Composition challenge 4.

Hello to everyone, long time no see I guess. I have been thinking about doing a new challenge for a while and after talking with a friend of mine I decided helping him get more attention though this idea. He composed the theme for the challenge and here you have his channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsS32hvWf1viXAjgencKNg

The original purpose is to compose a little set of variations obviously, but you can do literally anything with it as long as the original material is recognizable and it isn't too short (like 10 measures/15 seconds) or too long (like 30 minutes of music).

You can take both a harmonic approach or use the melodic shapes of the harmonization as your material.  I will set the deadline around the 28th of November of 2021. As always you can send me your rendition to my email ivanmusic1886@gmail.com in a Musescore format or MP3+PDF.  

Have fun! And if you can't compose anything for now or you aren't interested in participating, sharing the challenge with other people is highly encouraged and we will be thankful

My friend also decided to join the forum very recently: @Ferran Carrasquer

Have a few moments. I'll throw something.

It isn't easy because there's so little of it, just one phrase with a passing modulation.

6 hours ago, Quinn said:

Have a few moments. I'll throw something.

It isn't easy because there's so little of it, just one phrase with a passing modulation.

 

Indeed, because there isn't much material you need to get creative to get something good. I hope you will enjoy participating in the challenge. 🙂

Unfortunately my first effort isn't going to work. Having run up variations they aren't musically satisfactory and it would take prohibitive time to produce a score. I work from paper to daw to notation software. In trying to humanise the daw the first job is to get every note to fit the grid; then export it to notation and add all the dynamics etc there. Finally get score and music registered. That'll never get done in a month. 

On 10/27/2021 at 11:21 AM, Quinn said:

Unfortunately my first effort isn't going to work. Having run up variations they aren't musically satisfactory and it would take prohibitive time to produce a score. I work from paper to daw to notation software. In trying to humanise the daw the first job is to get every note to fit the grid; then export it to notation and add all the dynamics etc there. Finally get score and music registered. That'll never get done in a month. 

 

 

 

 

Oh well. that's unfortunate. But why would it take you so long? How much music are you going to create. You don't need to do a crazy amount of music, a couple of variations is okay as long as they are interesting. 

The composition and putting it in the daw took hardly any time - about 4 hours but as you want a score I'll have to clean up some scruffy instrumentation then tidy up the daw - then send the midi to the notation software and wrestle with that. It never gets it right first time. xml is more trouble than it's worth so it's a midi export. Having to fit it in with other work a fair estimate based on experience tells me it'll take a month to complete. There were 5 variations of about 40 seconds each.

I'll try something else. 

14 hours ago, Quinn said:

The composition and putting it in the daw took hardly any time - about 4 hours but as you want a score I'll have to clean up some scruffy instrumentation then tidy up the daw - then send the midi to the notation software and wrestle with that. It never gets it right first time. xml is more trouble than it's worth so it's a midi export. Having to fit it in with other work a fair estimate based on experience tells me it'll take a month to complete. There were 5 variations of about 40 seconds each.

I'll try something else. 

 

If you need help transcribing it to notation I could help you, although I'm quite busy, but I guess I will have some free time until the submission date. By the way, do you know anyone on this forum who knows a bit about music collages of pieces with multiple aesthetics/styles? I'm asking that because I posted an experimental piece of mine and I really would like getting some feedback on why my piece doesn't really work.

1 hour ago, Ivan1791 said:

By the way, do you know anyone on this forum who knows a bit about music collages of pieces with multiple aesthetics/styles?

There's a discord server called "The United Composers Collective" on which I've heard of a few users who write poly-stylistic pieces.  Might be worth it to join and ask for feedback there:  https://discord.gg/N77FKnxfJ8

On 10/31/2021 at 1:26 AM, Ivan1791 said:

If you need help transcribing it to notation I could help you, although I'm quite busy, but I guess I will have some free time until the submission date. By the way, do you know anyone on this forum who knows a bit about music collages of pieces with multiple aesthetics/styles? I'm asking that because I posted an experimental piece of mine and I really would like getting some feedback on why my piece doesn't really work.

