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Hello there! Here is the latest installment of preludes, no.16. This one deals with a lot of two voice counterpoint and a relentless ramble on one theme. As a personal side note, these have been a lot of fun to write, and it's been great simultaneously writing a bunch at once. I had a sporadic burst of ideas when I started this one, and it lead to a lot of spread out writing. I guess what I'm SAYIN' is... more to come! :D Thanks for listening and reading... any comments of any kind are welcome! P.S. some of those tempo markings are to mimic rubato, dunno I suck as an editor Prelude No 16.mp3 Prelude No 16 - Score.pdf

From the eyes of a pianist: One thing I feel you have not considered in your orchestration is the fact pianos have a sustain pedal. One thing clearly lacking is the sense of prolonged chords over an active line. In the video you linked, it has the pedal markings in place, so you can reference where Price does that. This is another key reason why your orchestration sounds empty. How to orchestrate this? As one example, I am going to link this video by Alex Heppelmann: https://youtu.be/sTZCFa7B6BA?si=vI-hAEGclgkSde-V Disclaimer, it is 27 minutes long, however, it's very thorough describing how to take a piano melody and use the orchestra to create some ideas of a piano sustain pedal. In my personal style, I will use the horns to sustain the harmony on long tones, while the strings pulse the harmony similar to what a piano score would do. If not this, I would swap the roles. The melody in this case, would be featured in woodwinds, another instrument family, or lead/solo instrument. Good luck to you and if you want to see some sample notation, let us know! This Fantasie is a very wonderful piece and I find it is so conversational. It really feels like an orchestra notated in the piano and in my opinion is an excellent piece to showcase the capabilities of the piano and a performer.

Hallo @Thatguy v2.0, this prelude is a piece I very loved and I wish I had composed it! 😀 It opens with a subject that – at the first glance – seems to be Baroque-like but introduces strong chromaticism in its second half, so that in mm. 5, when the second voice enters, it reminds me of Bach’s B minor fugue from the WTC I (BWV 869b). But now, in mm. 9, comes the surprise. The mood changes to a more „romantic“ feeling with the arpeggios. And that unexpected change now reminds me at numerous preludes (or fugues) from Shostakovich’s op. 87. I didn’t make an in-depth analysis, but I can see how you have constantly took benefit from using the initial thematic material, which for me emphasizes the effectiveness of counterpuntal technique. Even if I did not recognize more complete entries of the initial subject, I have the feeling that motifs from it recur, even sometimes in augmentation. I enjoyed your effort on articulation, including the pedalling and the rubato, and also the key signature change to Bb minor (or is it Db major?). All in all, a piece very much to my taste. Full of counterpoint, but not in the “Neo-Baroque” style, rather with contemporary harmonies and dissonances and a slight touch of Romanticism! By the way, I’m very curious to know how you’re organizing your preludes (since this is No. 16). Is it a complete cycle based on 16 of the 24 keys? I’m really looking forward to hearing more of them—and have I perhaps already missed one?

Hi @BlackkBeethoven The first PDF file that you've uploaded doesn't seem to be working, so I have to pause the YT video to compare your score to the original piece. I think you've chosen a very difficult piano piece to orchestrate. I am assuming it was your choice to orchestrate whatever piano piece you wanted since you say you like Florence Price so much. I could say more about your choice given that you knew you only had 4 minutes to work with and the piece is over 7 minutes long - but it's too late to bother about that now. This piece is difficult to orchestrate because of the many florid fioraturas/roulades that it contains. But there are things you could do to facilitate them throughout the orchestra. First, since the fioraturas in the beginning go all the way from the very high range to the moderately low, I would have made sure to give those to the strings since they have a more homogeneous sound throughout their range. So I'm surprised to see that you have just the Flutes/Piccolo on that part - that part is very thinly scored and isn't utilizing the full body of the orchestra. If I had my way with that part I would have given it to the woodwinds and the strings doubling each other + harp. I'm guessing you don't have harp. You've retained the piano staff in this score even though the piano doesn't play anything. I don't think you should have the piano play anything in this orchestration because it would most likely serve as a crutch to fill in holes that your orchestration should fill. Speaking of holes - in measure 6 you have the trombone start the low melody but then it's not continued for some reason. You score the melody more fully without fragmentation in measures 8 - 9. Throughout this whole introduction you really underuse the strings and I think for that reason the piece doesn't sound fully scored. Those are just my first impressions of the introduction of the piece. Good luck in your final and thanks for sharing!

