Solo Voice and Piano

Hello, everyone!

This is a recent composition of mine, based on one of Emily Dickinson’s poems. It is almost complete!

This piece is not too difficult; on a scale of 1 to 5, it would be a 3 (in my opinion). It is written for a mezzo-soprano.

Is there anything you think I should add/change (not dynamics, as I will add those later)?

(Forgive me for the use of synthetic instruments; I am merely a peasant.)

Thanks so much for your feedback!

Hello @LilChopin,

Welcome to your first post here!

For me this through-composed song has good modulations, but maybe the modulations are too much and abrupt. You open in G major but the key itself is never established before modulating, and it's the same for the later Eb major portion when the music ends on a E major chord. What is your intention for the key changes?

On 6/10/2023 at 3:10 PM, LilChopin said:

Is there anything you think I should add/change (not dynamics, as I will add those later)?

For me you can establish the keys of the two sections more firmly before modulating, like extending the sections and add a perfect cadence to them. Or do you have intention for having frequent key changes?

Thanks for sharing!

Henry

Hi there, and welcome

Very interesting music you have here. I'm not a singer per se, but this caught my interest with the cool modulations and language. Here are some things of note:

- which notation software do you use? I use Sibelius, and with it I can drag the notes left or right to space them more. It might be something to look into to make the lyrics easier to read

-  for bars 35-41, watch out for those piano chords. Yes you can roll them, but it probably won't sound like your audio. They're very big and would need to be slowed down. Was a more rubato style the intent for that section?

- I'd have those pedal markings a little lower on the staff, it would help reduce the clutter

- I wasn't too conVINCEd of the ending, it just sounded a little bare and basic compared to the wonderful harmonies of the whole rest of the piece. 

Overall though, this was great to listen to. It reminds me of the style musicals lean towards; lots of modulations to depict the story or emotions going on. Loads of color filled your piece, and it's one I would return to for another listen. I really enjoyed the melody writing, you must be a singer 😄 

Again, welcome to our musical nook of the internet. You'll find lots of friendly people here willing to share their thoughts, and it helps your cause to do the same! You seem to be knowledgeable about music and composition, and many others would love to hear your input on their music.

Thanks for sharing!

31 minutes ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Hello @LilChopin,

Welcome to your first post here!

For me this through-composed song has good modulations, but maybe the modulations are too much and abrupt. You open in G major but the key itself is never established before modulating, and it's the same for the later Eb major portion when the music ends on a E major chord. What is your intention for the key changes?

For me you can establish the keys of the two sections more firmly before modulating, like extending the sections and add a perfect cadence to them. Or do you have intention for having frequent key changes?

Thanks for sharing!

Henry

 

Salutations,
 

Thanks so much for your reply! I will take this into account in future compositions.

 I must say, I was inspired by Aaron Copland's adaptations of some of Emily Dickinson's poetry when I wrote this, as I have performed one such of these songs in the past.

I didn’t have an intended key, per se; I was intending to create imagery with the music. However, I do think that for the sake of cohesion, your suggestions are well-warranted (and dearly appreciated).

I shall see what I can do to make adjustments, and I once again thank you for your advice.

-LilChopin

18 minutes ago, Thatguy v2.0 said:

Hi there, and welcome

Very interesting music you have here. I'm not a singer per se, but this caught my interest with the cool modulations and language. Here are some things of note:

- which notation software do you use? I use Sibelius, and with it I can drag the notes left or right to space them more. It might be something to look into to make the lyrics easier to read

-  for bars 35-41, watch out for those piano chords. Yes you can roll them, but it probably won't sound like your audio. They're very big and would need to be slowed down. Was a more rubato style the intent for that section?

- I'd have those pedal markings a little lower on the staff, it would help reduce the clutter

- I wasn't too conVINCEd of the ending, it just sounded a little bare and basic compared to the wonderful harmonies of the whole rest of the piece. 

 

Overall though, this was great to listen to. It reminds me of the style musicals lean towards; lots of modulations to depict the story or emotions going on. Loads of color filled your piece, and it's one I would return to for another listen. I really enjoyed the melody writing, you must be a singer 😄 

Again, welcome to our musical nook of the internet. You'll find lots of friendly people here willing to share their thoughts, and it helps your cause to do the same! You seem to be knowledgeable about music and composition, and many others would love to hear your input on their music.

Thanks for sharing!

 

Hello, Thatguy v2.0,

Thanks so much for your advice. I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to and analyze my composition, and I am very happy that you enjoy it.

 I currently use Notion, but I have used Sibelius in the past, so I may consider switching back. I will definitely try to clean up the notation—it is certainly a mess.

I will adjust the piano notation in bars 35-41 to create a similar musical effect that is easier to play.

As for the ending, I agree on it being lackluster, but I am struggling to find another way to write it. I will keep thinking about it.

Thanks again, and I hope to hear your judgement again.

Also, I am a singer. 
 

-LilChopin

12 minutes ago, LilChopin said:

I currently use Notion

oh nice! I used Notion before switching to Sibelius (I had to use Sibelius or Finale while in school). What do you think of it? I liked the sound samples, but found making a nice and neat score easier with Sibelius