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Attached is my submission to the "From Nothing, to Something" Summer 2026 Composition Competition Submission. I decided to set Verlaine's original French poem for two vocalists (solo soprano and solo tenor). To fit the French vibes, I rounded out the ensemble with a trio of flute, viola, and harp. The French sound I continued into parts of the harmony, opening with chords mostly made out of whole tone scales. As for form, the tenor takes the firs stanza, the soprano second with a mixed around order of phrases, and then they sing primarily together for the final stanza. I was composing this with professional players in mind, so the parts are of a higher difficulty level. Program Note: This setting, originally created for the Young Composers Forum "From Nothing, to Something" Summer 2026 Composition Competition, casts a different light on Paul Verlaine’s summer love poem, Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été. With the challenge being to capture the sensation of summer, I hoped to focus in on liminal moments throughout the season. The two vocalists, being the depicted couple in Verlaine's poem, first sing individually to each other, telling of the fleeting beauty and pleasure found in a summer love. Finally the two join together in harmony, as the stars look down gently on husband and wife. Devor - Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été_FINAL.mp3 Devor - Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été_FINAL.pdf

Hi again! Since the last post I submitted here about a piece of mine was roughly a year ago, I thought it was perhaps not the worst idea to publish another now. Bad timing, I know, since there are still days to close the voting process of our "From Nothing, to Something" Summer competition, a competition I sadly did not take part in (sorry :'/), neither as a contestant nor as a reviewer. My activity in this forum has dwindled too much, and I do hope to fix it little by little in the future. Today I bring you my 7th waltz for solo piano for you to have a listen, review, comment, destroy, whatever! I will be leaving the PDF here, as well as the mp3. For those interested, I would like you to see the video format too, which has been done with a tool that Victor Reny at free-scores.com has been developing: the OPUS reader. I believe it uses verovio for rendering, and this library and Musescore 3.7 don't get on well with each other too much but still, I think when the software matures it will be neat. @chopin this may be interesting to you, since it's coded in web and your enormous work in MJ perhaps could interact with webtools like this better than Musescore, in order to create these visual effects. If it's not of your interest, sorry for the ping man! That said, here is the work. Hope you find it decent! Uploaded it with 2 pianos, just in case you prefer one timbre over the other 🙂. All should be in the attached files at the bottom of the post. 98 - Vals del Tentetieso [v1.1].pdf And the video: Vals del Tentetieso | Valses para piano | Om. 98 | #piano #vals #waltz Again, many thanks for reading & listening! Best regards and see you in the forums, Daniel–Ø. Vals del Tentetieso [v1.1].mp3Vals del Tentetieso (Érard).mp3

why u expose me bro

If you are interested, this is what Rimsky-Korsakov says about melody in octaves using woodwinds: The use of two instruments of the same colour in octaves, e.g. 2 flutes, 2 clarinets or 2 bassoons etc., if not exactly to be avoided is certainly not to be recommended, as the instruments, playing in different registers will not correspond one with the other. Suggested combinations: Fl + Ob, Fl+Cl, Fl+Bs, Ob+Cl, Ob+Bs, Cl+Bs In his book, he also discusses doubling the melody in the very high register (with the piccolo) or in the low register (with the bassoon, contrabassoon or bass clarinet). He also mentions some combinations involving two instruments from the same family that do work (because they are actually distinct, such as the flute and alto flute). As well as doubling the melody in three- and four-part arrangements, etc. And with examples of everything. A classic but essential treatise. Alan Belkin also explain this issue: Professor Belkin Notes: There is in fact a good argument to be made that the WW are not one group at all, but rather, three (oboes and bassoons counting as one – double reed – family, with the English horn as intermediary). Unlike the strings, woodwinds do NOT behave similarly to one another in various registers. For example, flutes get softer as they get lower, whereas oboes/bassoons get louder. This diversity of color and of register is the main cause of the difficulty in writing well for winds. The beginner is advised to think of each woodwind instrument as really three in one: a high instrument, a medium one, and a low one. Although the transitions between registers are of course not really so drastic, combinations of woodwinds with each other and with from other families work differently depending on register. For example, a low flute melody requires a different accompaniment from a high flute melody. This is also the reason that it is actually easier to score for a larger woodwind section than a smaller one: When the auxiliaries are available, the range available IN ANY GIVEN HOMOGENOUS TIMBRE is much increased. A chord scored for alto flute, regular flutes and piccolo will present less problems of blend and balance than one scored for 2 flutes and 2 oboes. Of all the woodwinds, the oboe is one most likely to cause problems for the beginner. It is a natural “prima donna” and, while its melodic character can be wonderful in the right melody, it does not blend easily with most other timbres in the orchestra (exception: oboes blend quite well with SOFT, muted trumpets).

Finished it! https://www.youngcomposers.com/t50554/donc-ce-sera-par-un-clair-jour-d%C3%A9t%C3%A9/

Hi Henry! As @chopin says, the intro is catchy yet solemn and wonderful. In the progression building up even further from 1:58, it feels as though something is surging forward—it is sad that this isn't a live recording. The structure itself is well-composed, and the transitions are smooth. Around 5:00, a vivid scene of live musicians performing came to mind—starting with a solo performer and then adding instruments one after another. The entire piece maintains a consistent structure, drawing the listener deep into its worldview. The clarinet solo around 14:31 is also a personal favorite. After the busy dialogue between the instruments up to that point, it shifts into a quiet solo, and then from 15:13, it connects to the final development, returning to the origin of the piece—a great finale. How many movements do you plan to create? I thought it would be great if a file where we can listen to everything all at once were uploaded someday. Well done, I enjoyed listening! Best, Lithl.

