Reese A. Revak

Fantastic. I take it you like minimalism and/or Messiaen? I don't know what I'd do to change it. In fact I wouldn't. The dramatic intensity is perfect and text setting shows me exactly what your insight into the libretto is. Good work. I'll look forward to the orchestration. I suppose (and hope) that you'll keep the vibe part prominent in it.

Normally I would pick apart your piece for orchestration and counterpoint issues, but those can be easily solved if you take a few lessons and read Forsyth or something like that. But wow. This is music. Please keep composing more. The chorale in the middle of the second movement was absolutely superbly constructed (although in performance could it go a bit faster? Not much, just a little), and although some of the harmonies you used were rather elementary, you made up for them with some brilliant textural touches.

Awesome. I wouldn't suggest making it any longer, but I would suggest writing more little pieces like these to form a set. The harmonic language is very consistent yet maintains interest (at least for me). The only thing that scared me was that it was so high in the trumpet's range, but since you play the trumpet yourself, I'm leaving that judgment up to you. Good work.

I liked it, and you should keep it as it is. However, next time try this: I liked the introduction of some chromaticism towards the end of the piece, but I felt like perhaps there could have been more earlier (this coming from a highly chromatic composer, i acknowledge). The same pitch material tends to get a little tiresome after a little while, especially at such a slow tempo. Otherwise, I like the overall conception of the piece. Maybe if you looked into the Latin language just a little bit before the next time you make a setting, you'll be able to accentuate every word appropriately (which is important to do when setting a language that barely anyone will immediately understand).

Movement IV: I see that you really like going from C major to E major! Not that there's anything wrong with that, and in a way it unifies this piece, but maybe in your next work you could go into a wider variety of different keys. And the fast figures in the second theme are definitely too fast for anyone to play, although it creates a cool effect on the computer. Maybe try using sixteenth notes instead. It would still be pretty fast, but then at least playable. That put aside, I think the second theme itself was very good. Catchy, too! At some spots the music feels a little awkward, and that's something that can only be cleared up by writing more music. For instance, I don't particularly like how around m. 18 the music stayed so diatonic and static in C major. It definitely wanted to move somewhere, but you didn't give a chance too. However, I must say that I like how you got yourself back to C major for the final bars. The viola and cello in the last four notes seems a bit out of place, being that there's really not much in the way of triplet eighth note type rhythms anywhere else in the piece, but it was a good ending nonetheless. Overall, I like the direction in which you seem to be headed. This was an enjoyable piece and I hope that as you refine your art in pieces to come you keep this general style. (btw, I can tell you listen to a lot of schubert... he's one of my favorites as well)

interesting concept, that golden rule thing... i'll have to try that out myself but about your piece... Movement I: Let me just say that it was a very happy piece, and although one may argue that you need contrasting sections in order to write good music, I liked the consistency of this movement. From m.36 onward, however, the counterpoint between the second and first violins feels a little disjointed. For a piece of this style I would advise trying to voice lead a little more between the two voices (avoid seconds and fourths and yada yada). Still, I thought that what you did with the violins at m. 41 and at other spots throughout the movement was really a nice touch. Also, starting the entire movement off with a repeated underying rhythmic pattern was a good idea, and you seem to keep with that idea throughout the entire movement. Again, great sense of consistency here. Movement II: I lost my entire second string quartet... not on the computer.. its just sitting around somewhere in my house and I never bothered to look for it... but I hope you can "find" or rewrite your second movement and share it here! Movement III: My opinion on the slowing down and speeding up is that it adds character to the piece. True, if you were writing this specifically for the general waltzing public, it would be impractical, but for you purposes here, it works. My biggest complaint about this movement is that sometimes the viola and cello often reach the tonic a measure earlier than the violins. (e.g. m. 15) This is by no means a bad thing, but since it's clear that your intent here is to write entirely tonal music, it sounds a bit awkward. Oddly enough, I got used to it as it occured more often in the piece, so it's up to you. If you intended that effect, you could certainly leave it in, but keep in mind that your average listening audience might feel uncomfortable with it at first (and only because of the context in which you used it!). What I really liked about this movement was its loose theme and variations kind of feel. Every key change was entirely unexpected, yet the same theme held everything together nicely. Your ending, even though it shifted keys kind of randomly, sounded conclusive because you had established the fact that this is not a tonally stable piece of music. Nice work. I have to go for now, but i'll be listening to and reviewing your final movement when I return.

Unless you're mom is Clara Schumann (and even she were) she'll love this piece. First to tackle your "issues." 1) Measures 72-89 I think were fine. They added a touch of instability in an otherwise fairly stable piece of music. I wouldn't suggest changing them in this piece at all, but in subsequent pieces you might want to tighten up the texture a little. The harmonies were fine, but I found the texture get just a little cluttered, which is why you might think that this section does not work. I mean, putting two separate melodic patterns together with two different accompaniment figures takes a master to pull off well, but I'm certainly not saying you couldn't do it right in another piece! 2) The ending was the only part that honestly was a bit unsettling to me. I would have liked for the piece to settle down in one key for the last few measures. What I heard was an exciting rush through several different keys and then an abrubt finish. What I would suggest doing is maybe lingering on the figure that you bring back in m. 222 just so that the key of Db can get firmly established in the listener's head before stopping the piece. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this piece. My favorite moment had to be at m. 81 when you switched from a 3 beat feel to a 2 beat feel. It gave the piece a sense of breadth. Also, your orchestrations are brilliant. I kid you not! With the exception of the thick texture at m. 72, I think you handled a massive orchestra very well. I can't wait to see you start writing symphonies. And also, I just want to let you know that my mom's birthday is in mid-august as well and I wrote a symphonic movement based on a piece SHE wrote and gave it to her for her birthday. (yours, of course, is 50 times better) But i just wanted to point out that unlikely coincidence. :D

