Seni-G

Thank you so very much @CrystalCanon for your thoughtful response, and for really taking the time to engage with this music. Your feedback mirrors many of my own concerns with this sonata. I agree that the first movement has a few too many ideas, one after another. It could probably benefit from another round of editing to trim it down. To be honest I’ve really struggled to “murder by babies” in this piece. I went ahead and fell in love with all my own ideas, and so have a lot of trouble cutting the unnecessary content. Maybe I should take a bit of time away from this music, get some distance. Then after a time I can return to it with my editing scissors and start making cuts. Your thoughts on the second movement really made my whole week! To hear my music called “devastating” is a feeling I can’t really explain, and I take it as an immense compliment. This is definitely the most expressive and feelingful movement in the sonata, and above all else I want the listener to feel something too. The language you use to describe that music is spot-on, exactly what I was aiming for. As for the rondo, damn you’re right. When you’re right, you’re right. It does seem naive after the revelations of the second movement. It doesn’t plumb the depths of feeling, but sticks rigorously to form, and compared to the first two movements seems slightly outmoded. Maybe I should just remove it and save for another project, and write something new for the final movement of this sonata. Maybe something in D flat major, music with a clarity of purpose, music that answers the questions posed by the second movement. I like that as a goal. I’d like this sonata to feel like a complete work, rather than a disjointed set of disconnected movements. I really value your time and feedback. Cheers!

Hi all! I recently posted a Rondo, which was actually the third movement of this piano sonata. Here is the full sonata. I know that posting a whole sonata is asking a lot from listeners. Please feel free to listen to only one movement if you like, or the entire thing if you're in the mood to hear the entire arc of it. Whatever works best for you! I appreciate any and all feedback, even if you only listen to a portion. Here is a breakdown of the entire sonata: MOVEMENT 1: The 1st movement is in Sonata Form. Following along with the form may help you wrap your head around the various parts of the movement. The form your road map through the jungle. Section 1 - Exposition (measures 1-128): the piece starts with a main theme in the home key (C# minor), followed by a second main theme (measure 59) in the key of the relative major (E). Though you may hear many ideas that roll out one after another, the form of this first section is grounded by those two main themes. Section 2 - Development (measures 129-243): in this section the two main themes are deconstructed, developed, played around with, and intertwined with other ideas, all flowing together into a mixture, a river that carries the listener along. This section is doesn't stand on solid ground, but instead is ever-shifting. It's goal is motion, development, and play. Section 3 - Recapitulation (measures 244-end): the first main theme returns (244) but is changed now, followed by the second theme (370) which now appears in the home key (it is now minor). MOVEMENT 2: This music is a projection of my mind during the time when my first son was born, a reflection of my complicated emotions, my questions, my fear and love. The music fades in and out of coherency, at times directionless, until it finally lands on solid ground. It’s asking a question, and just as the answer comes within reach, it slips away again. This movement is tough to pin down, difficult to categorize. The music is searching, searching… It emerges slowly, pops in and out of view, like a distant ship in the mist. Sometimes it’s a love song, sometimes a lament, sometimes a hopeful look toward the future, and sometimes a lonely figure grasping for something in the dark. MOVEMENT 3: The 3rd movement is a Rondo, which resembles a club sandwich, where theme 1 is the bread: Theme 1 (measure 5) Theme 2 (41) Theme 1 again (69) Theme 3 (98) Theme 1 once more (195) Each time theme 1 returns, it comes with very slight variations. Since the first movement contains so much development and so any ideas, the third movement keeps the main theme mostly intact throughout. The third movement may be a bit too tightly wound, but I made it that way because the first movement feels a bit like an over-stuffed burrito. Thanks so much for listening! 1. Allegro con brio.mp3 2. Largo (Jack's Song).mp3 3. Rondo.mp3 01 Allegro con brio.pdf 02 Jack's Song.pdf 03 Rondo.pdf

@Vasilis Michael Your performance of this music really sparkles! You have such a nice touch. This is very nice music to play in the morning while taking the first sips of coffee. It’s like it was made to play in the background of quiet kitchen, with the sunlight peeking through the blinds. You obviously have tremendous skill as a composer and pianist. Your music (that I’ve heard so far) is delicate and sweet and sumptuous. Delicious! And yes I think I would love to hear a sonata from you. A sonata is an opportunity to write something that challenges the listener on an intellectual level. It requires that they follow you through your themes and developments, and gives you a chance to paint in many colors, to draw out your ideas and toy with them, to tell a long-form story. I’d love to see what you create in that arena. Very well done, a real joy to listen to.

