Choral Competition [DEADLINE PASSED!] View Submissions Thread

[Guest Nickthoven]

I'm sorry, although there are few rules, the keyboard-only rule for accompaniment is one of the stronger ones, although we could let the community decide if they'd like. I'll put you down as a judge for now.

Also, as some people have been asking about the nature of some of the specifications I have put forth about this competition, I will clear a couple of things up:

If you so desire, you may enter a piece that either has made-up words, nonsense words, or just syllables and consonants, or random words, whatever. But in doing so, you still accept full responsibility for your piece. Also, the judges may have a harder time valuing the piece as much as a piece that uses extensive text, so make it work! I originally put the specifications like they are because I have seen composers use plain syllables or nonsense words to good effect. This is not recommended to use if you just don't want to work with a text, however.

The bottomline is that the rules I have set up are extremely flexible. If you send the judges a piece, they will judge it.

[Tumababa]

Yes but what about PERFORMANCE?

[M_is_D]

Who says there'll be one?

[Nightingale Incorporated]

I haven't read all the posts, but I have a few questions:

1) May I use unaccompanied voices?

2) May I use orchestral accompaniment instead of keyboard. It's far easier for me to write for orchestra than piano.

3) If I have a nearly completed choral work, must I submit ANOTHER new piece for the competition?

4) Is there an opportunity to have these pieces performed? I will suggest that if anyone chooses to write a solo for piano and baritone soloist, I will gladly perform it.

Also, seeing as I am a well trained vocalist, I would be remissed to not be a judge for this competition, but I'd also like to compete (tricky tricky). But I only have Finale 2006. Is the Scorch plug-in available some place where I can get it (I assume this is for Sibelius files)?

[Daniel]

"4) Is there an opportunity to have these pieces performed? I will suggest that if anyone chooses to write a solo for piano and baritone soloist, I will gladly perform it."

Hrmhrm hrm.... very interesting.... :glare:

(just btw, what is your range? i.e. where would i write to make the piece most singable / best sounding for you .......... still just wondering)

[pianoman216]

"The work MAY be accompanied by a keyboard (piano, synthesizer, organ, celeste, etc.) or harp" according to the original limitations section, you dont have to, but you can. I personally could care less how someone accompanies their piece, so long as the focus is on the choir and it is judged based on the voices, not the insraments accompaning. I would imagine it would make judging a little more difficult if one had a full orchastra in the backround though.

I'm starting from scratch with my song, but I'm not sure if you can submit songs you've previously written (or mostly previously written). I'm kind of curious about that too.

This is a shout out to all college students in choir: Ask your professor if your choir could do the song. There arent many professional choirs that would be willing to premere an original song by some nobody, but a college professor might see it as a way to save money. Its worth a shot, and I'm sure the winner would love to get his or her piece performed.

[hummel]

I want to join as well :glare:

[pianoman216]

Do we have a deadline to have our pieces turned in by yet?

[Nightingale Incorporated]

My range is from Ab at the bottom of the Bass staff to Ab Bottom of the Treble Staff. My comfort range is from F to F, but I can dip lower or sing higher with relative ease. I'm a lyric baritone, so I like songs with a lot of line.

Also, I have a Collegiate Men's Chorus that would probably be interested in performing an amateur work written for TTBB Choir. I also direct a barbershop chorus, so if anyone choses to write a song in the barbershop style, I can have that performed as well (though I will definitely have to be the judge for such pieces).

[Guest Nickthoven]

As for Sean's questions, I originally wrote the rules to admit only keyboard accompaniments because that will usually keep the focus on the voices, which is what this competition is about. But if you do submit a work with orchestral accompaniment, the judges should still look at it and judge it fairly.

Remember! The rules are very flexible! So stop asking questions - just write good music!! :glare:

As for submitting already completed works, I see nothing against this. If one thinks their older piece is just as suited to show off how they work with voices, then by all means. But, I would strongly suggest against submitting pieces that have already been posted on Young Composers.

Being at a music conservatory, I am positive I could find a couple of singers to lay down a piece - whether or not it was written for a smaller group, or we just do it as a quartet or something, maybe laying tracks over to get a full chorus sound. Of course, a solo would be easier to find, but smaller groups are feasible as well.

Sean - Are you going to participate as a judge or composer?

Pianoman - There is no deadline as of yet.

[Nightingale Incorporated]

I think I would better serve this competition as a judge. I can submit my opinions on the singability and prosidy of a piece, and I know quite a bit about choral arrangements, so I think I could serve this competiton well as a judge. However, as stated before, I only have Finale 2006. If anyone has a file incompatible with this, I suggest submitting an MP3 and a PDF of the score. Just let me know what I have to do and when I have to do it, and you can count on me.

[Guest Nickthoven]

I am thinking of changing some of the rules for this competition, and I'd like to have a community decision.

I originally put down that the rules would be lenient, and I still agree with that idea, but I have reconsidered a couple of things and have come to a solution that creates more limitations in the competition.

1. No piece without text or meaningful text shall be admitted - this is to focus the competition more, rather than leaving it completely open. Honestly, I feel this competition is going to go to whoever has the most accessible musical style rather than who is the most skilled at writing for voice. But with extra perameters set, we will be able to compare the final pieces more to each other, rather than just what each judge prefers or does not.

2. I want to say no accompaniment allowed, as to keep the focus strictly on the text and the writing for voices, but I'll let you guys decide.

3. The text must be presented in full, and the composer must include with the finished product a detailed summary of how he translated the words into music, and any hardships he incurred during the process, etc. This is to cement the composers ideas into a verifiable source, whereupon the judges will guage accurate representation vs. what the music portrays.

Also, with these additions ratified, if so, I will change the name of the competition to 'YC Text-Setting Competition'.