Hello! This one of my pieces with lesser compositional quality... It was a very fun piece to work with so im posting it here too, just for the sake of it. Its for organ or harpsichord, in this midi recording its for organ wich i think fits nicely with the more contrapuntal style of this piece. This is a Fantasia (Back in the renaissance and early baroque era, the genre of the fantasia was just a broad therm for anything improvisational or without a structure) wich i used a renaissance popular tune called "La Bassa Fiamenga", You can find this melody extensively on various pieces of that time, and its one of the lesser known ones. Enjoy! Fantasia sopra la Bassa Fiamenga (2).mp3

Hiihiiii!!! This is my submission for the Spring 2026 Landscapes Competition :) For my landscape, I've chosen the mountains of Zhangjiajie, China. The first time that I saw these mountains, I was awestruck by just the sheer scale of them. Massive peaks and towers, overgrown with centuries-old moss, reaching beyond the clouds. Really just gorgeous. I wanted to try to write about them. The piece starts off zoomed outwards, depicting the sparseness of the clouds, until eventually, a melody begins to creep towards the first real theme--which I call the garden theme. The focus is on the garden now, zoomed in, it's a sort of natural oasis along the side of one of the tall mountainous pillar. It's beautiful, lush, full, until the garden begins to die as winter comes. The harmony because sparse and vague again, with large spontaneous gusts of wind... just very dry sounding overall. That is, until months later, the clouds darken, promising a heavy storm. Anticipation builds, until eventually, rain comes pouring down, so densely that it's almost like a wall. It's the first rain of spring!!! After the rain settles down, the garden comes to life again with the re-entry of the garden theme!! The piece ends as the focus zooms back out onto the clouds, and the tension finally resolves again. My goal with the piece was to try to represent the life cycle of the plant life out in the setting of Zhangjiajie. I hope you all like it !!!! AmidstTheCloudsAndFlowers.mp3 AmidstTheCloudsAndFlowers.pdf

Written for the 2026 spring Young composer competition this work for percussion quintet features a wide range of natural and man-made percussion instruments to represent the integration of man and nature. Few years back me, and a few of my friends decided that it would be a good idea to cure our boredom by bringing a already busted up child size guitar meant for learning and to "" sacrifice it into the woods.'' the reservoir is a large body of water near where I live so it was a short distance, which then led to an easy walk into a bunch of colonial ruins where we laid the guitar and watch it rot away. Far deep in the reservoir lays a broken destroyed child size guitar that my sister got for her birthday as a child or something like that it’s been ever since sitting around around in the house and had transfer locations from her room to the living room room to the my room to the wilderness it’s final resting place. My sister never had been fond of performing music in her life. In fact she is quite horrible at it so my parents smartly in intelligently got her a low quality guitar anyways fast-forward a few years later, and I am now experimenting with multi instrumelity. However, though I got fond of extended techniques, playing it like a hammered dulcimer and even bowing the thing after me becoming friends with the lead guitarist to my modern day chamber band sort of situation, he starts to play it and at that point it only had two remaining strings. We all anonymously decided that we should bring it to the reservoir maybe hide a secret note in it after all the band was just a bunch of board teens, wanting something interesting to do with our lives, so what ended up happening was we snuck into the Reservoir found a foundation of an old colonial house and threw the guitar in it other than impact damage ever since the guitar has been rotting away however, though quite often me and my friends still visit it’s resting place only to see it in more final pieces I’m pretty sure I got rid of the note since it had some secrets that I do not want people finding and still to this day. It’s been resting there ever since. Percussion five has a lot of handmade instrument specifically for this work . The alcoholics shekere; is just a bucket with crushed up beer, cans, or soda cans is meant to be played in a similar style to a traditional shekere . the facidrum; faci- Latin for bundle, a bundle of resident sticks attached and tied up to a frame . Chopping block; a semi resonant piece of wood meant to be played like a table and a practice pad All of the other instruments should be self-explanatory Keep note that since because this was written in musescore bunch of playback loopholes has been exploited, although that there are more than five staves these are to represent each instrument in the set up rather than the actual part parts of represented by the groups that are bracketed. This is to create custom percussion set ups, and to satisfy an easier workflow with sound fonts. ' Sacrificed to the wilderness.mp3 Sacrificed to the wilderness.pdf

