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Thanks to all 12 participants who submitted music to the competition - the recipients of the "Landscapes - Soundscapes - Participant" Award! Padovana et Gagliarda “Detta la Lombarda” by @L.S Barros Amidst the Clouds & Flowers by @InstrumentalistElle Sacrificed to the Wilderness by @Fruit hunter Morning On Whidbey Island by @BipolarComposer Spring Submission “Rainy Weather” by @therealAJGS Chinese Fugue by @TristanTheTristan Sunset Suite in C minor by @Musicman_3254 City Rail and Nightingale by @Wieland Handke Alishan (for Flute Quintet) by @HoYin Cheung "Warmth" by @UncleRed99 The Voyage of a Lone Ship by @ferrum.wav Lamentare Ciobanului - “The Shepherd’s Lament” by @ComposaBoi The members have voted! --==<< Decisive Fanfare! >>==-- And the winners are: For winning the "Rustic Mood" Award with 9 votes - Padovana et Gagliarda "Detta la Lombarda" by @L.S Barros will receive the following badge: For winning the "Nature's Garden" Award with 10 votes - Amidst the Clouds & Flowers by @InstrumentalistElle will receive the following badge: For winning the "Peace of Nature" Award with 6 votes - Morning On Whidbey Island by @BipolarComposer will receive the following badge: For winning the "Nature and Civilization" Award with 9 votes - City Rail and Nightingale by @Wieland Handke will receive the following badge: For winning the "Forest Echoes" Award with 5 votes - Alishan (for Flute Quintet) by @HoYin Cheung will receive the following badge: For winning the "Home and Hearth" Award with 9 votes - “Warmth” by @UncleRed99 will receive the following badge: For winning the "Pastorale" Award with 8 votes - Lamentare Ciobanului - “The Shepherd’s Lament” by @ComposaBoi will receive the following badge: For winning 3rd Place overall with 8 points - City Rail and Nightingale by @Wieland Handke will receive the following trophy: For winning 2nd Place overall with 9 points - we have a tie! Padovana et Gagliarda "Detta la Lombarda" by @L.S Barros and Amidst the Clouds & Flowers by @InstrumentalistElle will receive the following trophy: For winning 1st Place overall with 16 points - The Voyage of a Lone Ship by @ferrum.wav will receive the following trophy: Congratulations to all the winners! We will now move your pieces to the "Competition Hall of Fame" sub-forum! And thanks to all the following participants who also reviewed all the entries! The contest would not have been as much fun and as instructional as it was without you! The following members will receive the "Heavyweight Reviewer" badge for reviewing 100% of the entries (12) submitted to the competition! @Luis Hernández, @Kvothe, @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu, @chopin, @Wieland Handke, @ComposaBoi, @ferrum.wav, @PeterthePapercomPoser, and @Tónskáld And the following members will receive the "Welterweight Reviewer" badge for reviewing 66% of the entries (8) submitted to the competition! And the following members will receive the "Featherweight Reviewer" badge for reviewing 33% of the entries (4) submitted to the competition! @TristanTheTristan, @HoYin Cheung, @Fruit hunter, and @UncleRed99 Thank you to all 13 Ardent Reviewers who reviewed the contest entries! This is perhaps the first time that the number of reviewers exceeded the number of contestants! Great turnout people! And thanks for me @PeterthePapercomPoser for organizing and managing all the competition polls, announcements, submission thread, badges, results, satisfaction survey and advertising outreach! I will receive the "Community Organizer" badge! To take the Landscapes - Soundscapes Satisfaction Survey go here: To listen to all the entries go to the submission thread: To check out all the popular voting polls go here: And for the competition announcement go here:

Please fill out the survey to help us organize better competitions in the future! The survey is anonymous so we won't be able to see who voted for what. The poll closes on 6/16/2026. Thanks for voicing your opinion!