Hello @Fruit hunter, another of your percussion pieces, now for a „more traditional“ percussion ensemble and not for „bottles“, „leaves“ and „wooden sticks“! Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: The use of various pitched and unpitched percussion instruments allows you to introduce, on the one hand, a range of melodic motifs and even chords, and, on the other hand, rhythmic patterns that enrich the piece with a vast array of motivic material. Form Development Structure Time: Even though I’ve listened to the piece a few times now, I have to admit that the impression of a “kaleidoscope” of sounds and motifs prevents me from recognizing a specific traditional form development, so that the length of the piece increases the risk of a certain “randomness” or monotony. Originality Creativity: Given its instrumentation, the piece is undoubtedly one of the most original and unique entries in this competition. Score Presentation: There have been pointed out a number of engraving issues already by @MK_Piano, which I don’t want to repeat here. Beside that, I generally like your score since it has a good readable font size, spacing etc. However, I can see that you’ve struggled with the arrangement of the staves and systems on the pages. I know this, and it’s not always easy to find a satisfactory balance between readability (i.e., the font shouldn’t be too small and the staves shouldn’t be too close together) and the effective use of space on the pages. This always seems to be the case with pieces that require seven staves, so that sometimes there is room for two systems on a single page, while in other cases only one system can fit on a single page. For aesthetic reasons, I would prefer a more even distribution across the pages, but that is not always possible. In some cases (for example, in measure 40 and measure 137), the tempo markings or other annotations extend beyond the page margin or the page size. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: I think, you have thoroughly worked on the instrumentation, the choice of the mallets, the situation when to change to another percussion instrument etc., which shows that you are familiar with that family of instruments. The only question – the playability of the fast changes between mallets or even instruments, as already stated by other reviewers – still remains for me, and I can’t answer it. Perhaps, you had have been a bit more „conservative“, introducing rests before that changes, which would be possible, especially if only one player changes the instrument/mallet while playing unison with another one (for example in mm. 108 or 116). Execution of Given Challenge: As for the question of to what extent this piece sounds “French” or conveys the atmosphere of a summer day, I have to admit that my first impression was, that the piece could be performed on the street at the „Fête de la Musique“ - which is a massive, nationwide free music celebration held annually on June 21, the day of the summer solstice, in France. And for that reason, I can see a real connection between your piece and the challenge of the contest. Taste: It's a piece that is interesting, surprising, and fascinating. On the other hand, it gets a little “monotonous” after a few minutes, so at the “Fête de la Musique”, I might have already moved on to the next musicians. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 7.5 8 6.5 10 6.5 8.5 9 8 Average Score: 8.0

Hello @Ninja Nolan ! When I first came around to read your explanation of the submission and took quick look at the score, I asked myself, “How is this supposed to work?” and “How is this supposed to sound?” when you put four soprano saxophones together in an ensemble. Isn’t it a mistake to combine instruments of the same register—and even the same timbre? Wouldn’t they get in each other’s way? But after listening to (just the first few minutes of) your piece, I was proven wrong: I have to admit that the four saxophones blend together so beautifully, without any clashes or overlapping! I also get the impression that I sometimes hear the timbre of other woodwind instruments, such as a flute or an oboe (that’s a bit like a sommelier tasting a wine and raving about how it has notes of wild berries, melon, or even pepper…). I - La soie (The silk) The first movement has for me a very calming atmosphere, somewhat like a lullaby. Another impression was that it reminds me somewhat of pieces which are played at Christmas time, but than with a brass ensemble (i.e. „Posaunenchor“) and in a different seasonal mood. II - Le ciel (The sky) The second movement reminds me of a dance at Thanksgiving – I mean a Baroque-style dance (while I can’t – since I’m not familiar with the characteristics of those dances – say whether it’s a Gavotte, a Sarabande or a Galliard …). I very like the sometimes humorous passages, as for example, in mm. 36 or at the beginning of the Trio in mm. 56. Le soir (The evening) A more melancholic movement, that arises a picture of sitting around a campfire, thus really capturing the mood of a late summer evening. Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: The piece uses beautiful, simple melodies and harmonies, which are sometimes „spiced up“ with some dissonances (such as in the first movement, mm. 18-20) - which I very liked. The textures are – while being relatively simple – well balanced. For that reason, I most liked the texture of the opening section of movement three, mm. 1-16 for their slightly couterpuntual approach. Form Development Structure Time: Since consisting of multiple movements and featuring a „dance“ in the second movement, the form could perhaps described as a suite. The movements are well developed and the entire piece perfectly meets the time requirements. Originality Creativity: The piece is original and unique among the submissions for its instrumentation and the use of the „suite“ form in three movements. Score Presentation: The score is clear and professional with no issues. I very like your descriptive program notes at the beginning. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: As always said, the instrumentation seems at the first glance somewhat „adventurous“, but has been brilliantly mastered. I think, there are no playability issues, since it doesn’t seem to be „difficult“. Execution of Given Challenge: You have chosen the three stanzas of the poem and created three movements, each with a clear, distinct mood, trying to depict „The silk“, „The sky“ and „The evening“ as they are the topic of those stanzas. If listening to the music evokes images whose seasonal mood sometimes differs from that of a summer day, this should be considered merely my personal opinion. Taste: It's a piece that's pleasant to listen to and has a calming effect. However, it might not be the kind of piece I would listen to every day. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9 8.5 10 9.5 10 10 9.5 8.5 Average Score: 9.375

Entry: Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 10 7 10 8 9.5 10 10 10 Average Score:9.3 Review: Overall, I did not notice any engraving issues on the score presentation. The only thing I would recommend would be to use expression sim. when there is the same type of articulation. That way, you do not have to write out the articulation for each note. The execution of the piece of this piece has meets the challenge. Each part is easy to read and playability. The creative and originality reflect the German lieder in tone and character. Hence while it unique to this contest, it original in the sense that melody and harmony and creative in the instrumentation and such. Homophony is the primary texture throughout this piece and sounds like chorale.

Since the submission deadline will be soon, and I expect that there will arrive some pieces today or even tomorrow, I would like to ask whether we have some more days time for our reviews (perhaps at least over the weekend). I would appreciate it, if the deadline for the reviews could be clarified (not just for me, but also for the benefit of other reviewers, since we haven’t received that many reviews yet).

Some of the most devastating music i’ve heard still yet contain a mixture of the minor/major mode but commence and return to the minor. There are some outliers though in your spirit, such as Bach’s crucifixus (from mass in b minor). I believe that is entirely in the minor, but with an important caveat: The movement is approximately 3 minutes long, and is immediately followed by the jubilant ‘Et Resurrexit’. This is of course highly effective, and I can only imagine how the mood in a concert hall, reduced to the depths of despair at the depiction of Jesus dying on the cross, to then be elevated by the sudden and ecstatic news of the great revelation. The other example that comes to mind is Dido’s Lament by Purcell. Both share a the same structural basis: a repeated ground bass and as such the music remains within its harmonic frame. And both represent something both devastating and apparently defeating. So it’s not unprecedented in that measure, but what sets your work apart is in its length, and the indication that the other movements are also predominately in the minor. I would argue that the most effective narratives through music embody some form of cyclic structure that involves both the major and minor (not in equal measure but 70/30, depending on which mode the work commences) and if not within a single movement, then between movements. Bach’s crucifixus is an excellent example in this respect. That is my personal preference, of course, and wish not to detract from the technical and aesthetic feat you have achieved here. All the best Markus

@JorgeDavid Well done, that was excellent! The second half is particularly moving. I felt like it really built up the drama and peaked in a very satisfying way. You’ve got a really nice touch, both in the composition and performance. Here’s my only recommendation: break up the accompaniment rhythm here and there. It will give the piece more character if the accompaniment is just a touch more rhythmically interesting. I’m only talking about rhythm, not the notes themselves. Even a small rhythmic change can have a big impact. For example: Instead of boom chuck chuck, boom chuck chuck, boom chuck chuck, boom chuck chuck… You might try boom chuck chuck, chuck boom chuck, chuck chuck chuck, boom chuck boom (rhythm repeats). The boom is the bass note and the chuck is the chord. You could keep all your same luxurious bass notes, but just alternate slightly where those bass notes hit. You may even find a configuration that sounds so delightful, you can use it throughout the piece as a motif. Anyways that’s just a thought. Even if you keep it as is, it’s already lovely! Nice job.

