Markus Boyd

Thanks, Quinn. I appreciate your insights. Regarding the square fermata, I used it purely because I hadn’t understood how to lengthen ordinary fermatas on MuseScore. On notion 6, which i had used prior to MuseScore, that was really quite simple. So the square fermata simply served the duration of pause I had intended for the computerized playback 🙂

Yes, it’s an outline at this stage. I tend to add the other complimenting parts there once the melodic direction and bass have been well defined. That will be the challenge for me here, due to my lacking experience in orchestration. And I note your suggestion for an alternative dance form… I’ll have a think about that.

That’s for your comments. And I’m glad you found it fun… that’s what I was gauging for. As for your questions… 1. My style: Above all, I do tend to adhere to a galant idiom, whether that be baroque or classical in orientation. However, I did find with this piece, in particular, that as I developed the ideas, I was adding mild twists here and there. Maybe, as you say, that is my ‘voice’ coming through. I do also think that when I focus on the individuality of each instrument - like characters in a play - I am prompted to add a little wit or deviance here and there. And that essentially makes the music more programmatic, even without an explicit scene to depict. To that end, I have been particularly influenced by the wind quintets of mid Romantic composers George Onslow and Klughardt (see op 79 and 81 respectively). In summary, I’m sort of putting together a wide range of forms and idioms spanning 1720-1880, while retaining, of course, common practice in my approach to harmony and voice leading, in addition to use of sonata form. 2. What’s next? I want to branch out into orchestral works. With chamber music, I can afford to focus and craft skills in four part counterpoint, characterisation and form (the latter being the most challenging). Having done so for a long time now, though, I’ve neglected skills in orchestration. So that’s my next step. I have actually posted my next project in the incomplete works forum if you want to hear. I note your other comments, too. Thanks for your time in providing such comprehensive feedback. These works do not take a short time… I’ve probably plowed 150-200 hours into this! Take care…

I love this. Thanks so much for sharing!

Audio.mp3 Now that I have finished my recent project, I want to share what I am working on next. This started as some orchestral practice, but has evolved into something more solid. So far I have the outline of a slow adagio followed by an upbeat allegro that is reminiscent of Haydn's style. Hope to progress with this over the coming months. https://musescore.com/user/69480886/scores/14324641

Sure, we can connect if you like 🙂 I am glad to hear you are into Zelenka. I first came across his work maybe 3-4 years ago, and I immediately knew his music was special. I have since known his trio sonatas well, which are rather beautiful. As for your inspiration for this work, I suppose you drew inspiration from his sacred orchestral works? I can definitely hear that influence, Louis. Although it is challenging to review the score properly with it appearing somewhat disorganised. How do you compose your music? I always put it into musescore directly, but you use MIDI? Tell me more about your process 🙂

Hehe, thanks Louis. And bars 316-318... I think I was just being a little cheeky there. I would be interested to hear if it actually playable XD. I will have a look at your work soon, I saw you had uploaded...

Many thanks, Henry! Well, it was becoming a lot of work for me so it was important I finished it. Also, I am hesitant in producing over-lengthly music, given that, statistically, most people will not listen to more than 3 minutes XD!

Thanks for the clarification. I would recommend using MuseScore4 for good sound quality, which is free to use. We are all learning on here. I don’t think there is anyone here that will say they have fully mastered their craft. For many of us it is a lifelong journey. Some honesty is important, I feel, when considering the works of others. While I commend you for completing a piece of this length and sharing here, I would recommend you start on smaller projects to first develop better practice in each of the necessary domains (melody, harmony, modulation, form etc). Is there a particular style of music you warm to in history? Which period do you like the most?

Am I right to understand, therefore, that your approach to music composition is something of a rebellion against your educational background? It’s certainly of interest to me to hear how each of the wide, eclectic range of composers on here practice and justify their unique art. Admittedly I’m much more traditional in my approach, relying on reliable means to engage an audience but nonetheless not really adding much unique to the repertoire - it’s been done before and I’d be deluding myself to believe I could produce something truly noteworthy deserving a place in the cannon of music. But that’s never been my incentive. I simply love music from the classical and baroque era, and have made it my life work to better understand it. A largely private and personal pursuit, I suppose…

Score please?

I really enjoyed this, and least expected to hear an electric guitar on this forum! I can imagine parts of this in a film, following a protagonist bumbling along (maybe a kid at school walking home to his family) - You know, a feel good time of film? I’m a guitarist myself, and I found the comments regarding finger nails especially relatable!!

Hi Panta, What made you compose this piece of music, to help us understand your intentions? Also, can you tell us more about your approach to music composition (ie. Structure, style). As for the music itself, for the most part the piano serves entirely a homophonic purpose. I really feel that you can add some complexity, if your experience permits, to offer some contrast to the cello part. Otherwise, it does become monotonous at times. I like your harmonic shifts, which at first exposure at least seem to work well. But focus on adding interest to your music. Lastly, despite the mood being intended to invoke some amount of sadness, this still needs to be better balanced with hope, even if that is short lived. As for the sounds themselves, have you considered using MuseScore 4? It is free software, and the sound sets are excellent.

Have to admit, I’m not such a fan of the melodic style. And the accompaniment, in the opening section I don’t think compliments the melody either. perhaps this improves as you develop the piece, though. But still, I think your melodic writing could benefit from improvement. As for harmony, I did spot some parallel 5th, which should really occur in two part writing. in general, I feel there is a lack of cohesiveness between the two instruments. Also, there isn’t really much in the way of memorable melodic material. why, also, did you choose to end the piece with solo cello only? What were your reasons for this?

Interesting work. So that I better understand your approach to this, how did you arrive at the tonal structure of this piece? To my ear, it seems like the tonal direction is at times random, and spontaneously executed. If I’m wrong, please help me better understand the methodology behind this. That aside, it did perk my interest for sure. The bassoon is an interesting choice for this - I often liken the bassoon to ‘chatter’. In this case, maybe a ‘rant’ but one that is rather wondering and to an extent eccentric. Perhaps that’s why you called your work a soliloquy thanks for sharing