Bencra

Sorry, I attached the old Pdf. Here is the new one. Act of Contrition (Changes).pdf

The first completed piece of my Oratorio, "The Confession," has undergone many changes. I haven't completed the score, so the words are missing in many places. I want to get feedback about the overall sound before I begin completing the work. Any feedback is helpful Act of Contrition.MUS Act of Contrition (Changes).pdf

Thank you very much for the feedback! I did quite enjoy writing the middle and end much more. The entire section without text wasn't originally in the score, it simply jumped that gap and was definitely missing something. The beginning was my sad attempt at trying to work on my counterpoint. The clashes are intentional, but it's not necessarily the best progression it could be. I will work on it some more and hopefully have a 3.0 up soon enough. Thanks again for all the feedback!

I had a few rehearsals and made some big changes. I haven't worked out the text for the middle, so that is why it is blank. Enjoy, any feedback would be nice. ~Benj Act of Contrition.MUS Act of Contrition 2.pdf

This song is what made me want to compose. The climax near the end was the very first thing I wrote. I have had that section in my mind for years, but I never thought write it out. This arrangement is being recorded by the ensemble I sing with later in April. I'm always looking for ways to improve it before hitting the studio, so let me know what you think. Over The Rainbow (mine) Final.MUS Over The Rainbow (SATB).pdf

I was able to fix my crappy word stress. Let me know what you think. I hope to have the rest of the movements done soon! Act of Contrition.pdf Act of Contrition.MUS

Well I spent my weekend finishing the piece, but I think it was well worth it. Officially my second fully-completed work; and a part of my Oratorio: The Confession. Enjoy the Act of Contrition, any feedback is awesome! Thanks again, ~Benj Act of Contrition(WB).MUS

Thanx for the feedback! Yeah, the word stress was the first thing my director's noticed when I showed them the piece. I wrote the piece by just sitting at the piano and trying to transcribe what was in my head, so I wasn't paying as much attention to the text as I should have. I'm looking forward to completing my second piece soon. It's a Choral setting of the Act of Contrition. I don't believe I've ever come across one, so I'm excited to be trying something totally new. I was hoping to fit this into a series of pieces centered around sin and redemption; eventually forming an Oratorio called "The Confession." For those who don't know the Act of Contrition, here is the text: O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee, and I detest all my sins because of thy just punishment. But most of all because they offend thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.

I really love the ideas incorporated with this piece. The overall tone fits with the text perfectly and I love how each phrase pulls to the next. Very well done! I only have a couple of things I'd like to point out, just personal preferences really. I love the chords and all of the dissonance, but at times, --particularly in m37, I'm concerned that it might be too difficult for the remaining voices parts to enter on an 8-part clash. Granted, that comes with the performance difficulty you are aiming for, but I feel that an adjustment in that measure alone may bring the entire difficulty of the piece down to a more intermediate/ High School level. The other issue comes from words. I love this text, but the repetition of the word "Atlantis" from m15-30 may lose some of the energy of the phrase. Musically, it seems fine, I would suggest making the chanting/whispering to include more of the text than just "Atlantis" The piece reminds me a lot of Cloudburst by Eric Whitacre, especially with the layers that are created during whispers. Very moving work, I would love to sing this!

This piece was my first ever complete Choral work. Although I'm bound to have several errors, I was pleased with the overall end result. Please feel free to give any criticism, no matter how harsh. The opinion of the listener is what I need, so I hope you enjoy Ave Maria. *Playback note!!! Performance Tempo is 60, not the 120 that it will open as!) Ave Maria (Mine!).MUS