Hallo @luderart as you frequently present compositions in this style—short, aphoristic pieces for solo instruments—your compositional approach differs from that of most other members of the forum, who often attempt to write full-scale symphonic works for a large orchestra. Yet in an orchestra, an instrument is merely a gear in a large clockwork mechanism and is subject to the conductor’s interpretive intent. On the other hand, dedicated solo pieces for monodic instruments seem to be rare, so that I could imagine that they are appreciated by players of the clarinet, bassoon etc. However, when I listen to them and look at the score, I sense a kind of loneliness (which is not a criticism, but merely a statement of fact): The solo instrument „utters“ its sentence, yet no conversation emerges, as there is no accompanying or contrasting voice. And even the score pages look a bit „lonely“, since there is remaining whitespace due to the need of only one staff for notation ... Here is another, similar approach to a piece for a solo instrument, the bassoon. The composer, in that case, decided to put the „sentences“ in a more programmatic context, depicting „a garden“ over the course of a year. https://youtu.be/ok_R4cstdGs Now, some short thoughts to the individual sententiae: No. 1 It serves as an overture, trying to gain the attention of the listener. The meter change from 6/4 to 5/4 in bar two is somewhat surprising, and, together with the two trills, reminds me of the bells ringing in the lobby of a concert hall, urging the audience to take their seats before the playful quintuplet melody begins. No. 2 A short, playful piece - reminding me at children playing around. No. 3 To me, the third sentence has a melancholic and contemplative character, which is only seemingly lightened by the eighth-note runs. The final question remains unanswered. No.4 The fourth one has a quality that even exceeds the character of a „sentence only“. Because it consists of three clearly perceptible motifs, which are used in sequences, it has enough thematic material, so that it could be developed further or used as a sketch for a much larger piece, too. No. 5 Again, a sententia which is a short piece of its own, now in A-B-A form, yielding a small exposition, a development and a recapitulation. (Fun fact for me is bar 11. in 1/4 meter with the sole purpose to place a rest ...) No. 6 Number six for me expresses the idea behind the „sententiae“ as its best: Although it has a simple texture with only staccato semiquavers, the rests at the end of the phrases serve as the period at the end of a sentence, thus structuring the short utterance. No. 7 With number seven – which also bears thematic material which could be developed further -, we come back to a more melancholic mood, somewhat a recapitulation of sententia number 3.

Hi to all, This week I decided to revise and extend my orchestration of Ravel's piano menuet in C# minor. The original is very short, and I thought a longer orchestration would work better. Haven't put the slurs in yet, as it's still a work in progress. Hope you enjoy! (P.S. If anyone knows an orchestra who might like to perform this, do let me know! I have several other companion works that would go nicely with it.) Menuet in C sharp minor (Ravel orchestration) #18 (midi).mp3 Menuet in C sharp minor (Ravel orchestration) #18 (score) #5.pdf

Hey there Weiland! Thanks for checking this out, it always means a lot to hear great feedback. ❤️ Thank you, friend. I'm acutely aware of the style of each of these preludes, as I'm constantly thinking about the overall feel with each one, wanting them to possess their own unique character. One of my weaknesses as a composer has been counterpoint, or at least using it in the foreground versus just thinking about it with melody and harmony. I've posted the previous preludes on the forum (check the topics tab in my profile, I'm lucky enough to have @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu give his interpretations), and a style they lack was one that focused on a more contrapuntal foundation. Personal challenge accepted. 😄 I'll also say that it makes me bashful to hear you enjoyed the counterpoint, as your talent with it is drenched in the music I've heard of yours. I wrote the first twelve a few years ago, with the intention of having each one focused on a different tonal center. The scales and approaches used varied a ton, at least that was the intention. There's blues, Chopinesque ones, soliloquys, video game character adaptations, etc. These next twelve started differently. I'm varying the tone centers, but maybe I repeat some here and there. Not sure yet, but the restriction this time is I'm limited to the 61 keys on the keyboard I'm using to brainstorm and workout things. Thanks for listening and sharing your thoughts, it means a lot!