Here's my analysis of the three aspects you requested (harmony, orchestration, and interpretation). I've organized this post accordingly. Harmony Strengths: You use layered tones very well, especially in the strings, bassoon/contrabassoon, and brass. For example, the opening sul pont immediately creates a tense atmosphere that really suits your subject. Key Improvement Areas: There is too much harmonic stasis. We spend too much time hovering in dominant or tonic pedal harmonies without much meaningful movement beneath. Yes, these pedal harmonies go a long way to create atmosphere, but they also delay any sense of harmonic identity or direction. Even when the Allegro arrives, the harmonic palette doesn't change substantially, the texture just gets busier and louder. We are moved rhythmically but not harmonically. Suggestions: Consider using long pedal sections more strategically, with chromatic shifts in the held bass tones. These can create a lot of drama without adding rhythmic complexity. You might also consider employing modal harmonies, like Dorian or Phrygian, to evoke Central Asian/Siberian folk music traditions in a way your current diatonic approach cannot. Orchestration Strengths: Percussion! You use this section very creatively and imaginatively, and the intricate instructions and directions signal real knowledge of percussion techniques. The bowed vibraphone and screaming gong are great examples of thinking outside the box to achieve your desired effect. Key Improvement Areas: The greatest issue facing this piece is balance and crowding of registers. For example, in full orchestra passages, nearly every instrument is playing forte (or louder), and most are in similar registers simultaneously. In an actual performance, this will create a wall of undifferentiated sound rather than the textured climax you're looking for. Moreover, most of the instrument families tend to do the same thing together throughout the piece. The brass, for example, play similar rhythmic figures at the same time in your climactic sections. Same with the strings; there's a lot of doubling with the other string members. Suggestions: Stagger instruments' entries, especially with the brass, to improve timbral clarity. For the woodwinds, try not to write at the high end of their registers during climactic passages (except maybe the flute and piccolo - oboe and clarinet will become fatigued much more quickly), as they'll have to play extremely loudly to be heard. The violas are particularly underused in this piece, although all the strings sort of play the same thing most of the time. See what you can do to give each member its own line. Interpretation/Coherence Strengths: You employ strong structural ideas to frame this myth. Section I (Adagio minaccioso) is environmental and mythic. Section II (Allegro) is growling and rhythmic. Section III (Andante sonoro e vellutato) is the emotional heart of the piece. Sections IV-V (Moderato minaccioso) return us to a more aggressive character. Ending with an abrupt silence is good instinct! Key Improvement Areas: The Allegro goes on for too long, with the same rhythmic textures enduring for about 50 measures. On the other hand, the Andante should be longer. The lyrical woodwind-writing here is especially intimate, which suits the first-person encounter. If this is indeed the point of human contact, it deserves more development! Finally, the piece's emotional trajectory is loud --> quieter/lyrical --> loud again --> louder. This means the piece ends on its most intense moment... climactically dynamic, but it may obscure the mythological/encounter narrative you're going for. Suggestions: Consider giving the Allegro section an internal arc to give it more character (maybe the creature stops and listens, or there's an external threat that suddenly appears). Also, if the first-person encounter is meant to be the core of the story, consider whether that last section is a return to the environmental myth-telling perspective or if it's a different kind of confrontation. All in all, this is an ambitious work with a strong programmatic concept and some real moments of orchestral imagination (especially the percussion)! Thanks for sharing with us. Best, Jordan

Hello, friends. About three years ago, I penned this song cycle for a friend from El Salvador, based on poems by the beloved Salvadoran poet, Alfredo Espino. These hold a special place in my heart because they're the last music I've ever written, though they were sadly never performed. The songs and directions are completely in Spanish. Here they've been rendered by Cantamus (unfortunately sung in a Castilian accent and not the Latin American accent spoken in El Salvador) and the piano accompaniment has been [poorly] played by me. They're not the best recordings and some of the lyrics didn't render properly, but hopefully they deliver the music effectively. The cycle is chiasmic in structure (i.e., the first and last movements and the second and fourth movements mirror each other) and it tells the story of a day in El Salvador. I. Madrugada: This means early morning. The lyrics and music represent the waking of the Salvadoran countryside: farmers starting their day, roosters crowing, birds chirping. It begins mysteriously but soon "warms up," preparing us for the rest of the song cycle. II. Plombagina: The title is about a tiny flower found along the riverbanks in El Salvador; here it represents the playfulness of the river and the hopefulness of midmorning. This one is unmistakably waltzlike and lyrical. III. Tardecitas: "Little afternoons" is a piece about watching the rainfall in the heat of the day. It's lazy and less ambitious than the others in the cycle, representing the languor of a dreary, rainy day. IV. Estrella in el río: We return once more to a song about the river, this time in a more contemplative frame of mind. "Star in the river" is shimmering and reflective, capturing the tranquility of twilight as the stars begin to pinprick the sky and cast their reflections into the river below. V. Nocturno: While "Madrugada" expresses the joys of a new morning, "Nocturno" explores the angst found at the close of the day. It's by far the most restless of the cycle, employing a sort of perverted tango rhythm in mockery of the soothing sway of a nocturne. In it, you'll find themes of grief and fear and anxiety, embedded in harmonies very reminiscent of Spain/Latin America. Even if you don't understand Spanish, I hope these songs move you and perhaps inspire you. As ever, I'm happy to receive any feedback you may have. Best, Jordan Canciones de El Salvador.pdf I. Madrugada.mp3 II. Plombagina.mp3 III. Tardecitas.mp3 IV. Estrella en el río.mp3 V. Nocturno.mp3