Very well done man, incredible work and very creative, this is so much fun to listen to. I was watching your YouTube video because the effects are wild, and I was glued to the screen. This waltz is actually perfect for Halloween I think, just the overall mood. I think the left hand complements the right hand so well, and your key changing, modulations etc, literally keep me on my toes waiting to hear how you progress the next section. The right hand is really fun to listen to with your chromatic runs and trills. And none of these feel like filler to me, they all have purpose. One of my favorite parts is around 45 seconds in, when you get relentless with your runs, it just feels so satisfying. As far as the visuals, yes I am very interested. Music Jotter is very well equipped to work with outside software, especially Lilypond and Verovio. I just have to code it but MJ is 100% data driven.

I really enjoy listening to this. I play the keyboard version, so the difference in tempo struck me at first. But your orchestrated version works really well. It's just fast enough. It doesn’t have all of the ornaments the keyboard has, and that might have something to do with how it can be faster without sounding too fast. Yours doesn't feel rushed in any way. The choice of the instruments works very well. It never feels weighed down with too many instruments sounding at once. I like that you didn’t double so much as to have these walls of sound that make the lines less distinct. I particularly like the Eng.Horn, Clarinet and Bassoons combo in measures 9-15. They are very clear and distinct but still in consort with each other. The same for the strings in 19-27. I’m far from being a sound engineer, but I think you know what you're doing when it comes to using the digital tools to make an overall realistic, coherent sound.

Just a little something for orchestra with a nice percussion section. Sequence I-VI.mp3 Sequence I-VI - Score.pdf

Hi James, Welcome to the forum and thanks for submitting this work! It's been wonderful seeing how various people have tackled the challenged I have laid out. Now, I am in the process of doing my reviews and it has come time to leave one here! To preface, I wish to address some things. I am a tonal composer and while I have written post-tonal, or post-modern, I have only done so in the academic scene. My taste is to romantic soundscapes and I may not be the best suited to properly address this work. However, I wish to give it my best shot! ENGRAVING: The engraving of this score is meticulous and leaves no errors. My only comments here is that in your copyright footer on the first page of the score, you misspelled "LLC" and put "LCC" instead. Just a heads up before you sell this work elsewhere. Another picky thing is with the front matter, I am not sure you need to specify "written for the YCF competition..." twice: before the notes and above the title on the first page of score. It makes more sense to see a dedication for the ensemble above the title or to the organization of the event versus saying "written for XYZ" twice. Seems a little redundant. The last picky thing is the page 19 to the end in the harp. I feel there is a better way to notate the cluster arpeggios. The accidentals tend to stick out way too much for me to say it makes sense. Visually it seems a little silly, especially the last harp chord. To me, even for those moments, using two stems, an extra stave, or voices to notate the individual notes, or help spell them out may be better; lastly, use of enharmonic spellings to keep the accidentals uniform (all sharps or all flats) may prove beneficial. (unless the goal was for every string to be used, which aha! That makes sense for varying accidentals) Essentially, I am reasoning that it may be more effective if you make the readability easy for the performer because a lot of challenge will go into the playability and technique. Some of your pedal changes are cumbersome for a harpist. Outside of these comments, nice work! MUSIC: This to me, is the hardest to review as personal taste plays a factor. I did look at some snippets off your Instagram and Twitch of the process, but I do not have the time to do a proper analysis, which I feel may benefit my own understanding. Your use of the whole tone scale is most prevalent throughout the work, and there are certain motifs that come back and can be remembered by a listener during the duration. The form, if applicable seems to be a large binary with sub-forms within them. These forms being separated at rehearsal-J with the harp to break the piece in two. However, to me, the midi doesn't do a good justice as it seems quite monotonous, even though the score has very strong dynamic implications and a singer would actually sing the written lyrics. To add, when it comes to the context of the competition, it casts more a dream than a romance. The soprano and tenor help the visual of two partners, yet, the nature of the work doesn't cast unbridled love, but a complex and troubled relationship in my opinion. Verlaine wrote this before the marriage to his Fiancée and there is a level of raw joy he may have felt. The ending of the work, after rehearsal-J seems to better capture that point, versus the front half, which is weaker in my opinion. As a chance for another to give a better addressed review, I believe @HoYin Cheung will have the tools for more direct feedback. Good work on this piece, and we'll be eager to see what you create next!

Thank you so much MK_Piano! I saw the score comments you gave me, I agree with every single one. I was a bit sloppy with the score creation. For the sound, I did use a combination of the section and solo strings to smooth it out, but it still didnt quite get the sound I wanted. I see what you mean. I will take this information to improve my future compositions!