This is a good attempt! Some thoughts: Probably just omit the piccolo and have a 2nd flute player double 29-32 with the 1st flute...or just omit the 2nd flute/piccolo all together Same thing with the 2nd clarinet. I would have 2 players, with the 2nd doubling on Bb and bass clarinet. Quirky (mostly unusual) thing I noticed is that you have the 2nd instrument plays higher range/melodic material than the first. For example Trumpet 2 plays the melody (with the higher range) in measure 14-20. Same thing in clarinets and bassoons around measure 33. Nothing wrong with it...just unusual. Brass scoring a little awkward. I personally would take out trombones and tuba, and maybe the 2nd trumpet away as well. I would've had both horns play the parts you have for Horn 2 and Trumpet 1, with the melody solely with 1 trumpet player in measure 14 onward Not a fan of the glockenspiel in bar 14. I think that counter-line can be played better with the harp and oboe combination instead of the harp doubling the trumpet Nit-picky, but I would also have the basses do a pizzicato in 11 and 13. I would also have the cellos do pizzicato in measure 14 until the pickup to 18. I personally would also double the cello line octave lower in the bass to broaden the depth of sound (this is probably not written in the original score, but would be a nice orchestration effect). The material reoccurring in 21 can be scored differently than what came before in 10. I would have the melody in maybe oboe or English horn...or maybe French horn, with the harmony in clarinet, bassoon and/or horns. The bassoon doubling at bar 30 seems a bit much, maybe divide in octaves? I would not have bass clarinet playing there. I would also have the harp strum out the chords (or arpeggiate them somehow) the last couple of bars Scoring in general from 28-31 is a bit awkward In general, I think more care to the dynamic markings might also be good. I think I know why you did them (probably because of the audio mockup)...but just looks odd when there randomly fff in the passage where I think its suppose to be just f or mf. I also disagree about the use of "extended techniques" in this piece. The most I would do is maybe have the strings muted.

I'm not minding being spammed! I didn't have time to participate in the thread, but it's still informative. You obviously know what you are doing! Maybe I'll talk with you if I ever get away from the piano and chamber music and get to some orchestration...

In my opinion, when the main theme starts, it should be in the trumpet. That spiritual style longs for a trumpet lead and if I were to continue the arrangement, I’d start in the trumpet versus woodwinds. Sort of, in a sultry way. With picking a spot to end, why try to tackle the whole piece? You experienced how the first reading session went. It’ll probably be under tempo, so pick a spot where the phrase feels conclusive. In my opinion, about one-minute, thirty seven seconds in (1:37 from the beginning) of the video, Price does a deceptive cadence in the third measure of the system. Instead, make it a PAC and resolve the piece before it goes into the developmental section. This is one suggestion and you can find more spots like this later in the work as more alternatives. So, you have options to pick from.

Dipping my toes back in music composition after a hiatus. Last year, I wrote this piece in honor of the Detroit Medical Orchestra. This orchestra comprises volunteer musicians from the medical profession in the metro Detroit area, including doctors, nurses, dentists, medical students, and more. Their mission is to bring healing through music, and they perform free concerts throughout the region to achieve this goal. I’ve been a part of this wonderful orchestra for many years, and I wrote this piece to celebrate its 15th anniversary. This piece is somewhat an unofficial sequel to the very first piece I posted here on this website, as it continues to explore Greek mythology. (https://www.youngcomposers.com/t34170/nocturne-for-orchestra-an-ode-to-nyx-goddess-of-night/#comment-1186668533) More information of the piece can be found in the short program notes in the PDF score. The Detroit Medical Orchestra had the opportunity to perform this at a local hospital. I'm linking the performance here, as well as providing the audio MIDI mockup. Any comments/feedback is highly appreciated :) Asclepius.mp3 An Ode to Ascelpius, God of Medicine and Healing - Full score.pdf