Cool piece! I love how your atonal technique makes these "glassy" sounding chords, thin and angular, and the juxtaposition with a more traditional tonal sound is neat. I really think you could absolutely take this idea farther. For example, you have the sections completely separated -- I wonder what would happen if the atonal sections had moments of consonance, and/or vice versa? This atonality is quite gentle and agreeable, and consequently, I think it would be relatively easy to mix the two. Thank you for sharing!

I'm just a random passerby, but I just wanted to say I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this! It's refreshing to hear a work that looks so complicated on paper, sound so simple and easily understood. And to be clear, that's a sign of masterful compositional skills. Honestly, inspiring, and this gives me a lot to think about. Thank you for sharing!

its kinda rare for me to wake up and immediately try to respond to a comment first thing in the morning, but here we are i disagree. i'd argue the empty spaces are there to let the music breathe, and i have considered of keeping the "movement" going in one way or the other, either by the piano playing scales, rapid lines, the syncopated triplets, arpeggiando on the strings, timpani rhythms, etc. also, i dont think every empty space has to be filled with motivic movement. does every piece has to have a melody "naked"? and i pretty sure have varied the harmony and texture. the first introduction to the full theme its literally just pizz. string and high register piano playing 6th broken up (which adds movement, by the way), the repeat of which (b.194) just removes the piano entirely, the first entrance of the second theme is played by cello only, with piano and pizz violin to accentuate the syncopated rhythm, the measures before that is another thinning of textures after a loud section, etc etc. i mean, i like it, so...oh well lol yeah, the themes are long and therefore had to be repeated. however, if i cut those repetitions the themes wouldnt be prominent. hell i did in fact cut the first theme in the repetition. most of the systems include 2-4 bars, with the exception of a few bars where there are few notes to play. i do not think crowding is an issue here. response: added references: and probably more. i couldnt find anything outside facebook discussions to be honest. HOWEVER, most of the chamber pieces including a piano that i've score read have the non-piano instruments be in smaller staves. response: also note, i'd rather have a seemingly impossible part and have to revise them after some feedbacks than not using the instruments to its fullest potential. part of why i fell in love with classical music is that you can get SO MUCH out of one singular instrument. the fact that composers have exploited many ways out of an instrument to serve their vision is so fascinating to me. maybe its innocent for me to think that way. of course, you have to consider the performer and the rehearsal, but, im gonna be real, i dont think this piece is ever gonna be performed. AND, if it was, or if i were to compose a piece that WILL be performed, then yes, i'll absolutely not go overboard and stuff, strip down the techniques, and be more lenient with them. this DOES NOT mean i do not think of idiomatic writing (refer to the my quoted response). also 6 bars of left hand open strings pizzicato played near the edge of the fingerboard is impossible? but, as all art are, it comes down to taste. so, fair enough thanks for the comments!!!

This is a project I have slowly worked on for about a year. Thoughts/comments/criticisms welcome. Edit: I have cleaned the scores up a lot. Prelude No 1.mp3Prelude No 2.mp3Prelude No 3.mp3Prelude No 4.mp3Prelude No 5.mp3Prelude No 6.mp3Prelude No 7.mp3Prelude No 8.mp3Prelude No 9.mp3Prelude No 10.mp3 Prelude No. 1.pdf Prelude No. 2.pdf Prelude No. 3.pdf Prelude No. 4.pdf Prelude No. 5.pdf Prelude No. 6.pdf Prelude No. 7.pdf Prelude No. 8.pdf Prelude No. 9.pdf Prelude No. 10.pdf

