated a little draft of music for string quintet on the incomplete works forum and I just developed it into a full piece. After some thought, the section felt somehow like a developed theme, so I composed a main theme by using some of the musical features found in that draft I composed. The piece is an elegy and has the following sections: [m.1~m.9] Introduction -- The introduction was composed by making use of the most important harmonies of the piece: Cmaj, Cminor, Dbmaj and Gmaj. [m.10 ~ m.25] Main theme -- Main theme in C minor. This theme is in 2/2 (cut time). It works as a period but, in this case, both statements end in a half cadence (the second has a stronger modulation to G). [m.26 ~ m.40] Development section (original draft) -- Developmental section which starts with the main theme in Cmaj. This section is repeated once and it is in 4/4 (common time). [m.41 ~ m.51] Restatement of main theme -- second part of the main theme repeated once, this time ending in a perfect cadence (with picardy third in last chord). I am considering repeating also the first part of the theme in the restatement. Somehow I feel the development lasts for long enough as to justify a complete repeat of the initial theme, but I am still not sur. Any suggestion about the best thing to do is welcome! I think the atmosphere fits that title of "elegy", but it is also too hopeful at times so I am not sure if it is really an elegy. Please, let me know if you have any suggestion for the title! Also, I am not sure about the use of dotted notes for those moments in which they need to cut the phrase a little earlier. Would there be a better way for notating that? Thank you! As always any feedback is more than welcome and hope you enjoy it!

Here is a list of Manually-Awardable Badges that aren't directly related to a competition or event: Musical Debator Melophile Holding Strong Opinions History Buff Philosopher of Music Theory Buff Orchestration Buff Keen Ear Keen Eye Musicologist Ivory Tickler Symphonist Chamber Guru Troubadour Concertophile Outstanding Orchestrator Maestro Soloist Master of Improvisation Skilled Arranger Film Buff Video Game Buff You've Got Rhythm Got Published Got Performed Tune Smith Prolific Composer Counterpoint Wizard Sick Beats Period Composer Ardent Producer Hepcat Aleatoric Composer Bando Drum Major Pop Song Aficionado Brass Aficionado Woodwind Aficionado String Aficionado Film Composer Recording Artist Musical Dramatist Challenger Avid Listener Musical Socialite Ingenious Harmonizer Dance Music Impresario Headbanging Rocker Musical Storyteller Musical Explorer VGM Enthusiast Film Music Enthusiast Sculptor of Sound Audiophile Idea Peddler Star Performer Choir Master Musical Architect Immaculate Engraver Impeccable Taste Local Lurker Abstract Composer Guitar Guru Collaborator Accomplished Virtuoso Musical Advisor Elegant Classicist Amorous Romanticist Programmatic Composer Master of Subtlety Dedicatee Lo-Fi Audiophile Better Than Thatguy Lavender Hands Effect Ardent Reviewer The Colossus of Prora Feel free to suggest badges as well! - PeterthePapercomPoser

Somehow I also missed this one: The "Bestowed Maestro" badge for 10,000 reactions received!

Oh then maybe the criteria should be a thousand or higher

Hello I've recently decided to take orchestration seriously. Just as I did with counterpoint back in the day... Yes, although I study on my own, I have always been self-taught, at some point you need guidance from an expert. So I am taking a course in orchestration. It is really for a very small group (only four people), which means the feedback is very powerful, as each person's work is reviewed in depth. I've learned a lot about the classical style (paradigm: Mozart). Why and for what purpose each thing is used. And here I share my version (reviewed by my teacher) of the orchestration of the first movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 5. Now I'm working on Mendelssohn.

I see why it is Skull Collector By the time I get it, My head is already a skull.

Yeah, this is one of those hypothetical late night thoughts I had. Honestly, this is more of a inspirational completion thing that someone would do where they are inspired by one of the badges to write a piece of music purposefully trying to get that badge

Thank you Peter, I become the first recipient of this badge!!!!!! 😍

“Good evening, dear friends. Here is the scherzo from my third Sonata. I hope you like it.”

The badge was already there! Even Thatguy himself got Better than Thatguy badge lol!

Some parts are now used as living space, shops, etc. now, though. I am fully aware of it's history, and it is already thought of and I have a good reason for that choice. You see, it hurts to analyse long works...

Oh, I didn't expect to receive an answer to my "badge" which was in the first sense ment to be a joke. Since I would welcome to award a badge to the "longest piece", it is a good idea to follow @TristanTheTristan idea about a "Colossos of Prora". Concerning the icon, it was really just a "joke" of me using a WikiMedia Commons Picture and mashing it together to a "badge icon". I'll look tomorrow, whether I have some better personal photos from that location or whether I can gather more background about "Prora" before creating such a badge for the YC forum.

