sanctushilarus

If you don't mind learning German, I will say that most of the provinces in Germany have done away with tuitions. All you'd have to pay for is cost of living, and a small application fee. Plus you would be networking with a very solid musical community. I think they have an application deadline in March, so consider looking into it.

This might sound a little strange, but I am looking for an example of a section in a baroque trio sonata, or perhaps any chamber work (preferably from a slow movement) that features consecutive dominant 7th chords in a chromatically descending sequence. For an idea of what I'm talking about, watch this video and fast-forward to about 40 seconds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcinMxNYBc It's the opening chorus from Bach's St John Passion. But the instrumentation is too big so it doesn't really work for me. I plan to quote the excerpt in a string trio I am writing, in case you're wondering why I have such a specific wish. But I haven't found anything so far.. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

I have a piece I might submit, but due to the nature of the writing it is very impractical, if at all possible, to make a MIDI rendition. Does this disqualify me?

I don't think Haas ever intended to write a masterpiece; just an honest piece of music for chamber orchestra. It just so happens that it was pretty well-received; I heard the conductor Simon Rattle, among some others, sing its praises, and decided that I should listen myself. I particularly liked the way in which a gradually shifting tempo can create a sort of fractal effect, so you don't know which sound-layer is which anymore. I had never heard that before, and was very much struck when I finally did. The closest thing I can think of is Ligeti's "devil-staircase" effect, which we hear in the piano etudes; but even this is an entirely different idea. As far as Grisey is concerned: yes, Haas seems very much influenced by the French spectral music movement. But it's a relationship similar to the one between Beethoven and Brahms; the influence is notable, but both composers were great in their own right. And the idea of music enhancing natural resonance is part of our own zeitgeist. There's nothing wrong with that! Maybe I'm naively optimistic, but I don't think anyone puts themselves at the top of any pyramid, and I think everybody writes music that's interesting in the same way that everyone is unique (whether I personally happen to like that piece is a completely different issue). But look at it this way: if I listen to Bach or Beethoven with the wrong mindset, it'll sound like cheesy, fancy, boring classical music. And if I listen to Webern or Boulez with the wrong mindset, it'll sound like weird, splashy, inaccessible, modernist crap. I happen to hold all four of those composers in high esteem, so I make sure to listen with the right mindset. When I do, the music is as interesting and intriguing as if I were listening for the first time.

I think Pierre Boulez is one who will go down in history. But I wouldn't attribute that to his highly evolved (and constantly evolving, especially considering how much the man revises) style, but rather to his very successful, high-profile career (much of this was conducting, too). But Pierre Boulez is an old man by now, his style is getting outdated, and I think he knows it too. I think one serious leading figure of our own time, the twenty-first century, is Georg Friedrich Haas. Take an hour of your time to listen to his "In Vain." You'll hear what I mean. The problem with all of this, however, is that there are some great composers with brilliant musical minds, but not the best networking skills or career opportunities. These are the ones who work humble positions in composition departments at various music schools. The ground broken by Haas could have possibly already been broken thirty years ago by a composer that no one on YC could have possibly ever heard of. This rather modest level of success was reached by Bach, but see how we remember him today!

I see this thread was posted several months ago.. if you're still on season with these concerts, I do have a piece for piano trio that I'm trying to get performed, and I think it would fit in nicely with the repertoire you've mentioned above. If you guys are still available, I would be more than happy to email you PDF files of the score and parts!

Ok folks, here is my submission: Luminus for string bass. http://www.youngcomposers.com/music/4902/luminus/ A few words to the judges: I've made a few changes between having written out and scanned the final copy of the score (or part, rather), and having recorded the actual piece. Those worth mentioning are the following: Dynamics in the opening, especially right before the section marked 'fluidly.' Bowings toward the ending of the section marked fluidly: Ascending scales are now slurred in one bow (in the score, they're still broken) The sforzando "bass notes" at the section marked 'stridently' are every so slightly different. The descending line that they form is now more chromatic. This change is subtle and hardly noticeable. That's about all I can think of. The piece itself could be best described as a prelude. The title refers to the important role played by overtones in the overall sound of this piece and its development. Or of all music for string instruments? Or of all music itself, even? I've found the harmonic series to be analogous to the individual colors within a ray of light.