Dolore Dolce

Here's a piano work ... begun last night (after listening to on this site - Oh, if my sadness (Orchestration) and stirred by the music); and first completed version this morning.  Sometimes the muse speaks .... all suggestions most welcome.

Mark

This is very beautiful. Perhaps adding some dynamics would improve the result, I don't know. Sometimes this kind of pieces benefit from little changes.

The harmony is more or less static, it seems to be in D dorian, with the B natural coming in measures 5-6.

In all, it's a peaceful experience. 

Hello there, and may I start by saying, nice piece! It has a nice ambient, meditative, and thoughtful sound to it (with the left hand aiding really well to that sound) and I enjoy listening to it!
 

It has a nice A B A form, with seemingly two melodies, and a brief ending. Firstly, I think a bit of time before the first melody begins (maybe just a measure of the left hand alone to start off the piece) would be a nice introduction and a simple yet successful way to prepare the listener to the mood of the piece and the first melody. The first four bars of the melody itself, I think are really great and flow well! However, at bar 5, the melody suggests it’s rising (in contrast to bar 3’s notion of descending) but in bar 6 it jumps down to finish off the first melody. I think it’s unsatisfying, and would benefit from a point of arrival (a mere “climax”) and then descend organically to the bar 6 finish.
 

Secondly, the B section has a nice development (I really like the arpeggiated 16th notes and right hand octave bit! Also the variation in the left hand pattern), but again, I think some time before it begins, a sudden harmonic change, etc. would tell the listener that a new melody is starting. I find it’s a bit too close to the ending of the first melody. Apart from that, I think it’s nice! I really like that you bring the second melody back to it’s beginning at bar 13, but only just to showcase a bit before returning back to the first melody. I think a stronger approach to returning to the A section, though, would be to omit the left hand notes in bar 14, and just have an isolated descending arpeggio. It’s noticeable, adds some silence between the left hand texture, and acts as a signifier that the music is going somewhere (in this case, back to the first melody).

Lastly, though I like the ending (the final bar) I think it comes a bit too suddenly. If you let the the last note of bar 20 trail off, I think it prepares the listener for the final ending and really amps it up to be a resolution!
 

Ultimately, I think you did a good job! It’s got a cool sound, some musical ideas that have variation and cool change made to them, nice melodies, and a simple yet well executed structure. My main advice or desire for you would be to think about adding more space in between melodies/sections to add variation to the overall texture, to give the listener a chance to pick out the different melodies and/or changes more easily, and to allow the listener more time with your musical ideas and established mood. Another piece of advice would be to think about how the melody is moving, and for you to work with where it wants to go (basically the FLOW of the melody).

Anyways, thanks for uploading this submission, and have a nice evening! 

Interesting piece Mark!

I really like the F pedal point. This actually made the piece for me, because I felt like your melody and harmonies were sort of aimless (in a good way!), giving this an abstract color that I didn't know where it would turn next. I liked the directionless motion of the piece, very tranquil and serene. This is something I'll refer back to since I'm so used to giving my music a destination. Awesome job!

Hi everybody ... Let me say - much thanks for the encouragement and kind words; and of course all the suggestions.

I am posting the latest version - which takes into consideration all your feedback.

Let me know what you think?

Mark