The Colossus of Prora Someone who has written (music) something longer than 30 min. The Colossus of Prora is the longest building in the world.

A very enjoyable piece. Leaving aside some noise and clicking issues in the audio, I think it lacks something to bring it closer to the style, and that is dynamics. Although classicism (and Mozart, of course) did not make extensive use of gradual dynamic contrasts (but rather more powerful ones such as piano and forte), there are none here either. More than that, it is the accents, sforzandos, etc., which were very common in this period, that make it sound like it.

Hi @Cafebabe! This is a nice classical sonata! The thing that bothers me when listening to this at first is the really bad balance between the melodic right hand and the accompanying left hand. The left hand should be softer and the melody in the right brought out more to be in high relief. Before, the only way to make this happen is to use MS Basic Soundfonts and use velocity values for the right hand. But I don't know if you know about a recent trick I learned in writing piano music in Musescore Studio 4 using the Musesounds Piano. What I do now is I write the piece for two tracks of basically two separate pianos - one for each hand. I go to the layout options and have each piano displayed with only one clef in one staff rather than in a grand staff for both. Then I bracket them as if they're one grand staff but each retains its own individual identity. This way I can give each hand its own dedicated dynamics and volume, reverb and other settings giving me more control over what is the most prominent part of the composition at any given point. I also noticed that you don't have any dynamics in your piece at all. Maybe you didn't find it necessary, and it could be argued, it is more historically accurate if its meant to be played on a period instrument. Musically, I find the retransition back to F major at the end of the exposition a little abrupt and forced. Another thing is that I'd expect each theme in a sonata to have ample time to speak before going into transitional figures. This would usually be done by giving the themes a full period, double period or sentence form which you don't do and it makes the themes seem like they can't stand still and start to flit about try to run away from themselves before the listener has even had a chance to absorb them. Also, when the development section starts, it seems like it's just a chord progression without really any relation to the themes. It makes me question what, if anything, is being developed. Although I had a lot of critiques of this piece, I did find it an overall enjoyable easy listening experience. Thanks for sharing!

This is an aria for alto, flute, strings, and continuo in the late Baroque style. The text is taken from Goethe's Ganymed, and a sample translation can be found here. The form is binary, with the usual closing orchestral ritornello joined by the soloist.

This may be a good idea... for example if a member collects some number of manually awarded badges they get an extra badge for it like Bronze/Silver/Gold Collector or something like that!

I don’t know if this exists yet or if it’s possible that you would make it exist, but this idea is called the. “ skull collector award.” it’s for collecting all possible specialty badges from compositions. (when I mean by specialty badges, I meant the manually awarded badges that you would usually get by writing a certain piece of music that excels in something). I feel that it will be more complete with the competition awards, but that would just make it impossible due to seasonality. This award would be permanently awarded to those who completed all possible badges before any updates meaning that if someone received the badge one day and the following day added three more other badges than they would still keep the award.

LoL I'm wrong, Thatguy doesn't get the badge to be a better self!! 😜

@Wieland Handke I googled "Colossus of Prora PNG icon" and I couldn't find the graphic that you used in this image. Could you send it to me please so I can officially make the badge? Thanks!

I'm going to post all my piano compositions in chronological order. Numbers 7, 8, 11, 13 and 15 are the best ones in my opinion. 1.-Compositions from youth. (I wouldn't even call this music) 2.-Random piano piece. (Modern I guess) 3.-Variations on a theme (Second piece I show in the video)(Classical) 4.-Katyusha (Variations)(Romantic/Virtuoso) 5.-Musical experiment. (Modern) 6.-Portrait of a dahlia. (Modern) 7.-Memories. (Romantic with jazz) 8.-Invention in D minor. (Canon)(Baroque) 9.-Crab canon. (Modern) 10.-Videogame experiment. (Modern) 11.-Feline Night (Jazz) 12.-Chromatic practice. (Experiment)(Modern) 13.-Elegía moderna. (Modern) 14.-Consonantn't vals. (Experimental/mixture) 15.-Portrait of a deaf man. (Modern/Romantic) If you liked or you have some advice please leave a coment. If I see people show interest I will post my other works.

Ccool idea! Sounds like a fun - I like taking a modern melody and giving it an old vibe, maybe reharmonizing or slowing it down with more counterpoint.