Hello, Emilia, and welcome to the forum! I must confess; I both love and hate your piece. Post-impressionism is the style of music I personally enjoy consuming and writing, and you have done great justice to that genre with this work. However, as a violist, I feel very overlooked. That you would include the massive and unwieldy contrabass to the exclusion of the strings' darling alto voice is unforgivable. That's mostly hyperbole, of course. I am offended but I'll get over it. Now for my remarks on your hard work. First, the heartbeat pizzicato work very well, with the offbeat providing an organic rhythm that reminds me of something living and searching. Excellent voice-leading choice to put it under the violin's melodic line! I also really like that you showed genuine restraint throughout this work. There are large-scale dynamics and fantastic textural arcs here, sure, but you chose to hold back on the "crazy," and the result is a deceptively challenging piece that really showpieces what a... ahem, modified string quartet can do. Furthermore, the form and structure is very sound, with the return to the heartbeat texture being such a lovely touch. It's impressive that you captured the text's emotional essence rather than gave a programmatic rendering... but that's the mark of a true (post-) impressionist. My critiques are few and quite minor. What struck me almost immediately after listening to the work was how underused the contrabass part is. For the bulk of the piece it holds pedal tones (which is fine in moderation), but there aren't really any passages where it has an independent voice. If you're going to overlook the viola, please consider giving its replacement a more active role in its stead. ;) Also, some of the chromatic melody, like mm. 10-13 and 18-20 in the violin, is expressive, but some of the leaps feel arbitrary rather than intentional. This could be a matter of taste. If it is intended to represent something (searching, perhaps), consider using stronger support in the lower voices to provide context. Overall, I'd say this is a piece to be proud of. Your concepts are mature, the sound you've created is very much your own, and the connection to the text is genuine. Thanks for sharing (and good luck on the assessment)! Best, Jordan

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

Hi to all. I've now completed my orchestration of all three movements of "The Hour Glass" (originally for piano solo). This second movement was the hardest of all to orchestrate: so any tips on how to make it better would be very welcome! I found it especially difficult to create suitable harmonies for a string bed to go underneath the intricate arpeggios in the harp. Not sure I've done it very well. Also, some of the chromaticism in the harp part may be unplayable, because of the pedals? Haven't got around to adding slurs and phrasing yet, and as usual, my dynamics are designed for midi only. (N.B. Updated versions will be posted lower down the thread.) Frank Bridge - The Dew Fairy #28.mp3 Frank Bridge - The Dew Fairy #28.pdf

Thanks Kyle, I'm so glad you enjoy the piece, as I don't think it's very well known. The tuplets are crazy; but I was just reflecting what was in the original score. Bridge writes them as reduced size notes, rather like Chopin's flourishes; but this was the only way I could think to translate them into midi. One thing I'd like to fix is the tenuto accents in the harp part, as they're too strong at the moment. Will have to see if I can tweak the properties. Anyway, many thanks for listening and commenting. Alex

I must confess I'm not a fan of Bridge. I know he got more intriguing as he aged, which I find attractive. I really like this arrangement!

Not a harpist, so I couldn't speak to the playability of this piece, however, just judging off of the difficulty in the reading of this alone, I would wager to say that it would be either extremely difficult to perform, and would likely be reserved for only the best of the best harpists 😅 as far as your question regarding string harmonies, I feel that it was done very well. it blends well, and it very much so fits the description that your title suggests. Very ethereal, whimsical, magical etc... I was also gonna comment on the fact that you had a pppp for piccolo while they were playing in the high register, which would be physically impossible, but as I thought that it was likely just for the playback, your description of it affirmed that suspicion lol so I'll leave that one be. Though, I do wonder if this could be more legible if written in a different time signature? 🤔 Right this second, I haven't taken the liberty to subdivide what you have here, to suggest a specific time signature, however, I say this because the 11-lets & 15-lets, without having some sort of a split-beam, at least to me, become difficult to follow, and appear unsightly, but that's simply my own opinion on the appearance and readability of the score itself. The work itself is phenomenal! I'm simply unsure of how it would be best written to allow for the clearest interpretation while reading. Thanks for sharing, and apologies on my lack of suggestions for alternatives :/ at the time I've decided to login, my brain is just not at its peak performance, as I've just made it back home from a repair job and it's currently 12:32am my time 😅