 

Rubato is the problem. Easy in the daw, just ignore the grid - but that doesn't help getting it to notation which reproduces the daw with dead-on accuracy so there's much work writing it out with standard note durations. No notation software I've encountered can do rubato just as someone wants it.

I write in various styles because I came up the traditional route (until hitting serial music which put me right off) but aside from 'light music' aren't conscious of mixing styles in individual pieces (unless there's an intention. In the set of variations I did on your tune, the variations are in different styles but not mixed in individual ones). Sorry I can't help there.

I have been working on this over the past couple of days.  We'll see how it turns out and if I can finish it before the deadline!  🤞

Same problem. They may have to come without the scores. Two variations are for solos (Guitar and Piano) and they're no problem. The rest is!

I HATE notation software. Time I gave it the footware....

On 11/1/2021 at 10:38 AM, Quinn said:

Rubato is the problem. Easy in the daw, just ignore the grid - but that doesn't help getting it to notation which reproduces the daw with dead-on accuracy so there's much work writing it out with standard note durations. No notation software I've encountered can do rubato just as someone wants it.

I write in various styles because I came up the traditional route (until hitting serial music which put me right off) but aside from 'light music' aren't conscious of mixing styles in individual pieces (unless there's an intention. In the set of variations I did on your tune, the variations are in different styles but not mixed in individual ones). Sorry I can't help there.

 

Well, let me know if you will need more time. 

And that's okay. Also I'm curious to see what styles you used for the variations. 🙂

On 11/7/2021 at 8:04 PM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

I have been working on this over the past couple of days.  We'll see how it turns out and if I can finish it before the deadline!  🤞

 

Glad to hear so, I'm sure it will be cool! I haven't had time to check your music and because I wanted to participate in this challenge I might extent the deadline until December. Mainly because not a lot of people got interested.

Btw ... I don't know if your friend Ferran did this on purpose but the top voice of the theme is non-retrogradeable (it's the same forwards and backwards) which I think is pretty cool!

4 minutes ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

Btw ... I don't know if your friend Ferran did this on purpose but the top voice of the theme is non-retrogradeable (it's the same forwards and backwards) which I think is pretty cool!

 

I know, I also noticed that and I want to use it to craft something interesting. I'm not sure if he did it on purpose honestly, you can ask him, he's on this forum too. He posted his big piano sonata a while ago.

On 11/9/2021 at 2:00 AM, Ivan1791 said:

Well, let me know if you will need more time. 

 

And that's okay. Also I'm curious to see what styles you used for the variations. 🙂

I did two sets anyway, more for fun as the theme is so short so the variations are short. It's possible to develop the variations (i.e. by inversion, splitting it etc) but also beyond the theme itself.

1 full orchestra

2 chamber orchestra. 

Both have guitar solos, #2 a piano piece; and are 5 variations each.

But as for the rubato guitar it's being an absolute pig getting it into notation. To make visual sense it splits into 4 voices. I spent an afternoon/ evening wrestling with it and ended up with just 2 bars. I might split it into two staves. Of course, one learns a lot as a result so let's hope it goes better. Either or both sets may have to come without scores other than those solo pieces as the orchestration need cleaning up a lot first - things like out of laziness I wrote the 4 horn parts on one staff where the dynamics of each didn't vary etc.

.

Ok.  I sent the mp3 by PM. It treats pdfs differently in PMs than on the forum, so here's the score (that I can finish). It's registered with PRS.

Tomorrow is the closing date!

BTW The date in the pdf file title is wrong. I forgot to change it when doing the pdf thing.

I've already sent mine via email earlier, but I guess I can share it again: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/17ynon62ej4y2er/AADfKwB2BUIJYx6bLxKPljG7a?dl=0

Wow!  Nice job @Theodore Servin and @Quinn!  I'm not sure if I'll get to review these pieces anywhere else in the forum so I'll just do it here.

