Minuet and trio in G

My second minuet and trio. I'm learning alot in writing these pieces. I would appreciate any feedback, I have no idea whether it's absolutely awful and impossible to listen to the end? Are the melodies boring? Is the harmony awkward? Is it too predictable or cliche? If you played and stopped listening, please let me know why. Even one word replies such as, 'yawn' are valid criticism and appreciated because I'm blind to my own music.

minuet_and_trio_in_G.mid

Can you upload the MP3 again, as it is not working. Thanks 

Hi, the audio works perfectly to my 🙂.

I agree with you, one can learn a lot with such a small forms. 

I find your minuet nice. You modulate from tonic to dominant in the first repetition and dominant-tonic in the second repetition. That's very tipical of that kind of pieces and I like it. Then the middle section in the parallel minor key from GM to Gm, that's also a common and good practice in my opinion. 

I don't find it boring at all, but I would consider avoiding the repetitions in that middle section. I feel it to long. I think 24 bar of Gm is enaugh to create contrast. Or at least I would avoid the repetition of the second Gm section, because it contains some of the material of the previous section, and the repetition of the repetition is too much 😉. You can try how it sounds like and then decide. 

The last bars as a kind of recapitulation also perfectly logical and even necessary to come back to GM. 

You can also consider some inflection to the Subdominant of the relative minor key to create some inestability with some kind of modulating progression like that, with is also a common practice in the style. I think something like that can be nice in the transición from Gm section to the "recapitulation" because you come from Gm and then introduce GM7 as a dominant to end up in GM as a tonic, even better if you end the phrase with a half-cadence on DM to link with the recapitulation. 

I just give you some ideas to deepen on the form...nice work. Thanks for posting!

Nice comments Guillem and nice monte there in your suggestion. 

Audio works for me now. I’ll say that your cadential progressions are much better than some of the examples in your previous minuet. You have obviously been thinking about that. 

I think that your thematic material is fine. I think with more experience you will start to me more adventurous with your rhythmic and tonal choices. I would suggest listening to some of the minuet’s from trio sonatas of the early classical era - like Abel or Johann Christian Bach. Then listen to some of Mozart’s orchestral minuets during the middle-late period of his career to see what potential this form has. 

Mid you fancy doing an exercise with me and Guillem some time, that would be good fun. We have done some before for which we predefined voice leading devices to appear at specific stages of our 16 bar minuet, and wrote 6 variations on that. It was good fun! 

The minuet is at the 8:12 mark of the above. You will notice at a number of cadences, Abel writes a quick succession of descending notes towards the 3rd. This is one example of the cudworth cadence and was something of a cliche during the classical era.

enjoy!

Thanks for posting Markus! Lovely exemple from Abel. That's an interesting figure on the trancision beetwen Baroque and Classical style. 

Of course, your ar wellcome to join our collaborations. You can write us anytime. 

2 minutes ago, Guillem82 said:

Thanks for posting Markus! Lovely exemple from Abel. That's an interesting figure on the trancision beetwen Baroque and Classical style. 

Of course, your ar wellcome to join our collaborations. You can write us anytime. 

 

This music would have been written for the court of Queen Charlotte, serving some functional purpose. 

Sounds like it’s early 1760s

Thank you both for your kind, encouraging comments. I think the gm section is perhaps less of a contrast to the GM section as is needed and that could by why its ear-tiring on the repeats. For now i think it would be better if i master the minuet form before i take on the minuet and trio, im struggling with creating the trio section. 

Im still studying the galant style schemas and as i learn them ill include them. I read about the fonte, monte, ponte and your example is great, i think the instability would create an interesting trio theme much like the development section in sonata form.

Thank you for sharing the Youtube link, ive not heard if C F Abel. And yes, the collaboration of us three would be fun! I look forward to it 🙂