Hello Folks, I'm glad to be showing a little bit more music for you all. Today I'm showing a piece I wrote a while ago, but never planned on showing because Musescore can't perform it. But I recently upgraded significantly to SWAM instruments. Much less lush but more controllable, this piece was the first I wanted to do because of it's intimate feeling, and use of overtones and unusual techniques.. This piece is meant to reflect my experience of grief, specifically, the kind that surfaces while I’m trying to fall asleep. On some nights, like the one that inspired this piece, sleep feels impossible. Stress, homework, expectations—they all build up, one on top of the other, and under their weight, grief begins to surface. Suddenly, my thoughts are filled with loss. It’s not painful exactly, nor is it something I want to erase. But it carries a quiet melancholy, releasing the sadness, anger, and tension I’ve accumulated over time. In a strange way, this grief becomes a kind of relief. A way to let go of everything I’ve been holding in. Still, it lingers. It loops in my mind. Eventually, I have to let it go so I can rest. I have to keep living. I can’t stay immersed in sorrow forever. So I walk along the river, letting the sounds of the water drown out my thoughts. I walk until my legs are sore, until exhaustion replaces emotion. Then I go home, lie down, and finally sleep—my grief forgotten, at least for the night. Also this piece was one of the few I actually (somewhat) planned ahead. This is what I had planned "Walk to forget Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, 1 Percussion, Violin, Viola, Violoncello. This piece is intended to in some way, describe my experience of grief, specifically while trying to fall asleep. Some nights, like the night this piece is based off of, I struggle to fall asleep. Stress, homework, expectations, all pile on top of each other, and this pressure releases grief. Suddenly my mind is occupied by grief and loss. It’s not painful, or something I want to forget. But it’s melancholic, it releases the sadness, anger, and stress I’ve felt over time. This grief is actually a chance to release all my struggles. But it goes on and on. At some point, I must forget my grief again, so I may sleep. I must go on with my life, and cannot wallow in my grief. So I walk along the river, till the sounds swallow my mind. I walk until my legs are tired and that’s all I can think about. So I go home, go to bed, and have forgotten my grief, and everything that caused it, and sleep. So how do I convey this in a piece of music? I need a theme/motif for grief: I imagine something in the alto saxophone. I think introducing it with a poking/prodding motive, like a repeated note, taken from instrument to instrument. An idea that represents the stress of life, poking my brain to the edge. This I’m not sure will work with the time constraint, and I may just begin at the next part. Then a swell and complete change to the grief motive. In this context, I imagine something legato and sostenuto, non-triatic and lacking “home”. I think the alto saxophone should appear in the high register for the first time, everyone should be in a higher register than before, which might make the prodding motive earlier less effective, but this grief motive more effective. The grief motive must have a rhythmic element to it, so that it is recognizable as key centers change, and the pitches can be moved around functionally, to allow moments of tonal beauty amongst the quartel nature of the motive. There also needs to be a nature element, an ostinato to represent walking, and getting distracted by the wind, the stars, the river. The grief motive slowly becomes less and less present until it is taken over by the nature motives. Then we sleep. A meditative ending." Walk.mp3 Izaak Thoms Walk Final.pdf

Hi @Churchcantor , I split your post from @Fruit hunter 's original post: I do this because we want to follow the rules in our forum etiquette: In rule 2b it says: We have this rule because by posting your own music under other members' post, it will 1) divert the original intention when the member wants some feedback on their own music rather than your music 2) causing your music to lose chances to be reviewed since it is posted under other members' posts 3) It is impolite to do so. I know that you only want to respond to other members' posts without malice. But you also need to know that this may cause some disturbance and dismay to them since you repeatedly post your own works to other members' posts without much discussion, thus they won't have much gain from your posting of your own work as a response. It would be better for you to just create your own post for your own work and then quote it under other members' posts. You are also to be reminded that if you keep posting your own piece of music to other members' posts in the way you do this time, you may receive warning points for that. Hope you understand that we clearly don't want to issue warning points to any members. Henry