Hi Matthew, Welcome to the forum and I'm glad to see another M-based name around here! It is wonderful to engage with other composers and I am very excited to see others participate in an idea of my creation. Thus, let's get right into my review! However, some things to address first: I am attaching an annotated PDF of your score with some comments. I do not have the time to sit down and do a thorough analysis, thus the feedback is aimed at the engraving and surface level details. However, I will elaborate my thoughts both on the annotations and the music here over the course of the comment. Please find the attached PDF at the end. Thanks! GENERAL COMMENTS: To start, your understanding of the ensemble is not quite right. It is not voice and piano trio, instead it is Soprano and Piano Quartet. Any piano ensemble INCLUDES the piano with the number of instruments. Piano Trio = Piano+Violin+Cello | Piano Quartet = Piano+Violin+Viola+Cello | etc. ENGRAVING: Next, I wish to address the numerous engraving mistakes in the score. The biggest being rest placement, dynamic placement and the spacing of the vocal text. These are annotated on the score, so please refer to the PDF to see exactly where and what I mean. To add, please ensure to add a double bar line when using key changes, and please restate the tempo when changing time signatures! A dotted quarter note and regular quarter note are NOT the same and you need to specify the change. As you did not in the score, it is confusing currently. Also, how come the articulations for the vocal line and instruments are not the same? There are spots where the violin and soprano are identical or state the same gesture over the course of the work, however they do not have the same articulation. I would consolidate and make sure the instruments also have the same articulations when they state the melody. Speaking of Melody, @Wieland Handke is correct with the writing of the text. You need to ensure there is at least one pitch for EACH syllable. A syllable can be sung over multiple notes, but two syllables CANNOT be sung in one note duration. An example would be measure 22, beat 3 with the word "Partner". MUSIC: The main issue with the music is how dense it is. You use all instruments constantly over the runtime of this work. There is no change, almost no instrument drops out for a long time, instead, it is just sound, sound, sound! What would immediately create variety is changing this. Drop out the piano, drop out the strings, and use other combinations. As is, because of the density, the voice can get overpowered quickly. If you wish to make the voice stand out, then make the accompaniment simpler or less active. If you have sounds going the entire time, then it beckons the question what is special? What needs to be heard? If you use all instruments all the time, then it makes them all less unique. Instead, if you were to reserve an instrument or chord progression for a particular moment, then you heighten its effect when heard! To add, changing who is playing the melody or doing the accompaniment is another aspect to look at. Lastly, spreading out the ranges of each instrument could be good as currently, I feel their ranges are all close and can lead to some pitch clashing if played live. Keep this as some food for thought going forward. To end, the recording is a little skewed too. I would not use the Violin, Viola or Cello Section soundfont for the singular instrument in MuseScore. It makes the strings sound way too lush and resonant for what a singular instrument can do. Consider changing it to be the solo soundfonts instead. If the violin sounds too whiny or slides too much, use a sound flag or text field to change the playing to "Ordinary". Good work, and we'll be eager to see what you make next! M. McAlister - So, on a bright summer day [ANNOTATED].pdf

Hi Wieland, I am in the process of my reviews and would you believe it if I said doing a review at this stage is very hard? There are already so many good comments that it becomes hard to place one I feel would amplify the discussion. I will do my best regardless! SCORE: To be brief, you do not need brackets for individual instruments (Tpt, Guit, etc.). Single stave parts can just be shown by themselves unless you have multiple staves depicting that part or multiple instruments/ an instrument section. To add, the bar lines for the accordion and piano parts should be separated. Lastly, you also do not need a bracket for the keyboard instruments: Moving on, the score order feels a little asymmetrical. It is in concert order for large ensemble, however, in chamber music, it is quite common to put the keyboard-based instruments on the bottom and single stave instruments on the top. The correct order should be the following: Trumpet, Guitar, Violoncello, Accordion, Piano ENGRAVING: My biggest concern is the amount of dynamic information in the score; It feels suffocating look at all the dynamic information. Truly, I wonder if you leave any room for the performer to interpret or add their understanding in the music? It seems like you are trying to control everything they do purely based on the dynamic info. Another picky thing is your rest placement in the score: There are several moments where the score has little spots like this and it'll be good to do a once-over. MUSIC: With the music, I found it really creative to be honest. The idea of a fugato was so fun and I enjoyed this work. The only critique here is that overall, the work seems to keep going without any distinct climaxes. There are clear arrival points before each section, yet there is no apex for the journey in my opinion. To add, it does seem to utilize the same ensemble textures throughout, which amplify this sense of monotony. Good job on this work! Again, I must the fugato was my favorite part!

This piece was written for the 2026 Summer Competition. It is technically past midnight on my side, I apologise as the audio took a while, hope this can still be reviewed. Note: I named this piece directly after the poem, maybe because it's the best name I could give it, actually. It's meant to directly translate the poem into music, so I figured that would be apt for a piece such as this. It's written in a loose ternary form with a few motifs consistently coming back throughout. Each section (ABA) represents a stanza in the poem. The first section opens with a bright, jubilant depiction of a summer day, before transitioning to the beauty of the subject. Then, the middle section adds some turbulence to this nature of the love, a personal interpretation of mine on the poem. Finally, the return of the A theme is accompanied by fleeting runs like the evening wind, as the lovers gaze into the sky. Most of the rest I will leave to your interpretation of what is happening, but I do encourage physically reading the poem while listening to the piece. As for the instrumentation, the French Horn is an instrument dear to me, despite having only picked it up for slightly less than three years. Through all the technical difficulties of this piece (yes, the Horn part is playable, albeit challenging), I wanted to showcase the mellow, melodic sound of the horn as something unique. The choice of the violin, then, was nothing special, another melodic instrument to complete the lovers' dialogue portrayed thoroughout the piece. The piano, then, allows for all the word painting possibilities. It was quite a rushed piece, given my recent schedule, but I enjoyed the time spent just appreciating the loveliness of the poem. Enjoy listening! Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été.mp3 Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été.pdf

Here is the rest of the Kids Songs. I've already uploaded Kid's Perfect/Kids Born/Kids Born Encore. They are technically meant to be listened in order, but each piece has it's own individual idea: I made a playlist on youtube, in case it's easier to just listen that way. 14 pieces. About 30 minutes total music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZW0Jz5b3gzU Full links below, I'll give a brief intro for each piece here: 4) Kids Learning: I had some fun with some cool key changes. A pretty straightforward piece of music. 5) Kids Talking: My boy had this really sweet, musical way of talking. So I tried to capture his voice into the music directly. Sort of a jazzier type of sound, but not really jazz. 6) Kids Jumping: I was reading up on the 12 tone method when I was writing this one. The song probably is still a very tonal piece of music, but I tried to experiment with the idea of having all 12 notes represented in the musical ideas. I also play the piano in a way that I consider somewhat unique to my style. I don't think I've heard of any other major musician play the piano in this style...so if someone else has done it before me, please let me know! 7) Kids Fighting: A fun piece where I am writing the song from the perspective of a very tired parent dealing with two kids fighting. The four note theme you might notice in the beginning is literally me calling "Ar-thur, Mar-lon!" 8) Kids Scared: I wrote this on Halloween. I sort of channeled my inner Ligeti for parts of it maybe. I also sample one of the greatest composers who has ever lived, hopefully in a way that is unique and somewhat memorable. The ending gets a bit loud. The whole song is delightfully weird and fun to play from my perspective. 9) Kids Hurting: This one is a bit more dark. It is based on a real experience I had with my children...being hurt and going to the hospital (He is 100% okay now, this happened 2 years ago). 10) Kids Crying: This one is heavily influenced by Schumann carnival! 11) Kids Sorry: This one is the sequel to Kids Crying, a bit more contemporary, but also influenced heavily by Schumann Carnival. 12) Kids Splashing: I am messing around with harmonic ideas. It is a pain in the butt to notate. If anyone is a pro at notating and wouldn't mind taking a look...that would be greatly appreciated. 13) Kids Sleeping: I try my hand at writing impressionistic music. It is dedicated to my composition teacher of the last year, Marcel Bergmann. 14) Kids Growing: This is the finale. While my boys are still young, this is me saying goodbye to the little infants/toddlers and saying hello to the slightly more sophisticated young boys who eat a lot more food and who I look forward to growing with together. Hope you enjoy. Any feedback...positive or negative is appreciated. Once again, if anyone can help with the notation for kids splashing, that would be greatly appreciated! 4) Kids Learning 5) Kids Talking 6) Kids Jumping 7) Kids Fighting 8) Kids Scared 9) Kids Hurting 10) Kids Crying 11) Kids Sorry 12) Kids Splashing 13) Kids Sleeping 14) Kids Growing

