Exorcism : Scene 1 for String Orchestra.

Hello, I have composed this piece for string orchestra in the Horror Genre. I previously did an Old Style symphony so it is a change of pace from that!

I am welcoming feedback especially in terms of articulations as I dont play strings I marked them Marcato throughout and did not feel the need for many dynamics. Also feedback in general is appreciated.

I think you give the listener lots of space to absorb the thematic material in this piece through your use of copious amounts of repetition (but not without a fair amount of variation as well).  I do feel like you stick to short motifs though when you could have written phrases spanning maybe longer than a few measures?  You mostly just juxtapose your motifs - when you repeat a motif too much you just switch over to another motif and when that one out-repeats it's usefulness you switch again.  I think you basically have three major motifs:  1) the 16th note motif, 2) the rising 8th note motif and 3) the falling quarter note motif.  It would have been cool if you introduced a long 8 or 16 bar melody above what you have right now.  Also - you use quite a lot of doubling in this piece which isn't necessarily bad string orchestra writing but you could have used some of the parts to introduce some counterpoint or combine maybe all 3 motifs together all at once which would have been even cooler.  Overall an enjoyable piece although it's almost a parody of horror music.  Thanks for sharing!

On 2/5/2021 at 8:52 AM, Andy Pattinson said:

feedback especially in terms of articulations as I dont play strings

i don't either, darn it. that pic of me up there and to the left is me just pretending to scratch out a fiddle tune - but way too much about me already....

I do not have anything particular to criticize in your Exorcism, nothing that irks or annoys me, no, not at all. Quite the contray. (Getting this out of the way early, those grinding strings I hear in about halfway and then to the end remind of those that take over the bass line near the end of the last movement of Beethoven's 7th and that works well here). Obviously this piece is thematically consistent throughout its length and that also works well but one thing occurs to me (or would occur to me if I were to be put in charge of the Exorcism) is that a bit more variety at least in 'feel' might make me more happier with what would then be my Exorcism. The way it stands now, it, to my hears, has a bit of a case of "man, that was a short piece and all I got were exciting (in a low key way) and evocative tones but not many passages of differing character, am I satisfied? Maybe, maybe not". In my mind, I kept imagining short passages where the violins would break out of the predominant rhythm for a bit, a la, perhaps, the main melody of the early part of the Ride Of The Valkyries, not necessarily like its string work but, you know, something a bit fantastical. Aren't exorcisms usually spooky things? If it had been me, *I* would have brought in a couple or a few spooks along the way. But, I present this Exorcism back to you and see no real reason why you *should* change anything.