To commemorate the date designated as Bach's actual birthday under the Gregorian calendar, this time I have decided to upload the definitive revised version of another one of my previous fugues, originally in the key of E minor though still for the same ensemble. I would also like to dedicate this fugue as a birthday present to my dear friend Julia as well, whose family has been going through exceedingly difficult times for more than one year now. Since the loss of a very special loved one has taken a severe toll on us all, my sincerest hope now is that she and her family can start anew and rebuild their lives from the ashes of their grief, even when all hope for a better future seems gone forever and endless mourning seems to be the only thing left to live for. Bach himself was no stranger to painful, heart-wrenching losses. Even as he lost both parents at age 10, his first wife at 35, and in line with the astronomical infant mortality rates of his era, more than half of his 20 children during childhood, he was likely reassured that his dedication to God alone through his music would be worthy of a place in Heaven for all those he loved and whose safety he prayed for daily. This key of F-sharp minor in our currently standardized A = 440 tuning always evoked in me a far greater sense of mourning in the wake of tragedy than any other. Perhaps because of this reason I felt naturally drawn to it when thinking of those precious loved ones we may have lost along the way, the precious, cherished moments that will never again come to pass, and the longing memories broken by the sudden wound their departure left forever imprinted in our hearts. Scrolling video link (YouTube) Fugue in F-sharp minor for String Quartet.mp3 Fugue in F-sharp minor for String Quartet.pdf

It’s always a pleasure to give my opinion (I don’t think it’s quite right to say ‘judge’...) on the works of my fellow musicians. And these competitions make you listen to the pieces more carefully.

Hi @Fruit hunter ! I think the introduction does a good job of creating a mood/vibe and sets the expectation for the rest of the piece. The introduction is static in harmony but active in melody. Then you seem to develop the piece with a wide array of percussion instruments that create a cinematic portrait of "the creature". There are short motifs that recur throughout the piece in the harp and pitched percussion instruments and even woodblocks which is cool. Then, before the 4-minute mark you start a sort of simple chorale that's very affecting. This calm and tranquil lull quickly builds into a sustained intensity that is very powerful! The harp motif from the beginning returns near the latter half of the piece before a percussion frenzy and foreboding strings. The intensity rises perhaps to its highest pitch before the 10-minute mark. The hurried ending seems contrived, and I think a soft fade out could have been a more artistic choice. The piece overall seems to start in F# minor and end in B minor so I can't say that it didn't modulate or take the listener anywhere harmonically, but it seems to have done the minimum amount of adventuring through different keys that it could while sustaining the moods it was trying to convey - that's my only critique though without looking at the score. Thanks for sharing!

We start the competitions based on the members interest in one.

Hi, Marc. This was a pleasant listen. It evoked a sense of carefreeness, like watching clouds in a spring meadow. The melodic writing could use some attention. I felt like it competed with, rather than complimented, the rhythmic structure of the piece. Some of the harmonies were a bit ambiguous, too. I think the piece needs a more cadential framework so that the harmonic progression doesn't float around so much. I loved the various imitations of the main theme in the different voices! Thanks for sharing. Best, Jordan

A very beautiful piece; I like the way it has such a restrained use of colour. And the piano part is very characteristic of the style. Well done.

Hello everyone! This weekend I experimented with a really simple atonal technique and I turned the experiment into this piece for piano. The technique is "mirror writing". I applied it in the simplest way possible. The process was the following: 1. I decided on using four voices and mirror them around the middle C axis. 2. For each melody note, I added the mirrored bass below it (for example, a top note A is accompanied by the bass Eb, both a major sixth above/below middle C). 3. After that, I chose both internal notes (considering that those need to also be mirrored against each other). Except for two measures, the whole main theme was created through that technique. Afterwards I composed a tonal middle section and turned the piece into the form ABA'B'A''. This time I tried avoiding excessive exact repetition (with techniques such as changing octaves, creating different melodic contours and accompaniment, or mixing final restatement of main theme with the coda) in order to add some variety to the whole. That is because I tend to just copy and paste most of my sections and I want to get rid of that habit. In addition, the first measure copies the beginning of Schubert's Impromptu No.1 in C minor. As always, every feedback, comment or suggestion is more than welcome and hope you enjoy it! Thank you!

= Sharing Musicians(Artists) and Works = I want to know a lot of musicians and works. But it's impossible to know them all just by searching on my own. So, sharing them with people who have different backgrounds and interests may lead to expanding our knowledge. Any kind of genre is welcome (the more diverse, the better!). Ex: Avant-Garde, Classical, Electronic, Ethnic, Local or Country music, Film Music, Jazz, Pop, Rock... I mean everything! Here are my examples: Ryoji Ikeda (+/-) Snarky Puppy (Empire Central) Richard D James (Drukqs) Venetian Snares (Rossz Csillag Alatt Született) Pierre Shaeffer (Cinq etudes de bruits - Etude violette) Stevie Wonder (Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants) Baaba Maal (Gidelam) György Ligeti (Atmosphères) Jon Batiste (Beethoven Blues Für Elise - Reverie)

That's quite some percussion section, wow! Are you perhaps using the Berlin Percussion library to get all those sounds? There's quite a few instruments I've never heard of before. Will have to look them up...

