Symphonic

Thank you so much. I'm pleased that you like the music

All feedback welcome

Thank you for your detailed response and kind words. "I'm curious to whether this is for double string orchestra" - Excellent question because I too am not quite sure myself. It is something that I ask myself all the time but I try to ignore it. To be honest, I think this particular work is better suited for an orchestra. Primarily, I chose solo instruments for playback because it sounds better. I can feel from your comment that our musical tastes are almost identical. For example, "I myself am quite partial sustained melodic ideas," and "Atmospheric music is generally not my taste because it doesn't command me to feel an emotion like most, Baroque - Romantic period" is something I would say. I almost had to look twice to see if was me who wrote that or you. I'm glad that the music was able to move your emotions. "Also at 17:05, I can't stop hearing Brahms lullaby. I am scarred by that challenge we had earlier in the year." 😂 haha

Hi Mark, thanks for your comment. When the penultimate tutti section came to a natural close, I could immediately hear Amazing Grace in my mind. So I included it was part of the overall work. Amazing Grace is a piece which resonates with my spirit very closely. And during this time in my life, I feel more closely to it than ever. So perhaps that is why I could hear it being sung in my imagination. "By the way the orchestra has a wonderful texture/color." Thank you. Trying to evoke powerful colours through music is something I really aspire to do. I think I still have a long way to go in achieving it. The music can go even further in trying to evoke a rainbow of sonorities . Perhaps I just need to be braver in trusting my imagination. The idea/purpose behind integrating the choral work was that

Thank you very much. After reading yours and @MJFOBOE comment, I am going to study/listen to some music that is overtly pointillistic music so that I can immerse myself in that style more purposefully. Yes, the gospel choir joins right at the end. It was not planned beforehand. The idea just came to me at that moment. I could hear Amazing Grace in my head - and I did not not want to ignore what I could hear just because it wouldn't make immediate logical sense. If it came into my mind whilst composing, then I trust that it makes sense, somehow. Indeed, that they connect by being in the same key is merely a coincidence. If the two sections were in different keys, I would still be ok with it. "mostly quite enjoyable" makes me smile. (hopefully there is an added emphasis on the 'mostly!').

It's nice how patient you are with the music. The music is purposeful with a clear direction. You really know how to create an atmosphere - for example at section G on page 7. I was moved by your music. Initially, I was going to say that "there were some moments where it seemed you were entirely in your own mind and the music was struck in a loop of meandering tension...." but then it finally arrived at the climax and thought to myself, actually that prolonged passage of tension was worth it. You are an excellent composer.

Thank you

I would be interested to know your thoughts on the music. It is my hope that you are transported into another world. (I accidentally posted this in the Chamber Music section - I don't know how to delete a post so please can the mods delete the other post and keep this one)

Hi @PeterthePapercomPoser Thank you for your kind words. It's a relief and a great compliment when I see someone use the 'unique' word. And a hypnotic trance is certainly the effect I was trying to achieve. Yes, I used Musesounds. To achieve the portamento glisasandi, I went to the pallete, selected the guitar bending effect, and then applied it to the strings.

Thank you very much for listening to all the movements. I agree with everything you have written. It is very interesting to read your thoughts on the music. You have a strong sense of imagination. Yes, the last movement is a little different from the rest whereby the music is less abstract and more overt. For the audio, I used Musesounds. Musescore is my trusted software for notation - and will forever be.

Thank you very much. Yes the harmonics in the first violin part are4 intended to be fingered harmonics. I am not really sure how harmonics works, although I have some idea. What in particular would be difficult about the way I have written it? Is it impractical? I'm happy you liked the music.