Yes, I do: Keep the melody intact. As pianists, we often find that composers embellish around the melody with active passages, sometimes played between both hands and sometimes only in one hand. However, with the orchestra you have a lot more diversity when it comes to sustaining a melodic line and dispersing the accompaniment. So, as one suggestion, pick and choose where to keep the melody intact. Next, inform yourself of the piece. Florence Price did not come up with the melody. The whole piece is centered around the spiritual "Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass". The term Fantasie implies that it is her sense of improvisation. The whole piece can be translated at the "Negro Fantasy" or "Negro Improvisation." This is important as you'll have to pick your battles. You may not be able to write a passage exactly how it's notated on the piano part, but instead, simplify and keep the idea or gesture intact for the orchestra. I did this in my version at measure 6. I was prioritizing the beat and flow of the melody versus the fancy arpeggio. Lastly, keep the meter simple; change it when the piano version does. The orchestra is not a solo pianist and it's better to keep the meter/ time signature the same as overall score. This may add some concessions when you do. One example in my version is the first arpeggio. Instead of making it fit into the one bar as Price did, I noticed that the arpeggios were grouped in sevens. Thus, I decided to write it out and make it explicit. It added a few measures, but when someone simply hears it, they may not feel the difference. When you look at my score, everything feels clean, and makes sense rhythmically. It's a benefit of keeping the meter related to the original.

About 3 years or so, on and off. Started with my own works; but in the last few months I began orchestrating lesser known pieces by famous composers.

Okay, it's time: I only did the introduction as this is not my project lol. The main thing you'll notice is how I prolonged pitches in the instruments compared to what the piano score looks like. This is how I was able to write a piano sustain pedal in this case. I am unsure if I would change anything, however, I spent only an hour on this and would probably mess around with it if I had more time. Attached is a Transposed score, Concert-pitch score and an MP3 audio. (Use the C-score to compare to the piano and transposed score for the parts) Orch-F.Price_FantasieNegre.mp3 Fantasie_Negre_Excerpt_C-score.pdf Fantasie_Negre_Excerpt_Transposed.pdf

i love the texture in this. its very subtle but it goes really well with your description! it is imaginative in a way that i could visualize the imagery. for example the gusts of winds starting on b.28 using the dynamics, or the rain on b.52. the beginning usages of harmonics to represent the clouds and the subsequent ones are also pretty cool the string writings are lovely in my opinion, in the way that you took advantage of the different individual string timbres of the quartet. those low C string cello notes are powerful and prominent, especially on b.48 where, i think, it indicates the start of the "wall of rain" section contrasting the high register notes of the preceding section and finally, im fond of the way you use the variety of dissonances and added notes, it feels very effective and not over bearing that you're drowning in a chromatic porridge Melodies Themes Motives 5 Harmony Chords Textures 9 Form Development Structure Time 10 Originality Creativity 10 Score Presentation 10 Instrumentation Orchestration Playability 7 Execution of Given Challenge 10 Taste 9 Average Score: 8.75 final note: its peak.

Hi Sam Yes message any Vocals over to personal messenger, and ill add them to the mix, youll be surprised ! But please Sam .......Nows the time to stop smoking. xxx To Finalize this Subject : The Body converts Nicotine into Acrylamide via the URINE. 1:That's why female smokers develop "Ovarian Cancer" 2: That's why male smokers develop "Prostate Cancer" The body also converts Nicotine into Formaldehyde via the Stomach & Brain which is a kind of "Burning Acid"................linked to Internal Bleeding. But don't worry..........All Hospitals have a "Cold-Storage-Mortuary" should anything go wrong , with the next operation.

