Share your Top X Young Composers Playlist!

So I was thinking of starting a topic featuring some favorite pieces by fellow contemporary composers from Young Composers Forum!  You can create your own categories for this one like I have or just do a general Top 10 (or less or more) favorite pieces from any category.  I haven't included any choir or vocal pieces here since I don't often listen to those.  Only rule is, please refrain from listing your own music!  LoL

Orchestra:

1. “New Piece for Orchestra” by @gmm https://www.youngcomposers.com/t40035/new-piece-for-orchestra/
2. “Scherzo for Orchestra” by @gmm https://www.youngcomposers.com/t40676/scherzo-for-orchestra/
3. “Call to hunt” (scherzo) by @DirkH  https://www.youngcomposers.com/t40073/call-to-hunt-scherzo/
4. “Crown of Thorns” by @Left Unexplained https://www.youngcomposers.com/t41648/crown-of-thorns/
5. “Suite of Minimalism” - 2. Amongst the Ocean on a Speedy Sailboat by @Eickso https://www.youngcomposers.com/t41574/suite-of-minimalism/
6. "Crisis in the City for Coloratura and Orchestra" by @Quinn https://www.youngcomposers.com/t40614/crisis-in-the-city-for-coloratura-and-orchestra/

Solo Instrument with Accompaniment:

1. “Flight of the Fledgling” by @Left Unexplained https://www.youngcomposers.com/t40343/flight-of-the-fledgling/
2. “A Dreams End” by @Thatguy v2.0 https://www.youngcomposers.com/t40341/a-dreams-end/
3. "Piano Concerto No.2 in Bb minor" (Mvt.2) by @Mark101 https://www.youngcomposers.com/t43329/piano-concerto-no2-in-bb-minor/
4. “Bassoon Concerto No. 2” (Mvt. 1) by @Leonardo C. Núñez https://www.youngcomposers.com/t40340/bassoon-concerto-no-2/
5. “Inevitable End - piano and strings” by @ClasiCompose https://www.youngcomposers.com/t42985/inevitable-end-piano-and-strings/

Chamber:

1. “Piano Quartet No. 2, Op.10, Mvt. 2” by @Theodore Servin  https://www.youngcomposers.com/t38945/piano-quartet-no-2-op-10-mvt-2/
2. “My string sextet.  Trying to marry contemporary-ish music with classical forms” (my favorite is the 4th movement) by @Snake_Cake https://www.youngcomposers.com/t42286/my-string-sextet-trying-to-marry-contemporary-ish-music-with-classical-forms/

Solo Piano/Keyboard:

1. “Allegretto in G minor for Organ” by @bkho https://www.youngcomposers.com/t39911/allegretto-in-g-minor-for-organ/
2. “Sleepless Nights - A Berceuse” by @ComposedBySam https://www.youngcomposers.com/t43204/sleepless-nights-a-berceuse/
3. "Study based on How High The Moon" by @Quinn https://www.youngcomposers.com/t42448/study-based-on-how-high-the-moon/
4. "Impromptu-Scherzando for piano" by @panta rei https://www.youngcomposers.com/t38575/impromptu-scherzando-for-piano/

This is by no means an exhaustive list for each category but what I just happened to remember right now and from recent activity (although I did do a brief search for works I forgot from a while ago).  I reserve the right to update my list at any time!  LoL

Can't add anything here. If there's time I may listen to a few works but not enough to do a top-10. My "favourite" composers appear only intermittently or have just disappeared, so I look at those who seem serious. Nothing to do with college or degrees - they're only a potential but people who are self-critical and try to develop. My own work is too contemporary to attract any attention. 

.

10 hours ago, Quinn said:

Can't add anything here. If there's time I may listen to a few works but not enough to do a top-10.

Aww - I'm sure you can contribute something!  If you can't do a top 10, do a top 5 or top 3.  Also you can create your own categories such as "Favorite Young Composers' Avant-Garde Pieces" or something.  🙂

10 hours ago, Quinn said:

My own work is too contemporary to attract any attention.

Are you sure?  Check again ...

Cool idea and I'm honored to have a piece mentioned on your list!