@Fruit hunter I really enjoyed this work. Variation IV was especially exciting. You do an excellent job of managing the dramatic pacing throughout the piece, with your creative and varied use of rhythm. None of the variations overstay their welcome. They say their piece and allow the next one to take over. Taken as a whole, the piece paints a satisfying dramatic arc. My only concern is the playability of some areas. I would consider asking: is every instance of virtuosity required, or could you convey that same feeling without requiring virtuosity in that instance? I’m not saying it’s unplayable, but only that it looks very difficult, especially when fast passages resolve into thick chords, or when the bass accompaniment requires very fast tempo and precise rhythms. Lowering the virtuosity level (while maintaining the vibe you’re going for) will only increase the number of players who are capable of performing it. Not a requirement, just a consideration, coming from someone who loves to try and play new compositions, but is not himself a virtuoso pianist. But overall excellent work. I’d love to hear this performed live.

I agree with @Lithl that this is a piece that would really excel if performed in a noisy and crowded bar! It feels improvisational, and yet has very noticeable form. Clearly you put a lot of thought into this. The combo of improvisational sounds mixed with a crisp form and clearly thought-out main theme all combines to make this music really pop! I’m excited to check out the other preludes. Nice work!

That was a refreshing and magical piece. It does have that late baroque feel in its rhythm, but not as much in its harmony. I haven’t done an analysis of it, but just to my ear it has a modern quality. I think you make choices that Scarlatti would not have made harmony wise, and that makes this music sound very fresh, not at all like an impersonation of another composer’s style. This feels less like a sonata and more like a piece that could be part of a suite. Well done!

I’m a big fan of this! You found that blend of dissonance mixed with traditional harmony that really does the trick. I admire your use of rhythm in the melody, and how it works in unison with the harmonic changes. Your piece does not feel like it’s trying too hard to be modern, but instead uses a bit of modern sound to express something poetic, while still maintaining a clean and apparent form. That’s the sweet spot! I would like to see a whole second part added on. The repeat of the waltz is great, but it makes my ear excited for part 2, just as a classical waltz might have part 1 and part 2, both with their own repeat signs. If you can develop these themes into a part 2, I think you’d really have a complete waltz. But even if you don’t, it’s still fine to listen to. Cheers!

@Grant Weep Thank you so very much, not only for your thoughtful feedback but also for taking the time to give this piece multiple listens. I agree that it throws a lot at the listener, and I also agree that it improves if you listen a few times. Often with pieces like this it can be tough to pick out the form on the first listen, and that can make it sound like a big pile of chaos. But once you start to pick out the main themes and the variations in those themes, the piece develops much more coherence. The fast pace and frenetic nature are intentional here. I wanted it to feel like it was racing at you. Thank you for giving this music your time. I do wish a real human pianist would play it. Though I can play piano, I am by no means a concert pianist. And frankly my interests lie much more in the composition space than the performance space. So I just don’t dedicate the time to practicing playing, but instead spend time practicing writing music. Therefore, I write music that I can’t play well. I wish I had more drive to practice performance, but it just isn’t my sweet spot. To answer your question, I compose a bit at the keyboard, but mostly I like to compose right into notation software. It allows me to try all kinds of iterations on the fly, though composing at the piano is also lovely, and sometimes much more free. Both techniques are part of the process. Thank you again for engaging with this! I will return the favor with your pieces!

@Markus Boyd Thanks for your feedback! Yes it does sound a bit Slavic in certain areas. No I can’t play it myself sadly. Wish I could! For this piece my approach was to be true to the rondo form, to play around within that framework. My training is very limited, mostly self taught. I’ve read a lot about composition and taken some theory classes, but never had a composition teacher per se. Cheers!

That was lovely! It was somehow both serious and playful, which is, I suppose, what good parenting can sometimes look like. Well done, and great performance too!

Please take a listen to this Rondo I composed. I wanted to capture some early-Romantic fire with this one, and I hope you enjoy! Beethoven was looking over my shoulder the whole time I wrote this, so this music definitely will not make any kind of hyper-modern statements. Though maybe there's a touch of modern in there, especially the middle theme. I appreciate any and all feedback! 3. Rondo.mp3 03 Rondo.pdf

This music reminds of drinking absinthe in Prague. All feedback is welcome!

@PaperComposer I made some changes to this movement based on your feedback. Thanks again for sharing your ideas. I added in some more material for the violist to sink their teeth into, as a way to break up the drone. I decided not to give the droning part entirely to the cello because "disjointed" would actually be an apt vibe for this particular movement. If having two players play that drone means they periodically blur over each other, or their tempos aren't perfectly aligned, that all fits well with the metaphor that this movement is reaching for. Hopefully the new material for the viola adds a bit more spice to the piece, without changing the original character. Cheers!

Here's the next movement too, with an updated score.

I really like it! String orchestra is a perfect medium for this mood you've created. Reminds me a bit of the slow movement of Mahler's 5th symphony. The Mahler piece however has multiple moments where the music rises and tension, and spikes in emotion before falling back down into a quiet, somber mood. I wonder if you could lead this music to a sweeping climax then bring it back down, or experiment with that? You've set the vibe well, but the mood does not fluctuate much in this music. If you give this music a more pronounced story arc, you will have something really captivating on your hands.