Theo - What a great and emotional tour the force your Impromptu has been!  Making use of the theme in many clever and quite salient ways - the link to the original is hard to miss.  The theme being stated in high relief in the beginning sets the stage for quite a lucid and affecting development that resembles Rachmaninoff.  The piece follows an arc of rising tension, climax, and denouement which leaves one feeling satisfied and like one has been on a complete musical journey in itself.  Thanks for your participation!

Quinn - The score looks good but I thought there was a guitar part in it?  Or was that the part that was deemed impossible to notate satisfactorily?  I know you posted your composition mp3 somewhere a while back and I heard it maybe twice or so but then it was removed?  I'd love to hear it again!  Thanks for participating!

As for my own piece - I was fashioning a Piano Trio in A minor but it's not finished and I am far from happy with it.  I don't know if I'll work on it more sometime in the future or not.

9 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

Wow!  Nice job @Theodore Servin and @Quinn!  I'm not sure if I'll get to review these pieces anywhere else in the forum so I'll just do it here.

Quinn - The score looks good but I thought there was a guitar part in it?  Or was that the part that was deemed impossible to notate satisfactorily?  I know you posted your composition mp3 somewhere a while back and I heard it maybe twice or so but then it was removed?  I'd love to hear it again!  Thanks for participating!

As for my own piece - I was fashioning a Piano Trio in A minor but it's not finished and I am far from happy with it.  I don't know if I'll work on it more sometime in the future or not.

 

Yes, there's a different guitar piece though. (The variation was titled "No cobwebs on this guitar") and two piano variations, one a prelude and the other (Var 6) a lounge-styled representation. Again so much rubato so difficult to notate. I had to take lessons with DailyDuo for the prelude as it tended to the style of Liszt's 6th Transcendental study. I'll bung the mp3 on the forum  in a couple of days.

And look forward to your Piano Trio.  I wasn't happy with my effort either, usually leaving a month at least before final revisions. The score is a bit scruffy but is essentially accurate note-wise. So... as and when. 🙂

9 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

Theo - What a great and emotional tour the force your Impromptu has been!  Making use of the theme in many clever and quite salient ways - the link to the original is hard to miss.  The theme being stated in high relief in the beginning sets the stage for quite a lucid and affecting development that resembles Rachmaninoff.  The piece follows an arc of rising tension, climax, and denouement which leaves one feeling satisfied and like one has been on a complete musical journey in itself.  Thanks for your participation!

Thanks! I'm really glad you liked it!

9 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

As for my own piece - I was fashioning a Piano Trio in A minor but it's not finished and I am far from happy with it.  I don't know if I'll work on it more sometime in the future or not.

Even if you don't make it for this event, I would still love to be able to hear the finished product, it sounds like will be a really cool piece. 🙂

10 hours ago, Theodore Servin said:

I've already sent mine via email earlier, but I guess I can share it again: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/17ynon62ej4y2er/AADfKwB2BUIJYx6bLxKPljG7a?dl=0

 

 

 

A most accomplished piece, Theodore. Beautiful. Amazing how you got so much out of that most basic of themes. can I presume that was performed on a keyboard?

8 hours ago, Quinn said:

A most accomplished piece, Theodore. Beautiful. Amazing how you got so much out of that most basic of themes. can I presume that was performed on a keyboard?

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! And yes, I recorded it on my keyboard.

I'm looking forward to hearing your piece too!

On 11/30/2021 at 4:37 PM, Theodore Servin said:

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! And yes, I recorded it on my keyboard.

I'm looking forward to hearing your piece too!

 

I fear my effort will come across trivial and superficial by comparison with yours. As it hasn't been officially presented here now, I'll pop it on the forum tomorrow under "orchestral" although it has piano variations.

Thanks the Theme.

https://flat.io/score/61903973c8d7ce0012aa2b3d-8-variations-on-a-theme-by-ferran-carrasquer?sharingKey=8c9faf328949271931e43666f46410a2da42f78f12259ce6d0221ce2bdece88c7807f3d9cba4615a2f15411052821d7a0bb22e0cd8dc19773f82939f66c8a659

Um just ignore the first rest, it's an error I cant rid of it