P.S. I'll pm all the participants.

[pianoman216]

1.) I agree with this to a certain extent. I have written songs without actual words, just sylables (ex. "Ba Va Da Doo Way Ah"; go HERE for the .MUS file and the midi). You might have included that in general text, I just wanted to specify that I think that should be allowed.

2.) I think accopaniments should be allowed so long as they dont distract from the vocal.

3.) I like the idea of a discription with your piece. Music is very interprative, and its helpful to know why something was written the way it was written.

Thats just my 2 cents. The piece I'm working on follows the strictest rules you could set in place (4 parts, no accompaniment, full original text etc.) so I'm not saying any of this in hopes of helping my piece qualify, its just my oppinion.

[Guest Brandon Homayouni]

I like all of Nicktoven's new parameters.

[leightwing]

I am thinking of changing some of the rules for this competition, and I'd like to have a community decision.

I originally put down that the rules would be lenient, and I still agree with that idea, but I have reconsidered a couple of things and have come to a solution that creates more limitations in the competition.

1. No piece without text or meaningful text shall be admitted - this is to focus the competition more, rather than leaving it completely open. Honestly, I feel this competition is going to go to whoever has the most accessible musical style rather than who is the most skilled at writing for voice. But with extra perameters set, we will be able to compare the final pieces more to each other, rather than just what each judge prefers or does not

[Jeremiah Hong]

I want to join as a contestant!

[pianoman216]

There's talk here of the possibility of having the winning work performed. Do the works have to be performable? ..and by who? For instance, are low C's allowed in bass parts, or will they be discounted by some judges because they might be unrealistic for most choirs? Hint: You can choose to ignore this question and let the judges fight it out - or perhaps you could suggest that works written for "up to a competent college-level choir" are preferred.

I'm sure the judges will be looking at proper voice leading, which includes keeping parts within comfortable range. Low C's are very doable by most strong basses (I can hit them, and I'm a tenor) even down to a high school level, they're just difficult to sing loudly. So, if you have a low C on a fortissimo, then the judges should reduce your score (I would), if the low C is pianissimo, then it should work rather nicely.

And as for the whole text thing, part of choral writing is lyrics. You cant just have the choir sing "Ah"s the whole time. Even if the lyrics arent your own, or are simply sylables, they are still nessisary to have in a choral piece. A choral competition needs to include lyrics, as lyrics are more than involved in choral composing.

[cmajchord]

I'm sure the judges will be looking at proper voice leading, which includes keeping parts within comfortable range. Low C's are very doable by most strong basses (I can hit them, and I'm a tenor) even down to a high school level, they're just difficult to sing loudly. So, if you have a low C on a fortissimo, then the judges should reduce your score (I would), if the low C is pianissimo, then it should work rather nicely.

Pretty sure you're thinking of the wrong "C". Tenors can't hit that, it's below the bass clef staff.

[leightwing]

.. Low C's are very doable by most strong basses (I can hit them, and I'm a tenor) even down to a high school level.. [/b]

;) Uh.., we're talking about the same C two ledger lines below the staff in Bass clef, right? We were lucky to have a solid Eb kind of guy at the college I went to. I don't know what they are feeding you kids these days, but I want some!

[pianoman216]

Yes, I am talking about the C two octaves down from middle C, yes I can hit it, and yes, my old high school choir had 2 basses that could hit it past MF and could even drop as low and G below that after warming up sufficiently. Maybe I'm just lucky.

[leightwing]

Yes, I am talking about the C two octaves down from middle C, yes I can hit it, and yes, my old high school choir had 2 basses that could hit it past MF and could even drop as low and G below that after warming up sufficiently. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Cool! I don't even know of works that have notes that low for Bass. None in the standard repetiore. Zero. Not even for soloists. I guess we can all start writing low Bbs and lower in our scores for basses. - oh yeah, and C's for tenors - well, maybe Ds.

[pianoman216]

I dont know of any pieces with notes that low either....cause most people cant hit them. And no, most tenors cant hit Cs. I guess I'm somewhat of a baritone, but since I can hit up to high Cs, I call myself a tenor (I like singing high more). I'm not endorsing writng down to low low low Gs for basses, or down to low low Cs for tenors, I was just under the impression that more basses could hit low low C's seeing as how I've known several personally that can.

[cmajchord]

I dont know of any pieces with notes that low either....cause most people cant hit them. And no, most tenors cant hit Cs. I guess I'm somewhat of a baritone, but since I can hit up to high Cs, I call myself a tenor (I like singing high more). I'm not endorsing writng down to low low low Gs for basses, or down to low low Cs for tenors, I was just under the impression that more basses could hit low low C's seeing as how I've known several personally that can.

This whole thing gives me the impression that we are talking about horrible sounds. Tenors cannot sing low C's. Even a grovel (which is not singing) is nearly impossible for that note for tenors. And if someone can sings low C's, there is no way they can sing the high "tenor" C's. More than likely it is a horrible scream. In that case I can sing to the Eb above that, and I'm a baritone. I'd love to hear a recording of vocalizing low C's below the staff up to high C's in the middle of the Treble Clef. No one can sing four C's.

Hahaha, it makes me laugh.

[pianoman216]

Speak for yourself. I dont care what anyone says, you dont have to believe me (I probly wouldnt). But when it comes down to it, I CAN sing 4 Cs. I know a girl that has a 4 and a half octave range (low Eb to high high A). Its really amazing to see her scale up 4 and a half octaves, and she does it flawlessly.

[pianoman216]

K, so I just went down to my piano and checked to make sure I was accurate on my information. I hit low low Eb up through high Bb solidly. I hit a low low Db, but it was shakey, and a high E, but it was quite squeeky. My range has shrunk slightly over the summer, so currently I'm 3 notes from 4 octaves.