I have a few to start Choral/Vocal works

1. "Sun Dancing" by @pateceramics - https://www.youngcomposers.com/t43259/sun-dancing/ 

2. "Let the Earth Grow Wild" by @PeterthePapercomPoser - https://www.youngcomposers.com/t42309/let-the-earth-grow-wild-revised-and-extended/

3. "Kyrie in G minor" by @Guillem82 - https://www.youngcomposers.com/t37744/kyrie-in-g-minor/

4. "Sleep, Happy Child (Christmas Song)" @Tónskáld - https://www.youngcomposers.com/t38195/sleep-happy-child-christmas-song/

Awesome idea! But, I'm going to amend it slightly. I've been around these parts for a while, and there have been some really awesome people that I think you all should check out.

1. QcCowboy 

He's pretty awesome, even though I can't find the piece I was looking for by him. Not only is he an exceptional composer, but a great educator. He did orchestral masterclasses here FOR FREE when I was broke and poor and couldn't afford no fancy Berklee education or whatever. It's amazing that this place offered so much talent and learning, simply because some of it's members enjoyed sharing their knowledge with aspiring composers and musicians. I'm forever thankful for the lessons and teaching of this man, as well as the others like him who I can't think of offhand. 

His symphony no.1 in C blew me away when I first heard it, and although I haven't listened to it in years, it's effects have stuck with me as I've tried to use that inspiration in my own music. I remember his great character too, as there were plenty of conversations he gave me in the shoutbox with my constant prodding with questions. I think back now, and although I was probably annoying, he shared a lot of thoughts and aid that he could have otherwise dismissed. Great man, great music, check him out.

2. nikolas

Super awesome dude, and someone who I remember because I didn't really understand his music but it made me want to. He's a contemporary Greek composer, and I think he's now focused on education and writing pieces intended to teach and learn from (think Bartok's Microcosmos but modern to our day). Again, someone who was fervently embedded in the forums, offering tons of advice and critique for the younger members. 

Even though his type of musical language is something that I rarely delve into myself, a lot of my attempts at a more contemporary style were inspired from him. Truly a master composer, not only for his compositional savvy but also a willingness to express his technique and unconventional intellect into ways even my noob brain could understand. 

3.  robinjessome

One of the most consistant members YC ever had, hopefully he still throws a shifty in the shoutbox every now and then.

I never really got to know Robin, but he's a god on trombone. His music can baffle my mind, and I don't always know what he's thinking when he plays, but that's why I like him. He made me realize that even though I will never understand free jazz, I can appreciate that there are sectors of music that just aren't me, yet they're great. I think he's older than me, so I've always looked up to him as someone who was doing the thing with music, and that's where I wanted to be. And maybe, since I'm doing the thing now too, someone else here feels that way about me. 

4. gmm

This guy is ridiculous. One of the best composers I've heard on here, and he doesn't care for your "pretentious modern musical language". He's phenomenal, keeping alive a great orchestral tradition while giving his language a bit of modern twist to make sure we all know it's the 21st century. He's very detailed in explaining his techniques, and that's something I really appreciate as it seemed like I always had questions for him. 

I always felt like music had to be about something, and I would strive to achieve that goal of painting a picture of what I wanted to say. But gmm (he's too awesome to release his real name) taught me that music didn't always have to be about something' maybe sometimes it's something that we composers unleash to the listening world, and they can figure out what it means to them. If you haven't heard his music before, check him out, as I'm sure he might lurk from time to time and would love to hear your thoughts about his music.

5. bitterduck

I'm going to end what appears to be a top 5 list with bitterduck, also known as Drake. No one knows if Drake is his real name, and honestly I can't think for the life of me if I can remember a composition by him without digging endlessly throughout the historical archives of this site, but I remember him very well. Instead of posting a piece of his, I'll share a story.

For one, this dude is awesome. We became pseudo online buddies back in the day, and he was apparently an in-my-20's professor at some Texas university I forget the name of. He supposedly (some details may or may not be true, it's the internet after all) was a brilliant mathematician and skipped his master's for a PhD for inventing some proof...or whatever. Guy was smart. He was consistent in the forums and one of the more gregarious characters I've encountered here. 

One time this really full of himself member was kind of shitting on everyone's music, saying that if you didn't write with the Bach rules of counterpoint then your music was bad and should be shamed. This mystery member who I forget the name was parading the shoutbox (yes I'm still calling the chatbox the shoutbox) with derogatory defamations to members who were probably like 14 about how they should just quit music if they didn't adhere to his school of thought. I think he said he was part of some musical guild from whatever country he was from. I stepped in to help my fellow YC members and he tried to lambaste me with his poisonous words. I was alone in my fight, as the other members stopped typing words of defense to watch the duel of this jackoff and me hack it out for about 20 minutes. Then, the bitterduck entered the chat. I won't go into detail of the language he used, but he came to my aide and destroyed this dude in about 3 minutes. He left the chat and was never heard from again.