The subject of this one first came to mind roughly 7 hours ago already in its current form, and realizing its potential I wasted no time in writing it down, lest I forgot its exact melodic contour whose progression has been able to accommodate for elaborate chromaticisms in the other voices. Now, after yet another sleepless night put to good use with tireless contrapuntal machinations, this little fugue for string trio is at last complete in my eyes. YouTube video link:

The first impression I had when listening to the Fughetta was – huh what a long fugue subject which already covers a kind of development on its own, for example with the sequences in mm. 3-7. Because of its chromaticism, it reminds me a little of the “royal theme” from Bach's famous Ricercar a 6 from the “Musical Offering.” I can well imagine how you had this melody in your mind and developed it into this subject, for example while you were out walking, and that you had to write it down immediately upon your return so as not to forget it. There is nothing wrong with such a long subject. However, creating a fugue from it will be challenging, as the exposition will fill almost an entire page! Therefore, I think it was the right choice to refrain from adding further complete subject entries and to leave the piece as “just” a fughetta, so that there is enough space to play contrapuntally with the material. And this has been achieved excellently, both rhythmically, where the staccatos are contrasted with the appoggiaturas, and harmonically, through the treatment of the chromatic sequences. This once again highlights the potential of contrapuntal composition technique, even if the piece does not necessarily imitate a Baroque style, but is, for me, more contemporary due to the dissonances that I like. (By the way, the key of E minor still remains in the title of your current score.) Wieland

I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not really sure why you're posting these here. This is a music composition forum, and you're posting lyrics without music. We can't give feedback on them as music compositions. I think perhaps a creative writing forum would suit your purpose better, and would yield better feedback for you?

Dear Cafebabe! Since you really are a „Young Composer“ – I have double checked you profile – and today is your birthday (a special one, at that), first of all, congratulations. Now, to your Oratorio. Without going into detail today, I can only express, that I’ve really enjoyed it! With an overture called “Sinfonia” and an aria for tenor as the second piece, which have this mood and style, I was immediately reminded of Handel's Messiah – perhaps you have already heard it 🙂. Writing an Oratorio is a great challenge, and – if you are not Handel accomplishing it within three weeks – this can be a long lasting, not to say a life-time project. However, don’t think this is a problem. Having such a large, challenging project in mind should be considered as a framework where you can put time after time more pieces into, which has the great advantage that compositions, otherwise produced occasionally, have a place where they are not forgotten or lost. And for that purpose, having a framework which fits different kinds of pieces, the project cannot be ambitious enough. As mentioned in some other comments, the movements can be extended to reach their full potential. But that’s the fun. I’m curious how you’ll proceed in that project over the next years! Wieland

You call the first theme folk melody...that's a compliment; I thought of it as a fugue subject in disguise! There are romantic-era nods as well. In the first movement, the slow intro sounds a bit like Tchaikovsky, and the final cadence is a direct rip-off (well, tribute to?) of the final cadence to C.M.V. Weber's Der Freischütz first act! Different key. It has always been my favorite opera!😉 It is not postmodern, but could that be true in a way? Basically a Nineteenth Century symphony, but has Baroque elements, even some Classical ones. We LIVING composers have the luxury, especially today with everything on the Internet, to be eclectic.

A beautiful piece. I think the subject matter is very original and distinctive. That really helps with the recognition of the entries. The parallel descending movements are very beautiful, with those appoggiaturas, etc., as in bars 19 onwards and later with the reinforcement of the bass. I think it loses none of the essence of counterpoint, but it has many touches that make it sound modern, such as the profusion of articulations. Best regards.

PROGRESS 3 hello, it's been a month. work on finalizing the piece has been dwindling but i'm here to start it off back again!!! this progress is all about the repetition of the A. section. you can see that i tried to variate the accompaniment, most prominently with the active celesta section and the climax at b.329, which is taken from b.180 onward. The counterpoint from that section is now sung by the vocal with a new stanza, which is another piece of the second part of the main theme: from the sky x to y distant light just keeps calling me from the sky aight that's it for now. hope you all enjoyyy

Sounds great. I think my only complaints is that I think you overuse the sudden rests a bit in the latter half of the piece, but it is good listening and does what it says on the tin.

I just want to let you guys know that I greatly appreciate you guys joining The Arcane Alchemy. Here we will make some amazing pieces and come up with some great q&a's, so again thank you guys so much for joining!

I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. Utilizes the full instrument very well. I enjoyed the upward sequences, really built excitement. 1:50 beautiful. 2:45 a wonderful build up. 3:40 exciting. 4:05 awesome, and great playing here. Nice ending.

