Letting Myself Fall

Hello! Here is my submission for the Winter 2017 Competition. It is piece about an affair, written for orchestra. The music follows the contours of a relationship, beginning when two lovers first meet, then winding its way through their complex and illicit romance. Any feedback is appreciated! Enjoy.

Note: The theme on which this piece was originally based comes from the second movement of Beethoven's piano sonata Opus 7.

I'm just starting out on this forum also forgive me if I am not familiar with any customs towards how to approach giving comments/feedback.

I love the playfulness of the piece during just the first part of the piece (around 2:30). I also enjoy the obvious tension chosen to show an intimacy of two young/fresh lovers in the very opening where the richer middle section of the strings play out.

There are a few spots where the dynamics blend well through playback, but wouldn't make much sense during a performance.

Also, this is quite the raunchy story in variation two (which is obviously appropriate to explain the steps of the variation but still).

Hope I helped in some sort of way

On 3/15/2017 at 0:15 AM, Alamo said:

I'm just starting out on this forum also forgive me if I am not familiar with any customs towards how to approach giving comments/feedback.

I love the playfulness of the piece during just the first part of the piece (around 2:30). I also enjoy the obvious tension chosen to show an intimacy of two young/fresh lovers in the very opening where the richer middle section of the strings play out.

There are a few spots where the dynamics blend well through playback, but wouldn't make much sense during a performance.

Also, this is quite the raunchy story in variation two (which is obviously appropriate to explain the steps of the variation but still).

Hope I helped in some sort of way

 

Thanks for your feedback! I'm glad you felt the tension in there. Can you be more specific about the dynamics? Which part are you talking about? Thanks!!

(I think) At M15 we have the string section (minus the D.B.) play a quarter note slurred to an eighth. The chords start as a EbM chord, then transition to an Fm/D chord. Personally, I'd switch the 1st & 2nd Violins to add a consistency of rank, but that's preference and no one really cares (including a lot of famous composers) lol

However, those two chords play pp and staccato their last note of that measure. Because of playback it'd play more of a mf sound, rather a true pp. Even though they play alone, a pp still wouldn't be heard as closely due to the louder section play a couple measures before. Either a crescendo from a p, or mp would be sufficient to carry.

Finale, Sibelius, Musescore and a lot of other playback machines don't follow their dynamics to the instruments and capabilities, but rather the MIDI file that could be cleanly stuck on. One of the better VS libraries to come out solely for notation software that is being sold right now is Noteperformer for Sibelius.

Anyways, dynamics are really loose to an actual orchestra. They're not intensely followed, but providing close dynamics allows a smoother rehearsal for any performer and gives the sense that an individual does not need to wait for a conductor/director to give them their articulations and dynamics themselves.