String Quintet - Joke

Wow... It's been a while since I don't post anything in here.

Well, here is a tiny string quintet I wrote recently. As always, any feedback is appreciated!

Also, I want to listen/review some works, but it's been so long I've been here that I don't really know where to start. So, feel free to send me your stuff if you want me to listen to it 🙂

It's a little short but I like it the way it is.

Some spelling mistakes here and there... 

I believe the contrabass player won't have much fun playing this, but it's not necessary.

Personally I'd give him some stage time, especially because it's a comic piece.

I'd love to finally get some feedback for this: 

51 minutes ago, Rabbival507 said:

Some spelling mistakes here and there... 

Sorry to ask, but what's wrong in this passage?

51 minutes ago, Rabbival507 said:

I believe the contrabass player won't have much fun playing this, but it's not necessary.

Yes, I agree. I wasn't sure I was even going to add it, but I felt like I needed a bit of low end for some of these passages to sound good. Maybe I'll revise it and see if I can make it's part a bit more interesting.

Thanks for the feedback!

1 hour ago, Jean Szulc said:

Sorry to ask, but what's wrong in this passage?

Pizzicato sounds like a plucked staccato anyway, especially on violin, so there is no need to put in the staccato marks. If you wanted the same short sustain in a bowed passage, then by all means put staccato or staccatissimo markings in the passage. But for pizzicato, just mark pizz. and you will get the short sustain.

Oh, okay, true. Thank you!

This is really a quite well put together little piece!  It is quite playful and humorous which is clearly your intention judging by your title.  I love the juxtaposition of major and minor versions of the same chord and the chromaticism actually makes a lot of sense.  This piece fits some of the requisites for a Scherzo (in the original meaning of the word which was synonymous with "joke").  Measure 7 is just such a specimen - the surprise marking of forte makes this quite typical of a Scherzo.  Some other requirements of a modern understanding of a Scherzo might be missing such as a driving tempo and rounded binary form but to me it's still a Scherzo at heart.  I wish you had lengthened this somehow - maybe by the inclusion of another middle section before a recapitulation of the main theme (as sometimes Scherzi do in imitation of the form of a minuet which includes a trio).  I liked this - great job!

Hello, @PaperComposer!

Thank you very much for your feedback! Also, thanks for the information on the Scherzo, and about it's new, expanded properties.

I will try to increase it a little. I want it to be part of a group of small chamber works, each for a different formation. Because of this, I don't want it to be a lenghty piece, but one to be seen along with a few others.

It makes me happy that you felt a light, playful spirit in this piece. It's always nice to know you achieved what you set out to do 🙂

All the best!

On 12/26/2020 at 9:18 PM, Jean Szulc said:

Sorry to ask, but what's wrong in this passage?

As far as I'm concerned- you cannot Pizz and Stac at the same time for Stac stands for quick touch and release of the bow