@Lithl Thanks for your feedback. The kids and family are doing well these days. I am a lucky man. I hope that you and your family is doing well too :) I will tell my kids that a kind internet stranger wishes them well. They are still young now, under 6 years old. I wonder how they will see these music I wrote for them as they getolder. Would they feel embarrassed by it? Feel flattered? Want to write their own music? I guess I will report back in 10 years or so :)

Great work nothing to really criticize just some curiosities though since you definitely milk the hell out of almost every instrument in that piece with experimental extended techniques, I’m a strings player so I understand more information about the viola stuff and some information about the flute stuff. I’ll definitely be studying the harmonics and how flute harmonics work. (wood wind harmonics are a big part of my next upcoming composition for large Orchestra. “morse”). Anyways, the textures are amazing in the harmony, though is dissonant works extremely well with that dreamy quality of the whole tone scale. Time for interrogation in my assumptions again, this is more about curiosity as that these techniques are not thoroughly explained either in the actual score or in performance notes Xyl. -harp- i’m assuming this is a xylophone sounding technique though I don’t know how exactly is it to be reproduced I’m assuming that you kind of just strike the fingers against the strings bamboo tone flute- this is pretty self-explanatory as in the idea that they’re trying to achieve a sound similar to a bamboo flute, but how could it be reproduced? how is a jet whistle produced I’m assuming that you make a jet of air near the opening mouthpiece of the flute, but harsh enough not to make an actual sound for the flute harmonics there’s two ways I could feel about them that first they are usually used as a method to extend the range so they are played as a normal actual technique used in producing a “normal” sound , are the flute harmonic similar to artificial harmonics on string instruments? Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9.5 9.7 8.85 7.76 9.93 9.3 9.4 9.6 average 9.26. I also have watched part of your live stream about the composition process so that was nice only though five minutes of some parts. I don’t know if you explained the techniques there so I may have to look back. Anyways, other than the lower score for originality due to the convergent factor of all the pieces of this competition almost having the same aesthetic it was a very nice piece and it was amazing. Great job and I hope you join more competitions in the future.

Hello @JDevorMusic, thank you for sharing such an incredible piece of music, and by the way – a hearty welcome at the forum. Interestingly, the very first submission to the competition, and the last one – so far – have the same instrumentation, a flute, a viola and a harp (while you’ve added two vocals). Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: There is a memorable motif that recurs throughout the piece and is first introduced by the flute in measures 4–5. The sung poem features relatively long note values or coloraturas for the faster notes, so that the vocal parts are somewhat reminiscent of Renaissance singing. The accompaniment contrasts that with its – one the one hand „percussive“ arpeggiated chords – and, in other passages with energetic ostinatos (on the harp or viola), so that the piece unfolds a varied texture. As a piece in „contemporary style“, or to be said „atonal“, it is difficult to speak about „harmonies“ in the traditional sense. However, there are some chords which could be perceived as „pentatonic“. Form Development Structure Time: The piece has no „traditional“ form (such as sonata or rondo form), but is clearly structured due to the realization of the poem as a modern „aria“ (or better duet), with passages of increasing tension and „rests“, calming down between the stanzas. And finally, you were thoroughly enough to meet the requirements of the competition by finishing the piece exactly at the 7:00 minute limit. Originality Creativity: This piece is absolutely unique among all the submissions, obviously for its atonality, but also because of its detailed and meticulous craftsmanship. Score Presentation: The score presentation is absolute professional, starting with the title page, preface (including instrumentation, program notes etc.) and is full of information. So I didn’t look around to find some nitpicks but was rather impressed by the vast majority of details, including markups on articulation, playing instructions, harp pedals, breakdown of compound meter signatures etc. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: The instrumentation works well, the three instruments from different families blend together and complement each other in their timbre, as well with the vocals. As for playability, you yourself mentioned the the difficult level, which would be suitable for professionals only. And I'm sure you've checked all the passages for “unplayable” notes or chords. Execution of Given Challenge: Your piece represents a very thorough realization of the task of the contest: To take Paul Verlaine’s poem and create „Something“ in music. The question remains, whether the dissonant character of this contemporary piece will evoke associations with summer, beauty, and love in the majority of listeners. Taste: That might be the problematic part. For me, it's a fascinating piece when I can really focus on it (maybe during a live performance). But I don't think it works as well if you're just listening to it in the background. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9 9 9 10 10 8 7.5 5.5 Average Score: 8.5

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 8 10 7.5 8.5 7.5 8.5 8 10 Avg: 8.5 This is one of those pieces where you have to listen to it a few times to understand it. But once you do, it's very rewarding. The improvised intro is a nice touch, what a dramatic opening! It sounds like your subject is trying to come to form in this section, but it's not quite there yet. Then you form it in the middle sections (the intro to your fugue) and that's when this piece starts to really shine. Anyone who has a hard time with fugues, must learn to train their ear on the main subject, and listen for that subject in the fugue. Once you do that, you realize how awesome and clever this piece is. Also, another strong point is that your harmony is very well done! Does it remind me of summer afternoon / evening? I'm not sure, maybe the end of summer or a rainy summer afternoon since this quite melancholic!