Another time I couldn't sleep, and I had posted a few days prior my newest piece which was gaining a lot of traction. It had about 20 comments and was my most popular piece to date, with comments of equal part admiration as well as ones pointing out the obvious flaws in my writing. I was pretty grateful for all of the reviews, as I'm someone who could care less for the "awesome music bro" style comments and was really looking for the people who knew their stuff to put me in my place. I learned so much with members here being honest to help with my music, which is why I still lurk around this forum. Anyway, I couldn't sleep, and was checking the updates for this piece of music when I noticed bitterduck in the shoutbox basically talking to himself. Apparently he couldn't sleep either, and the 12 lines of text shouting, "TGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG" (people used to call me TG, short for thatguy), and progressively adding more G's to each line was something that sticks out to me. We chatted it up, can't remember what it was about, but it helped me remember that I'm not alone in my compositional world thanks to this site. No one around me knows who Shostakovich and Stravinsky are, but people here do.

The last story I'll share about the infamous bitterduck is one that makes me laugh to this day. I was plundering around the subforums looking for recent music from some of the people I'd gotten to know here, when all of a sudden I get a PM from bitterduck. He said something like, "hey I need your help real quick".  I asked what the problem was, and he explained that he was in a fight or something with his girlfriend/wife (can't remember which) was mad at him, and she locked herself in a room in their house. He said he's gonna bust the door down, but he needed a diversion, which is where I come in. 

*SHORT DISCLAIMER*

In no way would Drake ever harm his wife. I actually felt like I knew him pretty well, and gotten to know her pretty well too. We used to exchange photos and whatnot, with the both of them, and they were both really awesome people. Drake was independently rich, took great care of his wife, and anything he did that may seem malicious was always meant with comedy and an overall jovial nature. I haven't spoken to either of them in years, but i know they're doing well and loving life.

So yeah, he said he was going to chop down the door with an axe. I of course thought he was embellishing the details, and laughed as I agreed to help. His wife was a member here too, who I had chatted with on occasion not so much about music, but about things with college and such since she went to Stanford and had a cushy editing job somewhere. Awesome chick. Anyway, the plan was to distract her at the computer while Drake fiddled around to grab "an axe" to cut through the door near the handle as silently as he could. I remember chatting with her about what jobs I could get when I finished my degree, and the best ways of going about promoting myself through music, when all of a sudden she said, "I hear something at the door". She dismissed it, but not long after she left the chat to address some sort of crazy Drake emergency, and supposedly Drake's chopping grew louder and louder until the door could be forcefully opened after the handle had gave way. 

I'd never been a part of anything like that before, and of course Drake was laughing with his wife after the whole crazy ordeal had happened, but I hope that goes to show how great some of the companionships were at YC. I chatted with Drake and his wife times after that, and that crazy Drake moment was always a highlight of our banter in the wee hours of the morning. I do miss the friendships I once had here, and I could continue this list and mention the Prokoviev-loving truck driver known as "rolifer", or the resident boy-genius Nicola Canzano, or the ever flamboyant Colin (I think that was his name), who all helped craft awesome memories from the past days of YC. 

Hopefully, that's not the end of awesome people I get to meet here. And to all the newer members who think this place is a barren emptiness of people who view your music and won't comment on your hard work that you post, get out there and comment on others' music; you never know who you might meet around the world. 

Ah, this is a fun and wholesome idea! I hope nobody takes offense that I don't list 10 favorites here; these are just the ones that came immediately to mind. (Listed in no particular order.)

Everything by @Jared Steven Destro is meticulously crafted. I particularly enjoy his esoteric piano works, but this orchestral piece is so sonorous and textured. Beautiful!

@gmm is, of course, masterful at thematic development and orchestration; I would be remiss if his Adagio didn't make my favorites list!

This up-and-coming teenager, @jejrekmek, put me on my bum recently with his stirring piano piece/performance. And speaking of new members...