I also want to add here, that if anyone wants to send any music my way, they totally can. If it is capable of being sung by a baritone, I am offering my time to sing your melodies for you (without accompaniment) so you can hear it in a real voice. These would NOT be for commercial OR public use, but independent study unless otherwise communicated. If you have something for a soprano or tenor which would not fit my voice, you can transpose it yourself down to a baritone range and I can sing it for you. I don't expect anything in return, but I do hope y'all use this opportunity. I too often see composers writing difficult music for the voice, when in my opinion, the art is at it's best when easy for the singer. I am not currently accepting music for recitals, but I am always hunting.

I started 2 months ago.

Thanks, @PeterthePapercomPoser. I browse through the forum from time to time, although I do not have much time to listen lots of things attentively :S. I have bookmarked some of your "20th century harmony" exercises because I am interested in trying to study that book and I loved some of the ones you made. Will probably comment on some of those when I have a little time to analyze the scores! (and probably use them as examples to compose my own exercises!) Somehow I feel it is too short and that it stars too abruptly so I was thinking about options to extend it. You pointing out about the "double exposition" made me realize that, what I currently have, might be understood as two different themes (or parts of a theme) starting in m.1 and in m.7. I might play around with some different forms but I was thinking on extending those ideas into full themes and then playing them like this: A section 1. Theme I in Cmin 2. Theme II in Gmaj (or minor) B section (The section I have composed). 1. Theme I in Cmaj with sudden transition to Theme II in Cmin and coda. I am not sure if it would be a valid form or not, I guess it would be like a binary piece based on the exposition + recapitulation of a sonata form. Maybe I end up failing and just adding a final chord to what I have now. But I will give it a try. Thanks for the feedback!

I like how it became more intense throughout the song. Cool.

Hi @JorgeDavid! Welcome back! I think the piece is very close to being done! It might be too easy a solution to you or end the piece too early but you could just make a C minor or major chord at the end after what you have right now and call it finished. Unless you see a way to extend the piece further and treat what you have right now as a double exposition of a larger form? Thanks for sharing!

Hi @kaiyunmusic! I love your soft-jazz vibe in this piece. It reminds me how a dominant chord doesn't have to have a leading tone. And I like how you resolved on a major 7th chord without a 3rd. Harmonic nuances that give that relaxing jazz vibe. The piece is notated well although I might not have used triplets in the penultimate bar but I'm assuming you did that for the sake of your rendition/notation program? Thanks for sharing!

The thing about that though is that no one cares. Listeners do not care, anyone who would hire composers does not care, etc. One thing that can be given to the individuality camp is that AI does not seem to be able to, and may never be able to, do something like compose an entire album that has a consistent style. So it composes one piece of music that you like, it can't compose more that retain the same "fingerprint" that Beethoven or Metallica has throughout their work. People will probably find that disappointing. But not disappointing enough to turn people away from AI. Because all that people ultimately care about is whether or not it sounds good. However, it could be that this is all a moot discussion as the sustainability of AI is coming more and more into question. These programs require large data centers to maintain, and they are pretty much all spending more money than they are making; it's mostly investors keeping them above water. At some point prices of the services are going to skyrocket because they will need even more hardware, electricity and such to support literally everyone using just a handful of services. Private individuals, big companies, everyone. Then you must consider something like ChatGPT. ChatGPT is not replacing search engines because why pay to ask the robot when just about anything you want to know has already been written by humans and is freely available online? The other issue is that AI cannot presently make changes in small details; it has to reinvent the entire image or whatever. If it were capable of doing small, specific tweaks, this will exponentially increase the demand for processing power. So far, despite the fears that it will destroy all the jobs, it has not proven to be a more profitable, efficient or economical alternative to people.

AI music, while impressive, still lacks the nuanced creativity and emotional depth that human composers bring to their work. Current AI tools, despite their ability to generate music, can't truly replicate the individuality and taste of human artists. They often produce outputs based on patterns in training data, which might not always translate into high-quality or innovative compositions.

Hi everyone! This is a more recent Gavotte that I composed in just the past week. It's for a string orchestra. Let me know what you think! I have a much longer and more challenging Gavotte in C in my archives that I composed years ago but that one is not finished yet. This one is a bit more modest in form and virtuosity. Any constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Hello people! I was searching for some of my old music and found some dances I composed a long time ago in the sequencer (before I started writing on paper). I took the old midi of this minuet and imported it into MuseScore and tweaked it a little to make it look nicer. I am sure that this does not follow the traditional form meant for a minuet (binary) - I don't think I was trying to write in any particular form when I wrote this nor follow any particular rules in voice leading and counterpoint (so I am sure I break some rules such as the one about having melodic tritones). Let me know what you think! I wasn't planning on publishing this as I am currently working on something else but it took only a little of my time and I've never showed it to anyone before. Your comments and suggestions would be much appreciated!