Hello @Matthew M, this is a piece I enjoyed from the first measure on! This might be the case since you – as a fun fact – used the same first four notes (V – I – II – III) as I did in my contribution, while in another rhythm! And there is just another similarity, you have set the poem to music and used an instrument – I suppose an oboe – as the substitute for the human voice. Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: The piece contains wonderful melodic themes or motifs that are, on the one hand, memorable and recurring, and on the other hand are slightly modified or varied, so that the texture flows continuously and never becomes boring. Form Development Structure Time: I would describe the form as an „introduction“, followed by two „stanzas“ of the song (whereas it is the twofold repetition of the entire poem), and a „coda“. Before the poem is recapitulated, there is a beautiful modulation from G major to E major and a meter change from 4/4 to 6/8, so that the second “verse” has an even more brighter and cheerful mood than the first. All in all, it’s a beautiful structure that makes the 4:15 minutes of the piece fly by seamlessly. Originality Creativity: The piece is original, creative, and memorable - not due to extravagant instrumentation or surprising effects, but simply because of its beauty! Score Presentation: There is one thing I noticed in the score. You have (nearly) not made any articulation or bowing markups using slurs throughout the piece – except in the soprano (or oboe) voice which is treated as the vocal part. And furthermore, that voice - if it is really considered to be the vocal part - has a somewhat inconsistent usage of slurs and beams: In vocal score notation it is important to distinguish whether a single syllable is represented by a single note or whether multiple notes are sung for a single syllable (i.e., a melisma). There are two possibilities: In older, classical scores eighths and sixteenth notes are notated with flags (not beamed) for a single syllable, but if there are multiple notes to be sung for a single syllable, those notes are beamed together. No slurs at all (except for quarter or longer notes). In contemporary music, beams are used to show the rhythmic pattern, regardless of the text. However, in that case slurs indicate whenever multiple notes should be sung for a single syllable (and nowhere else). So, for example, in mm. 26-27 there should be only one slur in mm. 27 around the first two notes A and C denoting that there is a melisma on „love“ to be sung as two notes. In mm. 29 the first slur is correct, the second not. In mm. 30 no slurs at all. Mm. 31 is correct, two melismas. And so on (all according to „modern“ notation). On the other hand, I would appreciate slurs for the other instruments to express articulation or bowing. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: A „traditional“ instrumentation which is used effectively and does not show any playability issues. Execution of Given Challenge: Even if you did not stress on depicting the different moods one could read from the three stanzas of the poem, you have nailed it, to evoke imaginations of a summer’s day, beauty and love. Well done! Taste: A beautiful, calming piece which never gets boring, even after listening to it multiple times. Moreover, the longer I listen to it, the more subtle details I conceive. 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 9 7.5 9.5 10 10 Average Score: 9.5

Hello, I tried playing with the sheet music and I'm not sure if your recording is the same as the sheets. It definitely deviates after the repeat. Personally, I find measure 13-16 too repetitive. I think I get what you are going for, with the building of the tension, but it just doesn't good (to me). My ears want to have some variation. Also I think the notation does not match what the mp3 is playing here. I like the mp3 better than the notation. It gets really weird at 0:59 in the recording. I guess it all depends on the direction you want to take the piece in. Whenever I get stuck, I try things like: 1) Doing the same thing in a minor key 2) throwing in a key change 3) reversing the theme, so it sounds completely different 4) depending on the piece, I sometimes like to take tidbits from the theme and make a new theme. For one of my pieces which had a passage that was 8 bars long, I just took the first note of each passage, which created a new musical idea consisting of 8 notes. So that was fun and worked well. 5) Give the left hand something interesting to do, perhaps move the theme there, or change the accompaniment. I always try to understand my music. Maybe this sounds kinda weird, since I'm also writing it... but I don't assume that I understand the music that I am writing. I figure that if I truly understand my music then I can understand where the music will naturally go. I realize that this advice is not very tangible but this is the most honest answer for what I do when I feel stuck. I'm sure some of the more classically inclined musicians in this forums can give you some other ideas...the possibilities are literally endless. Hope you find some inspiration.

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 10 8 10 7.5 8.5 9 7 8.5 Avg: 8.56 Nice romantic harmony paired with a gorgeous theme makes this a very clear and easy to follow piece. Variations of your themes are also very cool, and your key changing keeps this piece from feeling too repetitive. I definitely hear your Tchaikovsky influence, but around 3:30 I actually think I hear some Mendelssohn influence as well, maybe you didn't even realize it. Be careful though with balancing the piano parts of your melody, they were definitely too weak in velocity especially compared to your strings. But that's just an audio issue. As far as the execution of the challenge, this one is tough for me because it does remind me of romance between a man and a woman (or some type of heartbreak), but the story you are portraying here is so romantic-heavy, I forget about the summer part. But that might just me! Despite that, this is a beautiful and heartfelt piece.

18th Century theoriest, Johann Mattheson, discusses the importance of imitation in counterpoint. He contrasts this with "melody and accompaniment", in which the melody is simply supported with corresponding harmony. He states that without imitation, music sounds "wooden". It is imitation that brings music to life through dialogue, the reason being that: we relate to musical dialogue like our own social world. Obviously, our social experiences are not singular but at least bi-directional. The usefulness of imitation extends beyond its aesthetic appeal; it is also a critical tool for developing a musical idea. From personal experience, producing a convincing dialogue/conversation in my own writing helps me consider where it might go next. Mattheson goes on to state that, for experienced composers, imitation becomes instinctive which is particularly useful in improvisation: against a given melody, thinking how it can be imitated becomes central to its corresponding solution. I conceived a melody of my own to practice this. Try to do the same: produce a short melody and consider how it might be imitated. Figure 1: a melody with basic accompaniment: Figure 2: the melody with imitation In my attempt, the imitation follows the rhythmic pattern of the melody a like a canon but without faithfulness to its script. Note that the bass is still primarily supportive of its harmony, following the voice leading outline shown in figure 1. Importantly, I used the do-re-mi schema (1-2-3) as the basis for this simple idea for it facilitates stepwise contrary motion in the bass (here this was useful in bar 3 where the bass rises to the Bb against the melody that descends to D. Making use of such schemas (see Robert Gjerdigen's 'Music in the Galant Style') can be useful for this sort of thing.

Morning all, I am going to produce some learning material on here as part of my own studies to share & promote knowledge relating to baroque counterpoint. I have acquired the not inexpensive book, Baroque Counterpoint by Chistoph Neidhofer & Peter Schubert that I am thinking of translating into a workable guide on here. Disseminating this is as much for my learning as for the potential benefit of others, in addition to generating constructive conversation around these concepts. I am thinking of uploading one class per week - or more - depending on the time I have. Stay tuned for these.

This is casual competition without any prize money and hence we are not requiring any particular format for the reviews. Even the official reviewing template is purely optional and one is free to review without it or use your own template. Therefore, I don't think it's reasonable to expect everyone to rank the entries also given that if you are using the official template you'd have to create a sheet/excel document to keep everything consistent. (Of course the official judges of previous more formal competitions did do this and it was definitely fun for some and a headache for others)

I think it would work best if each person were to rank the pieces (not their own if participating), giving their reasoning, and submit it in private. I think its easier to judge when you know all the pieces. Just a suggestion!

Yes, thank you for asking and sorry about this being unclear/unmentioned. You will have till October 1st (a week after the contest closes) to review all the entries and vote for the winners.