If what you wanted to do was to create a piece in the style of Bach and Handel, you've succeeded. Congratulations. This piece, though not necessarily "original," was nonetheless a pleasure to listen to. To reconstruct music in any style is a daunting task, especially if that style has essentially died out. Remember that back in Bach's day this kind of music was heard everywhere, so writing it back then was like writing a pop song today. Still, I think you've created a very complex and in depth piece of baroque style music here. I really have nothing within the piece to criticize. Perhaps somebody who knows a bit more about baroque music can tell you what you can do to imitate that style even more closely, but for my part I wouldn't change a thing.

first of all, it's great to have a live recording among all the mp3's and MIDI's here... second of all (and this is just my opinion), I think you should take this sketch and run with it!... there's something quite Ivesian about it.. except where Ives tried to capture the spirit of America, I see a definitely more european flavor coming through. I can't help but think of a cafe in europe next to a bustling street in a crowded modern city when I listen to this piece. I like the flemish (it's flemish, right?) markings in your score, too. Even if you intended this piece as a joke, I think it has vast potential. I hope you write more stuff like this in the future.

Hi, everyone. What I have here is the first movement of a symphonic poem I wanted to write based on Edgar Allen Poe's "The Bells." What I want to do is to rewrite the movement and then finally continue with the other three movements. Suggestions? The percussion notation in the finale file got a little messed up as this comes from an older version of finale that used a different percussion font. Try to ignore it. :shifty: The Poe poem is divided into four sections, the first of which I'll include here: Hear the sledges with the bells- Silver bells! What a world of merriment their melody foretells! How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, In the icy air of night! While the stars that oversprinkle All the heavens, seem to twinkle With a crystalline delight; Keeping time, time, time, In a sort of Runic rhyme, To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells From the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells- From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells. One final note: When I say "rewrite," I basically mean to enter into finale again and fix the percussion staves and possibly enhance some orchestrations. However, anyone who has any ideas on how I could expand or compress or altogether change this work is free to give their input as well. bells.mus bells.MID

i'm kind of torn as to whether to enter as a composer or a contestant, but i have one question: i wrote a piece once for choir with trumpet and snare drum accompaniment... is that ok? (i've written lots of stuff for choir, but that's the only one i consider worthy of a competition setting) if that piece would be alright, sign me up as a composer, if not, i'd love to be a judge!

This is a fanfare for orchestra that I wrote a few years ago. I came across a fanfare for band in the major works forum recently so I thought I'd suck it up and put my own fanfare on here too. It was originally intended to be the first movement of a large scale symphony to celebrate my Slovak heritage (thus the title) but that work never really left the ground so we're left with this fanfare. My apologies for the MIDI, as always. Believe me, it irks me too! Now for some quick analysis: The piece is based on two themes: a standard fanfare-like theme introduced by the trumpets from the outset, and then a broader, more majestic theme with more of an inclination to modulation. I used the trombones to introduce this theme. Eventually the non-brass instruments join in and basically reiterate the themes. There isn't much development in this piece, but that is mainly because the piece is so short. Enjoy! slovak.MUS slovak.MID

yeah.. i'm impressed and i know next to nothing about band music, but to me this sounds like any good piece of band music i've ever heard played. I especially liked your use of solo lines and occasional muted trumpets. It added a lot of individual flavor to the piece. I wrote a fanfare for orchestra once but compared to your piece it sounds rather monotonous :D. I'm thinking of putting it up in the orchestral forum sometime in the next few days. Check it out. Not only would it make a great opener for a high school band concert or marching band performance, but any college or professional band would leap at the opportunity of performing something like this. No joke! I hope you keep writing band music far into the future. It's a genre that can always use more TLC. :)

All I can say is that I would love to hear this performed. You leave so much room for interpretations and stylistic differences. And the solo violin repertoire, after all, could use some enhancement in the current age of brass and woodwind solos galore. There were a few spots that sounded awkward, but I KNOW that was solely because of the MIDI. A good violinist will shape certain phrases to perfection, I know. The only real bone I have to pick with this piece is that sometimes the texture gets a little to thick for the instrument. You certainly have a fine grasp of the violin, but places such as measure 51 are very neat but are, unfortunately, impossible to play. A violinist cannot hold on to a note on the E string and then grab two notes below. This spot could certainly be played if the tie were broken, but the effect of one string sustaining over a busier line below is so cool that I would just cut out the D string note and have the A string play the moving line underneath the sustained notes. Altogether this was a great piece of modern (yet still distinctly tonal) music. Keep at it!

I would have to agree with jeremiah. Excellent work. Bach couldn't have done better. Let me ask you, in your music are you trying to emulate the baroque or are you attempting to take elements from the baroque and ultimately combine them to form a new kind of medium (like, say, Hindemith)? If your answer is the first, you're certainly there already, and if your answer is the second, you've built yourself a strong foundation to branch out from. Applause.