I think I wrote it, drawing the music staves onto blank paper, in some doctor's office in the '90s. ba Free Sheet Music by Robert C. Fox for Violin and Piano/Keyboard | Noteflight

On The Good Ship Lollipop Imagine being born in 1934 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q7ybTGzaHQ&list=RD0Q7ybTGzaHQ LOLLIPOP 1934 VERSION- - Rendition - Cover.mp3

Wow! Just wow! This is such an honour - I am out of words! Those arrangements are absolutely incredible! Sorry for the late reply, I was actually hospitalised for the last week due to some stomach complications that left me incurred with a lot of internal blood loss. As for the vocals in my version, they were actually generated using a vocal synthesizer and not my own voice - so if you wanted some authentic vocals to mix, I’ll be sure to send them once I recover. Or if you wanted to use the vocals I generated for my version, I can send that to you as well. Anyways, it is a tremendous honour. Absolutely loved the orchestration that you put forward!

This is a simple expression of hope. Spring - Spring.mp3 Spring.pdf

I do these sorts of instant composition exercises, or did a lot in the past. Find one in a drawer or box...actually, the coda was added later in Noteflight, because I only found one page! The original ending can't have been much.

I really the the transition in the first theme! I really like the rhythm too. It is interesting. The start of the second theme is beautiful. Anyways, very interesting Potpourri.

Do we have to pay to know the ending this time? 🤑😜

It's Organum tho lol! The only term makes me laugh is "Contemporary Music" lol.

My String SEXtet must make you laugh lol Henry

Yes! Its actually not at all unstylistic, on smaller renaissance bands like Consorts and Alta Capella, dynamics where used. The problem is that i don't know how to use finale very well, wich is the software i use to make it, so tweaking the dynamics the way i would want would take a lot of effort, so its best to keep it bland.

Thank you!

Sextuplets (16th note triplets) JOINTS (head joint / foot joint / etc) pp Tutti

G String (orchestra, guitar, and ukulele) Nut (guitar and ukulele) Ogranum (organ piece with one pedal note held a very long time) Scat (A form of jazz singing that uses improvised nonsense syllables to create a melody... NOT animal poop)

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!

At the request of one of my subscribers, I decided to try my hand at writing a passacaglia emulating the style of French Baroque composer François Couperin. While both my research and efforts may have proven relatively insufficient in convincingly imitating most of the intricacies found within his keyboard style to the fullest extent, I am nontheless pleased with the results of this little experiment. This work is supposed to be understood as a two-part ouverture as a whole: the first movement is comprised by a prelude riddled with double-dotted rhythmic figures very much intentionally reminiscent of other French Baroque ouvertures, specially those of Jean Baptiste Lully. The passacaille itself follows a strict repetition of the same harmonic baseline throughout the first two variations, which is then slightly altered in a kind of quodlibet by non-strict canonic imitation reaching up to 4 voices, followed by a coda almost identical to the last phrase of the prelude. Thankfully I finally found a way to switch between soundbanks of my harpsichord soundfont automatically amidst playback, which in turn allowed me to include various registers of the instrument across diverse sections of the piece, namely three: Grand Jeu (literally translatable from French as "Great Game": I 4' 8' II 8'), Petit Jeu ("Little Game": I 4' II 8') and Luth (the lute register, also commonly known as a compound buff stop: I 4' Lute II 8'). Eventually, this composition will most likely become susceptible to getting transcribed into a 4-hands arrangement in the future, mostly due to the large intervals in some measures that can only be covered that way. For now, this version may stay as it currently is, since any difference between this iteration and said arrangement would otheriwse be completely imperceptible using digital playback. Scrolling video link: French Ouverture - Prelude and Passacaille in F minor.mp3 French Ouverture - Prelude and Passacaille in F minor.pdf