Thanks, Peter. I don't want to get suspended again, and your music is very proficient and good, based on what I have read or heard.

Well, I am a BIT drunk, but still lucid. Can we forget about this trivial minor disagreement? We are BOTH composers after all, and some composers can be a**h$les without meaning to, like Herr Mozart.

Honestly I think you are drunk and you don't know what you are doing and saying LoL

Thank you? I think? I didn't take things personally at all. Actually I thought your Space Nerd piece was quite good and idiosyncratic. That's why I made a dedicated topic for it. Plus all original pieces of music are supposed to have their own dedicated topics per the forum code of conduct and etiquette. Since I am a site admin I was just doing some moderating by making sure that your posts are in their right place in the forum.

I don't know if your "joke" makes him sad or not but it makes me sad seeing you attacking people with "jokes"

Why do you call Peter "Peter Toilet Paper Composer"? That's VERY IMPOLITE of you to say so. He is very well respected among us and NO ONE should stigmatize him with such nasty nicknames. Henry

It’s been a pleasure Out of curiosity, when’s the next competition in the timeline for its course?

Hi, Bjarke. This is certainly an exciting piece! Lots of color and rhythm. I'm curious... what were your goals/aims as a composer for this piece? What were you representing or symbolizing or trying to evoke? Knowing the composer's intent is very useful when trying to provide feedback. Best, Jordan

This is a beautiful fugue, well-developed and carefully crafted such that each voice has its "time to shine." The voice leading is impeccable! Honestly, I don't have any critiques to offer, just wanted to applaud your efforts here. (I do have a comment on the recording: it sounded like the violins were on constant portamento. I'm not sure if that was intended but it was a little off-putting to me.) Happy composing! Best, Jordan

Hi, Kyle. Please see my evaluation of your submission below. Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste Overall 9 7 9 7 8 9 9 9 8.4 Melodies/Themes/Motives: Your sense of melody and themes is exquisite! I found this to be simple and unobtrusive in all the best ways. I especially enjoyed how you used the mere addition of instruments to build on the sound, gradually and to great effect, as your themes wove around each other. Simply beautiful. Harmony/Chords/Textures: Similarly, the harmony was simple but effective. There was enough counterpoint and differing harmonic motion to keep it interesting - and to tell the "story" you were trying to convey. The single issue I took was at m. 57 when we enter what appeared to be an authentic cadence (an A) only to be jerked into a C major, which did not hit my ears the right way (no matter how many times I listened to it). Form/Development/Structure/Time: The piece had a wonderful flow to it, easily ebbing into sweeping thematic passages where the melody/theme was passed from instrument to instrument. The themes were repeated throughout, but with enough variation that it was (to me) the perfect blend of recognizable and unrecognizable. And the pacing... spot on! Originality/Creativity: This wasn't the most original thing I've ever heard, but it was adequately different that I could likely distinguish it from other ambient soundtracks. Score Presentation: The score was above average, I'd say. I think there was overuse of some articulations - particularly the marcato - when the instrument's natural sound would likely suffice. I also felt the score was too crowded in many places. Instrumentation/Orchestration/Playability: There were no issues with playability noted. The writing seemed mostly idiomatic, with some attention given to each instrument. Execution of Given Challenge: This was very programmatic music and the identified landscape was, to me, easily felt in the music. Taste: The music was well-constructed and flowed beautifully. It was, perhaps, too homophonic for my usual tastes, but it was good music, nonetheless. Very nice job! Thanks for submitting, and happy composing! Jordan

Entry: “Warmth” by @UncleRed99 Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 6 9 7.75 8.5 10 10 8 8.5 Average Score: 8.47 Review: A very affecting and heartfelt piece of music! Although the piece has a certain pop music vibe, very often repeating 4-bar, 4-chord structures over and over with variation and some modulations which bring a momentary sense of brightening, it does adequately portray the sense of “Home and Hearth” which is the badge/award that I created for this piece! I can imagine this kind of music used in one of those hidden object mobile games. The player is presented with a room from inside a cozy home with a fireplace burning and has to find objects strewn around and hidden in plain sight. Great job although my chief complaint is that the piece lacks melodic substance. But it’s a very good, easy listening, feel good, cozy piece perfect for the purpose you intended it for. Thanks for your participation and good luck in the popular voting polls!

