Contemporary Composition

Hi everyone ,

I have any question :) . Firstly my English is very bad. So I'm sorry . I'm composition student at university and I have scholarship but my class is preparation . My Professor and my friend says my compositions very good  but I'm writing tonal music but I cant write contemporary music . 

 example : I cant write Whole tone music or I cant write like Stravinsky . What can I do ? I want to write contemporary music , whole tone and like stravinsky . My Professor said that so early but my other Professor said that you can start contemporary  .

What can I do ? :)

Thak you .

I'm sorry for my english is very bad.

Is Stravinsky still considered "contemporary"? lol. You do know that contemporary music can be tonal as well? If you want to write like living composers (ie. Corigliano, Rihm, Boulez, Widmann, etc.), I would just expose myself to that music more. Listen more to contemporary music, study scores, read biographies and other literature. 

If you like Stravinsky's style, then by all means go for it! Listen to his music and look at the scores as though it were part of your daily sustenance. Although you should know that as Danish has said, contemporary works can be found in all sorts of styles so there is no reason why you should press yourself to compose in any particular way if it isn't what you are good at or passionate about. I consider myself a contemporary composer but I'm pretty much just a tonal sort. Sometimes I compose in styles that aren't considered "contemporary" so.... yeah anyway.... The point is if you like a certain style and want to compose in it, just listen to it a lot and read the scores while you listen and get in the right frame of mind. Make efforts to compose melodies and such that sound similar in style and eventually all this will result in you taking on that style.

I'm sorry :) I said that my english is very bad .. I would like compose like Debussy or Ravel . I hear tonal melody in my had . I compose only paper and pencil. But I cant ear whole tone melody in my head . may be I must listen more Debussy and Ravel .

This is my composition and my first orchestral composition : http://www.youngcomposers.com/music/listen/7246/War%20and%20after

I want to improve my style . I want mix impressionist style and my style .

I'm sorry my english so bad :D 

Ravel was very much influenced by American jazz and you can certainly hear the influence in his music through pentatonics and somewhat instrumentation. I would study the elements of jazz along with Ravels compositions and that would help you immensely. After all, if you like Ravel's works then you are likely to like some jazz. I would avoid avante-garde for the moment though. It's a bit advanced and new.