In anticipation of tomorrow being Bach's 341st birthday according to the Julian calendar, I have decided to upload now the modified version of this fugue, which I initially intended to repost back on July 28th last year to commemorate the 275th anniversary of his passing, but couldn't due to circumstances which prevented me from publishing it in time. As such, in order to better honor his unparalleled legacy and eternal spirit thriving within the vast reaches of his art, still echoing through Western musical history long after the world was graced by the timeless genius, unabating magnificence and unmatched brilliance of his divine compositions, I have chosen to once again mark this occasion by sharing the definitive revised edition of this humble work of mine, originally based on the subject of his G-sharp minor fugue from the 1st volume of the Well-Tempered Clavier (BWV863b), as a tribute to his insurmountable greatness and immortal spirit. In roughly 10 days from now, his 2nd birthday according to the Gregorian calendar will also take place, so by then I may have hopefully finished another piece I'm currently working on in time to celebrate his actual birthday. Note: the whole composition has been rendered in A = 415 tuning and 1/5th-comma meantone temperament, in order to better, more accurately capture the Baroque essence this piece strives to convey. Scrolling video link (YouTube) Fugue in A minor (Subject from BWV 863b).mp3Fugue in A minor (Subject from BWV 863b) Piano.mp3 Fugue in A minor (Subject from BWV 863b).pdf

Hi Sam You have created a very strong melody within this track, and its quite adaptable to different versions too. Created 2 Cover-Renditions of it in a "Vienna-Strauss" + "Hollywood-Big band" sound be interesting to hear your vocals with these versions, easily done, if you want to send them to me via personal message, and ill mix them into the alternative version, i cant read music , so this isn't 100% perfect, but an alternative-version, to your Great Song. I'll TUCK MY SOUL IN CORNERS DEEP - Vienna-Strauss - Version.mp3I'LL TUCK MY SOUL IN CORNERS DEEP - alternative BigBand Version.mp3

So, after one long, sleepless night of nonstop composing, springtime inspiration has blossomed into what I would consider to be potentially one of my best pieces to date. The 2nd subject and its exposition actually were originally part of a totally different, unfinished fugue in F minor, and as such its thematic relevance isn't as prominent as that of the main subject, though significant in certain passages nontheless. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

As stated in the title of this post, today, March 31st 2025, marks exactly 340 years since Johann Sebastian Bach's date of birth (at least, according to the Gregorian Calendar, that is). Thus, in commemoration of his insurmountable heritage and the immortal spirit abundantly residing in the plentiful boughs of his art and soul, reverberating through the ages of Western musical tradition centuries after he blessed the Earth with his industrious talent, unflinching devotion and heavenly music, I have decided to remember this special occasion by uploading a revised version of another fugue of mine dedicated to him as well: my Fugue in G minor No. 16, which I first dubbed "Bach's Legacy Fugue" on account of the repeated usage of his musical signature throughout the piece. Hopefully, in about 10 years' time, I will have composed yet another, more ambitious fugue to mark his 350th birthday, though sooner than that (this summer, in fact), I should probably dedicate a different composition to the 275th anniversary of his passing. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

After a series of somewhat unexpected and tumultuous events taken place last weekend, my sleep schedule suddenly got inverted again, and the subsequent rush of inspiration has resulted in this fugue being conceived and finished in under three days (or perhaps, rather, sleepless nights, should I say). Now that something productive has come of it once again, I can finally take some time to rest in whatever meager capacity I may. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

Completed for the most part in under five hours, this one could as well have been left with countless other unused fugal expositions, had inspiration not readily struck me in the middle of the night amidst a bout of insomnia. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

After another seemingly unending period of stagnation and lack of inspiration, one of the fugues I had been recently working on has finally come to fruition. To be quite frankly honest, I am still not entirely sure on how I feel about this one. Admittedly, some passages might require better connectivity between them, as some of the free counterpoint sections and pedal points might sound a tad too sudden and are perhaps in need of some reworking. But for now, this is all I can provide. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

This year, on occasion of my mother's birthday, I decided to compose a fugue dedicated to her. Even though this one was originally conceived as a strict permutation fugue, the subject's head unfortunately turned out not to be quite suitable for a stretto and therefore had to be modified at certain points. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