There's many different ways to analyze pieces, so really, that's entirely up to you. For example, find a piece of music that you absolutely love. One of your favorites. Listen along with a score of the music. You could ask yourself any of the following questions: "What is it about this piece I love so much? Why did the composer/song writer choose this chord, or voice the chord this way? Why did the composer develop their material this way? The composer changed direction here -- why, and to what effect? What kind of thing(s) is the composer trying to express?" My word here, "analyze," sounds like dissecting a frog in a lab to understand its biological function. And you can literally analyze a piece, and assign all the chords and progressions, "this is the tonic, the dominant, subdominant, here's a lydian scale, etc." But simply mindful listening and meditating on what you're hearing, along with experimentation to see what works and what doesn't, goes a long way.

@UncleRed99 My pleasure as always. :)

rescinded

Hi Kyle @UncleRed99 ! This one is a completely contrast with @HoYin Cheung "s piece I have just heard, as this one is sparse in spacing for the whole piece and in a more homophonic style. Maybe you think this isn't your best work, but indeed this one falls into your general style, with sparseness, homophonic texture and sentimental melody just like Jonathon @ComposaBoi said. I like the simplicity of the piece like Mike @chopin does, but I would want some excitement in the middle climax of the piece. This piece has a clear structure and direction when both the beginning and the ending are serene, and between the climax is placed in the middle in b.40 and b.64 with a slight dip between, thus having the climax graph looking like a Bactrian Camel. I think in the climax you could have added more counterpoint to make the texture sounds more full to provide an even notable contrast with the general mood of the piece. Although, I would say for a 4 minute piece it would be perfectly fine to just stay calm and serene with a little bit excitement between which is the piece you present now. One scoring concern is the tremolo with a staccatissimo, e.g. in b.32, what does that mean? I think it would be clearer to just write out the two repeated notes with staccatissimo on both of them. I enjoy this piece, thx for sharing! Henry

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

I thought I'd share this short prelude I started last year and finished soon after (which I originally intended to use for Valentines' Day this year, but alas...). I haven't been writing much new stuff and am currently working on fixing up a few of my older compositions so this was one of the few things I did manage to conjure up in the past few months. I hope it's listenable? (as for playability, arpeggiating large chords is a must, haha)

hello been taking a break from working on the variations, thought I'd continue working on this piece. if you had already read my catalogue, then you'd have probably known the other planned movements already. movements planned: No. 1 : Whimsy No. 2 : Home (Omah) No. 3 : Scherzo No. 4 : Affection No. 5 : Festive i'll continue to work on the variations after this as always, enjoy the piece. lemme know what you all think!!!

This was a lot to digest, but I liked it! I have to admit, it took a few listens to grasp everything going on, but there's no denying your talent with composition. It's wonderful. I feel like I've asked but I can't remember... do you play piano? It seems very difficult in some areas, and although that's not bad, I just wonder if this could be executed how you intend. What I love about your music is how fresh your ideas are. I guess I'm speaking of your music in general instead of just this piece, but it's a pattern I've noticed. Something I would be mindful of is to me you really teeter the balance of too many ideas and developing existing ones. I think your balance works, but sometimes I wish you would strip down the amount of new musical material you write within a piece and develop more. Maybe you do this and I don't always hear it, or maybe it has to do with how complex your music gets. I just get lost sometimes listening, and it might help. It's not necessarily your language, btw. For instance, right before :30 we're hit with a ritard... but I was just getting into the rhythms! Now at :47 or so, there's another change of pace... all that drive we had lost again. You could argue that is the effect you're going for, but it's just an example of what I mean. However, I'm reminded of Debussy pissing off his professors because he didn't develop his music the "right" way. I do like your free flowing jazzy way of writing, I think it's a really vibrant way to approach form. I personally just need my ears to rest a little when listening to your music. It's like, your flavor of cheese is great for nachos, just don't drown them! The score looks amazing to me, bar 92 D# should be Eb was the only thing that caught my eye. I'm excited to hear the other pieces in the suite, hopefully it isn't too long before you continue them!