Thank you for the wonderful feedback! I believe I forgot to add dynamics at the end by mistake... :( Dynamics and bowings are up to interpretation I guess

Thank you so much listening and the feedback, @Grant Weep ! I have been listening to the sections you said attentively and I think I know what you mean. Regarding the Bnat, I personally like it there, and I like that harmonic/melodic movement, but thanks to your comment I realized that I did too much crescendo there. I should be played only a little louder, but I play that crescendo to the Cmajor chord even louder than the Half Cadence. I think that might affect negatively the first section of the piece. I will try practicing that crescendo softer to see if, for the next time, I manage to make that part sound smoother and less out of place. Regarding the power chords, I used those there for inner melodic reasons. You are right that they sound a little hollow, but I think I like the one in m.11, but in m.15 I might add the third to the right hand for next version. Thanks for pointing those out! Yeah, that was an accident, but since it did not sound too bad I let it stay. I also think it sounds kind of nice the more I hear it. I will consider whether leaving it and maybe reusing the same idea somewhere else or getting rid of it! Thanks for the comment!

Hello everyone, Thought I'd share my appreciation for this gorgeous work for double choir by Zelenka, performed by Ensemble Inegal under Adam Viktora's direction (released 2025). Zelenka worked for the court of Augustus the Strong of Dresden and was a contemporary of JS Bach (they allegedly knew of each other and maintained mutual respect but never met). Unlike Bach's sacred works, Zelenka wrote for the Catholic church. This was written specifically to be sung at one of various altars during a Corpus Christi procession at Prague's St. Salvator Church. This movement was written to be sung at the third altar. Until recently all but the first movement was believed to have been lost in the Dresden Bombing of WW2. Thankfully, researchers in 2023 found a complete 19th century copy for our pleasure. Prague's St. Salvator Church. For me, it doesn't get much better than this. Enjoy!

Hello, What a wonderful waltz. I listened it to 4-5 times now, and each time at 0:23, or measure 11....the Bnat in your right hand, really clashes with the Bb in the left hand. In that same measure (11) and in measure 15, you do this thing where you have like a power chord going on....G in LH and G-D in right hand. Sort of feels out of keeping with the lovely sophisticated, I'm in a Cafe in Paris feeling smoking a cigarette reading Camus sort of feeling that you got going on otherwise. In measure 11, I personally "feel" a Gminor9 chord sort of voiced in a way where it's clustered together. But I realize that that may or may not work with what you have right after (going into the Cmaj). Perhaps, just nixing the Bnat and keeping it Bb. Anyways, that's how the piece sounds to me...just this one place that seems out of place. Really digging the chord/atmosphere at measure 37. At measure 40, you play a F# I think that's not in the score? Maybe it was an accident/improvisation, but I like it! Perhaps you could expand on the idea since I believe that this general idea has not come up in the music yet.

Hi @Markus Boyd ! Sorry for a long delay for replying! Actually not only this movement but the entire piece is predominantly in minor. My story to tell is about despair, the feeling of it and the struggle of it with hope. When you are struggling it's easy you lose all hope in the world, so I don't put balance of major/minor in this work. In fact the portion of Eb major is increasing during movements and the work will end in it instead of C minor to represent some hope! During this movement it will be me to be crazed by the despair completely till exhaustion, and after that you will start reflecting, which is the theme of the 3rd movement. In that emotional state I believe there won't be much drama from major/minor, rather it will be a deep dive into the despair in minor. Henry

Hi @Luis Hernández ! Thx for your reply! I always want to reply but I'm too busy right now ao it causes a really long delay! Thank you Luis. I know how knoweledgeable you are with musix theory and to earn a compliment from you is an honor. I do think in terms of counterpoint and hopefully it's not too bad haha! Henry

Hello @latebeethoven_addict, congratulations for your submission just before the deadline – and, yes you’ve accomplished it in time! Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures: The piece is full of different themes of motives, some of them more „melodic“, while others seem to be a more virtuosic accopaniment. That strength is, in my opinion, also the weakness, since in the combination it results in a huge variety of the texture with a slightly tendency to „randomness“. With that in mind, the section between mm. 24 and 55 is the strongest part of the piece, for the memorable recurrence of the „sung“ melody. Form Development Structure Time: You mentioned, that the piece is in a („loose“) A-B-A form. I suppose, the boundaries of those three sections are at the moment of the key signature changes, at mm. 60 and 100. However, I must admit that I didn’t perceive the third section as a kind of „recapitulation“ of the first one, and even the three sections consist themselves of several passages with quite different textures. Overall, after listening three times, the form seems to me a more „free“ one. Originality Creativity: The piece is original and unique among the submissions for its instrumentation and perhaps for its „virtuosity“, especially in the harp-like piano runs. Score Presentation: The first thing I noticed was the order of the instruments in your score. In a trio with piano as the keyboard or continuo instrument, it would be placed at the bottom of the score, whereas the other instruments are ordered according to their register/pitch, meaning the violin on top and the French horn in the middle. Here is an example of a „traditional score“ of Brahms’ Horn Trio. As another „nitpick“, there is a redundant key signature in mm. 95. Instrumentation Orchestration Playability: The choice of that particular three instruments gives the piece a variety of colors which I really liked (and which could not be achieved, for example, with a strings-only trio). Concerning the playability, you mentioned yourself that the horn part is challenging. I think, this is the case for the piano part, too. Execution of Given Challenge: You have chosen the three stanzas of the poem and expressed their different moods, „the summer day“, „the nature of love“ and „the evening wind“, during the three sections (ABA) of the piece. The „cantabile“ passage from mm. 24-55 could be interpreted as „the sung poem“, in a duet between the piano’s treble voice and the violin. Therefore, I can see a strong connection between your piece and the challenge of the contest. Taste: It is a pleasant piece to listen to, but unfortunately it does not captivate me all that much, perhaps due to the somewhat overboarding variety in texture. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 7.5 7 7 8 7.5 8.5 9 7.5 Average Score: 7.75