On occasion of this year's International Women's Day, I decided to compose yet another fugue for pedal harpsichord. Vivacious yet furious in character, this particular piece is meant to represent the struggles and righteous reivindications of the feminist cause, as well as to yield remembrance to female classical composers and musicians of such towering stature and long-lasting legacy as polymath Hildegard von Bingen, Barbara Strozzi, Marianne von Martinez, Maria Anna (Nannerl) Mozart, Clara Schumann (née Wieck), Louise Farrenc, Fanny Mendelssohn, María Malibrán, her sister Pauline Viardot, Mary Augusta Wakefield, Maude Valérie White, suffragette Dame Ethel Smyth, Lucy Broadwood, Margaret Ruthven Lang, Amy Beach, Poldowski (Regine Wieniawski), Rebecca Clarke, Florence Price, Germaine Tailleferre, Lili and Nadia Boulanger, Elizabeth Maconchy, Grazyna Bacewicz, Alicia de Larrocha and Kaija Saariaho, as well as those who are fortunately still with us, such as Sofia Gubaidulina, Errollyn Wallen, Unsuk Chin and Roxanna Panufnik, among gratefully many others. In certain well-known cases eclipsed in fame by either their brother or husband, in others shunned and forsaken by their own families, frequently beset on all sides by prejudice and disbelief in the then largely male-dominated world of professional interpretation and composition, the courage, endurance and spirit of excellence displayed by all these masterful artists is so humbling and awe-inspiring to learn about, that I thought to myself, I might as well put said inspiration to good use, into another one of my humble fugues. Enjoy! EDIT: an arrangement for piano duo has been devised and uploaded. The harpsichord recording has also been reuploaded, rendered in the customary fifth-comma meantone temperament of the original harpsichord soundfont. YouTube video link:

Apparently, I find myself once again amidst a rush of unbound creativity. Such fleeting downpours of inspiration must, in my opinion, always be unleashed and put to good use. In this case, the vast majority of this fugue has been finished today. The subject was inspired by a theme found in a videogame released relatively recently: Lies of P, which I have grown quite fond of (the few weekends I can return home to play it, that is). As a sidenote, from what I have read, trills on the pedalier part, albeit difficult to perform, are still executable with sufficient technique. The piece would have probably been more practically fitting for organ, due to the fact that pedal harpsichords are rather scarce nowadays. Still, taking into consideration the tastes of my audience, I felt it was best to use my customary harpsichord soundbanks anyway. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

Upon coming across this ascending chromatic motif while improvising on the violin, I wondered just how well it would work as a fugal subject. Having now developed it into another one of my fugues, I thus present here the results. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

Just another fugue composed over the course of last weekend, with a chromatic countersubject for good measure. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

Not having been able to finish this fugue by the 28th of July (the 273rd anniversary of J. S. Bach's passing), I decided upon its completion to dedicate it not just to the immortal spirit and insurmountable heritage of Master Bach (whose musical signature has been included throughout this fugue), but also to my dear father Ángel on occasion of his 60th birthday. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

This fugue, whose subject I came up with around late February this year, has finally been finished over the course of yesterday evening and today morning. Since the subject, albeit distinctive enough, was merely one bar long, the fugue itself is also somewhat short in duration, at least when compared to most other of its kind among my production. Nontheless, I think the stretti section from the middle pedal point on might compensate for that. Enjoy!

Having languished through an exasperating episode of "composer's block" for the better part of the summer, I have now finally realized to what extent my creative faculties seem to be correlated with sleep deprivation (one product of which is this latest fugue of mine). For the most part, I had tried to avoid said alterations to my regular sleep schedule since earlier this year, when a series of unfortunate events made me realize just how unhealthy not sleeping for half a week straight could be. However, this also meant that my long nocturnal composition sessions had to be put to an end if I was not to end up in an academic downward spiral capable of ruining my career expectancies. To be quite frankly honest, I do not know what to make of this as of yet. It appears as though I may have to reach a stable equilibrium of consciousness in order to be able to unleash my creativity without losing my mind to insufficient mental rest. Which, as with any personal golden mean, will certainly not be an easy task in the slightiest. Anyhow, here's the fugue. Enjoy! YouTube video link: Note: the harpsichord audio file uses an A = 415 Hz 1/5 comma meantone soundfont, as opposed to the equal temperament used in the video. I thought it sounded cool and not that dissonant as in more distant keys, so I decided to include it for some variation.