Little piece for chamber ensemble (strings)

Hi all 🙂

Here's a new piece (adagio) to test EWQL Symphonic Orchestra's 4 violins and 3 cellos sections.

Just let me know 🙂

Lot's of content! My favorite bars were 52, 53 and 66 to 70.

Gave me the motivation to go back and practice my etude for piano!

It is to me, a very dramatic adagio.

Sounds nice.

But you should go over some basic rules of counterpoint. If you want to imitate clasic coounterpoint.

Look at this. What chord is there in m. 17? Why that E in the bass? This is highly dissonant. The Bb in the top is dissonant with E (tritone) and with F (4th). The way you have written it, it works as a principal note. Dissonances in counterpoint must be prepared-resolve. If you arrive to it by leap and leave it by leap.... not good, in that case it's not an auxiliary note, it becomes a principal note... And it sould be harmonized.

Here is another example of dissonance in strong points:

In general terms i think the three lines are well developed and keep their independency.

Classic counterpoint is very hard if you  use more than two lines. And with two lines you need to have some concepts clear. If not, the good sounds of the piece in general are ruined by those dissonances, etc.

11 hours ago, Luis Hernández said:

Look at this. What chord is there in m. 17? Why that E in the bass? This is highly dissonant. The Bb in the top is dissonant with E (tritone) and with F (4th). The way you have written it, it works as a principal note. Dissonances in counterpoint must be prepared-resolve. If you arrive to it by leap and leave it by leap.... not good, in that case it's not an auxiliary note, it becomes a principal note... And it sould be harmonized.

 

Hi Luis,

Thanks once again for your constructive and attentive feedback. 🙂

Well on this bar 17 the chord is mostly a C7 with the E at bass, so with the F it shall become a C7 sus 4... ? I admit the chord wasn't my main concern here 🤐

Also my point here wasn't to resolve the tension, but just to let it disappear as the F procedes naturally from bar 16 and precedent motive :

But you're right that it sounds a bit weird, I hadn't been shocked by it while listening-reviewing.

This C7 chord with E at bass is the same as here (bar 10) :

Regarding the second dissonance that you point out, it's obvious. Although I hadn't remarked it, I sometimes use this kind of dissonance as to "condensate a chromatism in one note". It can have various effects … 😉

I agree with you I should check my dissonances more deeply. I'm used to write what I hear for each part, which gives them independency as you say, but might also easily trigger harmonic issues. I've worked on it recently, and, though some problems are remaining, I can tell you things improved a lot … 😉

Quote

you should go over some basic rules of counterpoint

Aren't we speaking here of harmonic issues more than of counterpoint issues ?

Thanks you Professor 🙂

13 hours ago, Sabriel Guindon said:

Lot's of content! My favorite bars were 52, 53 and 66 to 70.

Gave me the motivation to go back and practice my etude for piano!

It is to me, a very dramatic adagio.

 

Thanks you very much Sabriel 🙂

Yes there are dramatic elements in this piece. I like to go rather dramatic  here and there when writing in minor key 😁

Well, let us here this study for piano !

OK but there's a difference:

A C7/E can't have F, it's the avoid note.

If you wanted a C7sus4 chors, ok, the F is the note tha REPLACES E. So you can't write F over E.

Please don't call me Professor, because I'm not. In any case Dr. (in Medicine, my profession).