Hello everyone! The following post in my formal submission for the 2026 Summer Competition: From Nothing, to Something. Below includes a detailed and extensive explanation of the work, both in inspiration and construction. If you wish to skip, the score PDF and Audio will be found at the end. Thanks and talk to you all soon! [TAKEN FROM SCORE] Plus belle encor votre chère beauté  - Your dear beauty lovelier still Duration: c. 6:08 Written in 2026, Plus belle encor votre chère beauté is a work for piano quartet that evokes summer and the experience of love. It was composed for the “2026 Summer Competition” hosted by The Young Composers Music Forum and is inspired by Paul Verlaine’s poem “Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d’été,” whose opening line may be translated as: “So, on a bright summer day it shall be.” The poem is number nineteen in Verlaine’s collection La Bonne Chanson (The Good Song) Find the French text and translation to the poem here The title of this work is drawn directly from the French text and has similar inspiration as the Gabriel Fauré song from his op. 61 bearing the same name as the Verlaine poem. However, this work takes the title from the fourth line of text, and unlike Fauré, this work is late-romantic in style. The musical inspiration came from two places: Tchaikovsky and his Nutcracker ballet, and a spell of improvisation at the piano. This work was created in late July and early August 2026, and during that time, I was experimenting with modal improvisation, and felt drawn to G-lydian. Specifically, the ivø7 chord you can build and find in Tchaikovsky’s music. It was also around this time I was listening to parts of the Nutcracker, where I felt drawn to the idea of harp-writing, and thus, during a period of improvisation, the foundation of this work came to be. With structure, Plus belle encor votre chère beauté is in ternary (A-B-A’) form and includes an intro and coda. The B-section acts as our development while the outer A-sections are comprised of a smaller AABA form. The principal theme stated in the A-section occurs throughout the work, where it can be heard in the introduction, coda and within the development where the piano states the principal theme in inversion. Lastly, I composed this work following the end of a relationship. In short, this work evokes those unspoken emotions I harbored and the romance I long to have one day. A day where I too can say “Your dear beauty.” PERSONAL NOTE: For me, the connection to this text, and now to this piece of music, is very personal. By the time this post goes live, my last relationship, of more than a year, ended a month ago. I will leave my thoughts on the matter with this: while rare in occurrence, being in the throes of thought can make the weight of longing feel immeasurable. However, amidst the satin and silk, this piece came to life. To add some fun for the competition, and incase people worry the music is not playable, I can assure you everything on the page works and is practical. However, better to put money where my playing is. A few hours before posting, I decided to record myself playing the work and trying out things. I originally improvised it on piano and this was one of the few times I tried to mimic what is on the page. It is not 1-to-1 and I made certain liberties in performance, however, this was fun to do! (This YouTube video is not my official audio entry for this competition. MP3 for score can be found below. Also, my camera was not in focus during the take... grrr) Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy! (The art on the cover page is Claude Monet's "Woman with a Parasol." A wonderful piece of art!) AUDIO_YourDearBeauty.mp3 SCORE_YourDearBeauty.pdf

I would find a more serious competition a little more interesting but at least give a little more freedom with some of the ensemble stuff and I don’t care about monetary rewards

Thanks for listening and commenting, @Seni-G ! I am glad you found that it slowly built up. It was one of the main things I put effort on since it was such a short piece, and the addition of the Coda was mostly for that same reason, as I felt the piece needed a little extra build-up/release with the main quarter note motive. I really liked your idea of the accompaniment, specially I might experiment with it during the coda since that is where the rhythm is freer and most of the notes of all chords are static, so it is a good place for testing it out. Thanks for the idea! Thank you!

remember guys that the submission deadline ends in three days so make sure you finish your work and send it in through the channel shown above

I will now view your entry for so on a bright summer day and as of listening to it, it initially sounded nice however, though there’s one thing you should be careful on slurring those 16th note, triplets should be slurred and under one bow Also, you should be careful about using the sticcatisimo articulation it should only be used sparingly when you want a special effect of a very exaggerated staccato marking Nice meter change into the 6/8 in key change as well At times the music feels a little bit clustered. Also make sure you use dynamics more often especially around that later parts Anyways, I was a string player. I’m going to harp on the string parts more harshly because I feel like there could be more that could’ve been done with the strings along with different techniques to be used in different types of Bowing Anyways, it was a nice piece. The only two problems though is that the 6/8 section felt very clustered and kind of muddy and there were very little use of dynamics near that part as well but it’s a very solid work though I will now give scores and reasons for faults MelodiesThemes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9 6.87 8.2 8.8 9.2 7.2 9.8 6.5 average: 8.19 The harmony was a little basic, however though I may give you props to that key change you should read up above about the orchestration problem, but I feel like the strings could do much more and feel free to experiment more for taste, I rated it so low just for the purpose that it was a good piece on its own. It wasn’t that much interesting though to my taste, I couldn’t really find anything that stands out. however, though this was a good quality production and I wish you luck and further competitions and your composing career

mad respect for that

And you can also highlight text in a reply and usually, a "Quote Selection" button will pop up (sometimes you have to highlight the text a second time if the first time it doesn't work).

It’s been forever since I done this sort of method of judging with sort of a transcript of a judge tape, but I’m going to try it for this piece or what basically happens is that I listen and I speak my notes in here. This allows me to pull things up immediately that I have noticed rather than using my memory. I appreciate the little dissonances and passing tones in the first Movement and the model interchange as well (2nd movement) This sounds very medieval like a quartet of crumhornes I kinda like the stylistic blending of the baroque, and also the medieval sound and sort of that renaissance, sort of idea in good attention to dynamics the trio given in the middle of the second movement does a good job to give the listener sort of a pallet cleanser and to redirect the energy and attention I appreciate how you use the full instrument of the Sopranos saxophone although that there it would be much nicer for a full sax Quartet (satb) I still give major respect to the versatility you present with only one instrument that is held by four different players The third movement has a good range of dynamics, and I love the low end of the dynamic spectrum given in the opening statement. I also like the harmony being used as well giving a Coventry Carol feel This also should represent the sunset as well in the idea of a sunset. Lovely ending with a pickerdty third. i’ll now give my scoring and explain any faults that may have happened MelodiesThemes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 8.5 9.15 9.7 8.4 9.6 7.88 9.5 8.56 your average is 8.91. excellent quality on your composition. Also, did you perform the whole entire thing if this was a live recording then kudos to you anyways, I had explained your orchestration score. If only you used more members of the sax family you may be able to get a much more wider sound however though your purpose kinda does justify though if you want to keep it just to one instrument. just like I had said to other entries, I had tanked the creativity score however, though I kind of brought a little bit up to you due to the creative melody and the creative harmony, and feel that your piece gives off it kinda does fit that cookie cutter idea of that aesthetic that everybody else is convergently going for so there’s not really much uniqueness in that purpose purpose there. other than that excellent job

The Etude-Tableau was written for the Moscow Conservatory's 2018 International Winter School, along with the Nocturne in C major, Op. 5, and the Romance in E major. This piece was the first piano piece I had written in over 2 years, and was also my first attempt at virtuoso piano writing. I brought it to the school as one of my piano performance pieces. I later recorded it at home, and this is the performance on Youtube. I hope you all enjoy it. 🙂 Theo