Short Orchrestral Interlude - "The Dancer"

Hey guys, This is an upload of a short orchrestral interlude "The Dancer" using the latest Musescore 4 with Musesounds. Feedback is always welcome in regards to Orchrestration, Balance, and Thematic development.

Hope you enjoy. 

Score

Audio with Poem By Christy Ann Martine

I do enjoy this tiny piece! It's a lighthearted funny piece. You should definitely extend this.

There is not any slurs in any instruments. I think in some legato passages the slur should be added.

Regarding the scoring, in b.12 the cello is already pizz., so no pizz. marking is needed there. In b.17 I don't know if bassoon can play that fast with notes in wide register. In b.22 the cello and double bass should change to a minim instead of two crotches split. The piz. for cello in b.23 should not be put on a rest but later on the notes. In b.25 the violin I is already pizz, so no piz. marking is needed, same as b.12. I am afraid that the piz. in b.35 for violin I will be too quick for them to change the bowings. Some time should be needed for the players to change from arco to pizz. 

Keep working and I'm sure you will have progress!!!

Henry

Hi Henry, Thank you so much for such a detailed reply. I do tend to be a bit indolent with notation(especially when the software interprets everything for me). I am about to apply composition lessons and this is an enormous help. Thank you again Henry and glad you enjoyed the piece.

1 hour ago, Setthavat said:

Hi Henry, Thank you so much for such a detailed reply. I do tend to be a bit indolent with notation(especially when the software interprets everything for me). I am about to apply composition lessons and this is an enormous help. Thank you again Henry and glad you enjoyed the piece.

Just keep going and good luck to your composition lessons! It really takes courage to write an orchestral score, especially when you start composing!! And my score is messier than yours 10 times when I was younger, so just keep going!!!!

Henry

I've actually worked with piano scores for a few years, and this is an orchrestration of my former work. People seemed to really like it and that helped build my confidence as a composer. Listening to the piece again, I just realized I made a subconcious decision to satirically employ a G major scale, which probably contributed to the work sounding less serious. As a developing orchrestrator, I would love to hear some tips on this field. As of now, I am score reading some of Rimsy-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky's(favourite composer alongside Mozart)works. I am also reading Walter Piston's and Joseph Wagner's practical guide. My next read is probably Korsakov's own manual. 

If you're interested, here is the original work(piano):

Dance

5 hours ago, Setthavat said:

If you're interested, here is the original work(piano):

Dance

I love your piano version aa well! Maybe because it's played live, so that does justice to the light touch of the music!

5 hours ago, Setthavat said:

As of now, I am score reading some of Rimsy-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky's(favourite composer alongside Mozart)works.

I absolutely love Tchaikovsk's Fourth and Sixth Symphony, Fifth is great as well. Mozart's 40th and 41th are pieces from God though and no one can write that except Mozart himself. I don't listen mucj to Rimsky-Korsakov though. 

5 hours ago, Setthavat said:

I am also reading Walter Piston's and Joseph Wagner's practical guide. My next read is probably Korsakov's own manual. 

Yeah they are essential reads. You can also read Berlioz's treatise though.

Henry

A quaint little piece!  The poem is nice too - is it supposed to be just an inspiration for the music or could it be recited at the same time as the music?  I think you have some great textures in this piece - I love it when you momentarily give the melody to the cellos - that's a great touch!  Thanks for sharing!

Edit:  Upon a closer look at the score, I see that those were the contrabasses in their higher register rather than the cellos playing the melody LoL.

30 minutes ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

A quaint little piece!  The poem is nice too - is it supposed to be just an inspiration for the music or could it be recited at the same time as the music?  I think you have some great textures in this piece - I love it when you momentarily give the melody to the cellos - that's a great touch!  Thanks for sharing!

 

Hey Peter, the poem was meant to bring more elements to the experience as a whole. In which, I hope you found it "interesting"(kinda old but i'll quote twoset) as well. Counterintuitively, I actually wrote the music first and tried to find a poem to fit in with it. Low Cello and High bass is definitely tricky, but i think they make a great unison. 

Thank you for your kind reply once again. More stuff is soon to come.