This recently-posted short waltz by @Greentealatte93 brings tears to my eyes every time I listen to it. It's so poignant and emotive!

And, of course, @PeterthePapercomPoser, king of variations! I love the adventurous harmonies and rhythms of this particular piece.

To round off the list, another bit of chamber music by ever-clever @Quinn! I always love the "dialogue" presented by his music, and this piece especially.

There are probably loads of other wonderful pieces I've missed... looking forward to everyone else's playlists!

On 4/3/2022 at 10:32 PM, Thatguy v2.0 said:

Awesome idea! But, I'm going to amend it slightly. I've been around these parts for a while, and there have been some really awesome people that I think you all should check out.

1. QcCowboy 

 

He's pretty awesome, even though I can't find the piece I was looking for by him. Not only is he an exceptional composer, but a great educator. He did orchestral masterclasses here FOR FREE when I was broke and poor and couldn't afford no fancy Berklee education or whatever. It's amazing that this place offered so much talent and learning, simply because some of it's members enjoyed sharing their knowledge with aspiring composers and musicians. I'm forever thankful for the lessons and teaching of this man, as well as the others like him who I can't think of offhand. 

His symphony no.1 in C blew me away when I first heard it, and although I haven't listened to it in years, it's effects have stuck with me as I've tried to use that inspiration in my own music. I remember his great character too, as there were plenty of conversations he gave me in the shoutbox with my constant prodding with questions. I think back now, and although I was probably annoying, he shared a lot of thoughts and aid that he could have otherwise dismissed. Great man, great music, check him out.

 

 

 

2. nikolas

 

Super awesome dude, and someone who I remember because I didn't really understand his music but it made me want to. He's a contemporary Greek composer, and I think he's now focused on education and writing pieces intended to teach and learn from (think Bartok's Microcosmos but modern to our day). Again, someone who was fervently embedded in the forums, offering tons of advice and critique for the younger members. 

Even though his type of musical language is something that I rarely delve into myself, a lot of my attempts at a more contemporary style were inspired from him. Truly a master composer, not only for his compositional savvy but also a willingness to express his technique and unconventional intellect into ways even my noob brain could understand. 

 

 

 

3.  robinjessome

 

One of the most consistant members YC ever had, hopefully he still throws a shifty in the shoutbox every now and then.

I never really got to know Robin, but he's a god on trombone. His music can baffle my mind, and I don't always know what he's thinking when he plays, but that's why I like him. He made me realize that even though I will never understand free jazz, I can appreciate that there are sectors of music that just aren't me, yet they're great. I think he's older than me, so I've always looked up to him as someone who was doing the thing with music, and that's where I wanted to be. And maybe, since I'm doing the thing now too, someone else here feels that way about me. 

 

 

 

4. gmm

 

This guy is ridiculous. One of the best composers I've heard on here, and he doesn't care for your "pretentious modern musical language". He's phenomenal, keeping alive a great orchestral tradition while giving his language a bit of modern twist to make sure we all know it's the 21st century. He's very detailed in explaining his techniques, and that's something I really appreciate as it seemed like I always had questions for him. 

I always felt like music had to be about something, and I would strive to achieve that goal of painting a picture of what I wanted to say. But gmm (he's too awesome to release his real name) taught me that music didn't always have to be about something' maybe sometimes it's something that we composers unleash to the listening world, and they can figure out what it means to them. If you haven't heard his music before, check him out, as I'm sure he might lurk from time to time and would love to hear your thoughts about his music.

 

 

 

5. bitterduck

I'm going to end what appears to be a top 5 list with bitterduck, also known as Drake. No one knows if Drake is his real name, and honestly I can't think for the life of me if I can remember a composition by him without digging endlessly throughout the historical archives of this site, but I remember him very well. Instead of posting a piece of his, I'll share a story.

For one, this dude is awesome. We became pseudo online buddies back in the day, and he was apparently an in-my-20's professor at some Texas university I forget the name of. He supposedly (some details may or may not be true, it's the internet after all) was a brilliant mathematician and skipped his master's for a PhD for inventing some proof...or whatever. Guy was smart. He was consistent in the forums and one of the more gregarious characters I've encountered here. 

