ChrisLK

I liked this. It was a good piece. I specifically enjoyed the duet of sorts at measure 70, and the harmonic structure throughout the piece. Everything you did harmonically was exciting and interesting and frequently unexpected. And it all moved very smoothl.. I also liked your use of pizzicato, especially around measure 63 (I think...) My only qualm was that I felt you overused the rhythmic motif in your first A section (the half-eighth-eighth-quarter-half thing). It became tedious after a while, and slightly moreso on repeat listenings. But overall it was a very good piece, with remarkable harmonies. That was by far what I admired most about the piece. I could always "expect the unexpected" in that regard. Great job!

I really loved this. It felt just gentle enough, without being bland. I loved the beginning, and the ending fit well enough---jarring, certainly, but then too "pretty" an ending wouldn't have fit the mood of the piece either. Plus, to me it suggested how people come together in the midst of "jarring" events, in the way violincello and the flute played in unison. But my favorite section had to be at 35. I noticed the way you used rests especially. Then the eighth notes starting at 41 were absolutely beautiful. SO perfect! As for criticism, I didn't care for the transition into the key change at 43-44, and the violincello seemed a little too soft to me, although that might've had more to do with my computer than the piece itself. Anyway, I really liked the piece. Thanks for posting it for us all to listen to.

That was very enjoyable. It was fun to listen to, and playful. I kind of like the ending; it's unprecedented, so that kind of confuses me, but at the same time, it makes sense to me dramatically. It was almost like the music had been running and running, and kind of got tired at the the end, calmed down for a second, like it caught its breath, and then finished by starting up again. Also, I really admired the way you transitioned in and out of the different themes in the piece, very seamless and effortless. It really built well. I was genuinely excited each time I heard what I felt to be the main theme (I'm too inexperienced still to feel comfortable in guessing at the central theme). That, of course, barely makes sense, but in any case I really liked it. :)

I agree with the previous reviewer; this is interesting, and I'd really like to hear the b section, if you write it. This melody is very pretty.

I'm really not an experienced enough listener to give a worthwhile critique, but I can tell you that I enjoyed it, and that it held my attention. It was clearly of professional quality, and I understood the intended emotion; the piece communicated effectively. I remember being particularly moved around 4:40, and 7:50-ish. I also really loved the ending. I got a sense of wonder or excitement from it. This was really enjoyable.

Just wanted to add to the "thank you"s. This is very informative, and I can't wait to listen to the samples. I've been trying to get into jazz for a while now, but I didn't have a clue which styles I like, which musicians to explore, ect. So, like I said, thanks!

What a really enjoyable piece! Thank you for posting it. It was delightful. What I really admire about it is the way you expressed the dog's emotions. Even if I hadn't known the titles you gave the sections of the piece, I basically could've guessed them from the musical changes. In addition, I love Button's Theme. The transitions into it are perfect, and it does exactly what I think a theme should do; that is, it defines character. You definitely get a feel for the character this piece creates, if that makes sense. If I had anything in the way of critique, it would be that I wish you had used the middle of the piano's range a touch more, simply because I have a personal dislike for loud notes near the top of the piano, but that's just me. And certainly everything you did built upon the character, so there's no real cause for complaint. Thank you!

But Indian food smells good, to me anyway. Anyway, I'm in the same boat. I can only play very, very, very basic piano self-taught, and I do feel it hurts my composing. I can't write the way that others in my field (musical theater!) write, because most theater composers compose at the piano. I can't do that, because I'm not experienced enough. So I don't feel comfortable writing complex parts, with denser (is that an acceptable adjective?) interplay between left and right hands. However, I think I might be able to rectify that somewhat by studying more scores, so you might explore that as an option. On the other hand, I'd suggest gaining a little rudimentary knowledge of piano playing. Honestly, I rely on theory way more than my limited piano playing, but sometimes I use the piano to figure out a melody I'm just not getting onto the computer, or to find the "right" chord. But, that might not be as useful if you're writing orchestral or chamber work, so... *shrug* :angry:

Three if you count Saturn Returns\Myths and Hymns, which I think has more in common with Floyd Collins than Piazza. I agree, lyrically, Piazza is VERY different from Floyd. It has to do with the characters. Margaret speaks differently than Floyd. Also, the forms of the songs in Piazza are much more traditional. Statues and Stories is perhaps vaguely similar to the prolouge of Floyd Collins, but the only song I can think of with a traditional form in FC is "How Glory Goes", and maybe "Git Comfortable"? I don't know; I'm not as familiar with the show as I'd like to be. I don't think Piazza's music is similar to Floyd Collins, but if I listened more critically, I'd probably notice similar techniques. Even in Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flarhety's scores, which rely heavily on influences from the period and location of the story, there are some similarities. But I think Guettel expresses things through completely different lenses from show to show. By the way, LaChiusa REFUSES to revise?! That explains a lot.

Yeah, I believe there was a whole list of songs that Sondheim says he'd like to have written in some article, I believe with him and Frank Rich in the Times, a long time ago. So, what about LaChiusa? What is it that people don't like about him? I personally love some of his work. I think his biggest problem is that he doesn't develop his songs fully enough, so he ends up with about 30 seconds of brilliant material in a 2 minute song, though I agree that his thirty seconds of genius don't compare to Floyd Collins, where the entire score is beautiful.

That was nice. I enjoyed it. The dynamics make it interesting (they almost do a little call-and-respond thing, I like that), and I rather like the tempo change, though I would have extended that section. It didn't feel that awkward to me. Yeah, a fun little piece. It's clear that you didn't obsess over it for years, but it's fun and all. Very easy to enjoy, I'd say. *shrug*

Hmm, this is nice. It's not as captivating as perhaps it could be, but it's nice. I think you should go back and work on it, because it has nice ideas. It just needs some more excitement, which I think will come if you just put more of yourself into it. I especially think the left hand part could do more. Play with some different rhythms. And perhaps you could play with some more inventive harmonies, or something. I don't really know specifically how to perk the piece up, but right now it just feels... nice, if that makes any sense. But hey, as a piece that it took you two hours to write, it's really good! It has a nice shape, and it's good. I enjoyed it.

Ah! I agree completely about I Landed On Him. It IS frightening. It's remarkable. My applause for being able to sing How Glory Goes. That's one of my singing\performing goals. It's a gorgeous song. Have you heard the Audra McDonald rendition? I mean, it's so much more powerful in the context of the show, but Audra McDonald is SUCH an amazing singer. I'll have to pay special attention to The Dream when I listen to it. I've sort-of listened to it before, but Floyd Collins is one of those things that you definitely can't listen to "in the background". Riddle Song is one of the reasons I bought the album. I mean, if STEPHEN SONDHEIM says he wishes he had written it, then...!

I think that I'm inclined to agree about Floyd Collins. I bought it about two weeks ago (from iTunes... bleh!) and I still haven't prepared to listen to the whole thing. Like, it's difficult to take time and concentrate on it, but I think that when I finally do, the rewards will be worth it. The couple of songs that I've picked out that I know I like (Git Comfortable, How Glory Goes, It Moves) are brilliant. The strings and yodeling at the end of How Glory Goes pretty much assured me that Floyd Collins is the best thing to come out of this new generation. I can't wait for The Princess Bride Jason Robert Brown, I agree, composes in a very pop idiom, but at times he moves out of it... "The Next Ten Minutes" is an example. Although it's not decidedly classical by any means, it's an example of work where he doesn't totally rely on his pop sensibilities. As for Ricky Ian Gordon, I'm really anticipating getting my hands on "Dream True". Hopefully that will showcase his abilities to write songs that can advance plotlines.

So, I thought I'd start some discussion about musicals, specifically the new wave of composers that have, as Christopher Dunn-Rankin pointed out in another topic, sort of reconciled classical music and theater music. I honestly have no idea what to talk about, so... I was first introduced to this generation of composers when I heard a student from my school perform "The Old Red Hills of Home" by Jason Robert Brown. I was absolutely captivated (although I was unaware that he was rather the tip of the iceberg) and I immediately began to search online for this new group of composers. The first thing I bought was Adam Guettel's "Myths and Hymns" which I began an immediate obsession with, and I quickly bought all of the Michael John LaChiusa that was on record, as well as some Jason Robert Brown and Ricky Ian Gordon's Bright-Eyed Joy. Anyone else a fan of these composers?