One time this really full of himself member was kind of shitting on everyone's music, saying that if you didn't write with the Bach rules of counterpoint then your music was bad and should be shamed. This mystery member who I forget the name was parading the shoutbox (yes I'm still calling the chatbox the shoutbox) with derogatory defamations to members who were probably like 14 about how they should just quit music if they didn't adhere to his school of thought. I think he said he was part of some musical guild from whatever country he was from. I stepped in to help my fellow YC members and he tried to lambaste me with his poisonous words. I was alone in my fight, as the other members stopped typing words of defense to watch the duel of this jackoff and me hack it out for about 20 minutes. Then, the bitterduck entered the chat. I won't go into detail of the language he used, but he came to my aide and destroyed this dude in about 3 minutes. He left the chat and was never heard from again.

Another time I couldn't sleep, and I had posted a few days prior my newest piece which was gaining a lot of traction. It had about 20 comments and was my most popular piece to date, with comments of equal part admiration as well as ones pointing out the obvious flaws in my writing. I was pretty grateful for all of the reviews, as I'm someone who could care less for the "awesome music bro" style comments and was really looking for the people who knew their stuff to put me in my place. I learned so much with members here being honest to help with my music, which is why I still lurk around this forum. Anyway, I couldn't sleep, and was checking the updates for this piece of music when I noticed bitterduck in the shoutbox basically talking to himself. Apparently he couldn't sleep either, and the 12 lines of text shouting, "TGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG" (people used to call me TG, short for thatguy), and progressively adding more G's to each line was something that sticks out to me. We chatted it up, can't remember what it was about, but it helped me remember that I'm not alone in my compositional world thanks to this site. No one around me knows who Shostakovich and Stravinsky are, but people here do.

The last story I'll share about the infamous bitterduck is one that makes me laugh to this day. I was plundering around the subforums looking for recent music from some of the people I'd gotten to know here, when all of a sudden I get a PM from bitterduck. He said something like, "hey I need your help real quick".  I asked what the problem was, and he explained that he was in a fight or something with his girlfriend/wife (can't remember which) was mad at him, and she locked herself in a room in their house. He said he's gonna bust the door down, but he needed a diversion, which is where I come in. 

*SHORT DISCLAIMER*

In no way would Drake ever harm his wife. I actually felt like I knew him pretty well, and gotten to know her pretty well too. We used to exchange photos and whatnot, with the both of them, and they were both really awesome people. Drake was independently rich, took great care of his wife, and anything he did that may seem malicious was always meant with comedy and an overall jovial nature. I haven't spoken to either of them in years, but i know they're doing well and loving life.

So yeah, he said he was going to chop down the door with an axe. I of course thought he was embellishing the details, and laughed as I agreed to help. His wife was a member here too, who I had chatted with on occasion not so much about music, but about things with college and such since she went to Stanford and had a cushy editing job somewhere. Awesome chick. Anyway, the plan was to distract her at the computer while Drake fiddled around to grab "an axe" to cut through the door near the handle as silently as he could. I remember chatting with her about what jobs I could get when I finished my degree, and the best ways of going about promoting myself through music, when all of a sudden she said, "I hear something at the door". She dismissed it, but not long after she left the chat to address some sort of crazy Drake emergency, and supposedly Drake's chopping grew louder and louder until the door could be forcefully opened after the handle had gave way. 

 

 

I'd never been a part of anything like that before, and of course Drake was laughing with his wife after the whole crazy ordeal had happened, but I hope that goes to show how great some of the companionships were at YC. I chatted with Drake and his wife times after that, and that crazy Drake moment was always a highlight of our banter in the wee hours of the morning. I do miss the friendships I once had here, and I could continue this list and mention the Prokoviev-loving truck driver known as "rolifer", or the resident boy-genius Nicola Canzano, or the ever flamboyant Colin (I think that was his name), who all helped craft awesome memories from the past days of YC. 

Hopefully, that's not the end of awesome people I get to meet here. And to all the newer members who think this place is a barren emptiness of people who view your music and won't comment on your hard work that you post, get out there and comment on others' music; you never know who you might meet around the world. 

 

Oh scraggy here I was looking for something jenn posted many years ago and stumbled on this.  I love you TG.  Yes Jenn The Fur and I are still together and she often references the ax incident as to why we left Princeton NJ.  :). 

4 hours ago, tapasonice said:

Oh scraggy here I was looking for something jenn posted many years ago and stumbled on this.  I love you TG.  Yes Jenn The Fur and I are still together and she often references the ax incident as to why we left Princeton NJ.  :). 

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