Wind Quintet

A very enjoyable piece, well crafted making great use of the characteristics and timbres of each instrument, realistic dynamics, tuneful. 

The episode that began about 5'34, chorale-like is most delicate and lyrical.

The score-engraving is superb. Thank you for setting the instruments at concert pitch...I felt a little lazy this evening happy not to transpose as I go! 

In all, there's nothing obvious to comment on. I can't claim I liked any movement more than another... well, as I say the slow one showed a great understanding of the instruments and harmony. Just an accomplished work. Easy to listen to and engaging. Brilliant. 

Very nice listening, and a well written score.

Just have a quick question about the phrasing. Not so much about your piece in particular; just a general question about scoring for woodwind.

I wonder if there's any risk of confusion, when you have a phrasing line, where some of the notes within that phrase have staccato dots? 
Far as I understand, a slur above staccato notes indicates they should be played mezzo staccato; but if it's a phrasing line rather than a slur, then the notes should played as regular staccato. 
If that's true then this could lead to notes being wrongly articulated, because slurs and phrasing lines look identical: so they could easily be confused.

5 hours ago, Alex Weidmann said:

I wonder if there's any risk of confusion, when you have a phrasing line, where some of the notes within that phrase have staccato dots? 
Far as I understand, a slur above staccato notes indicates they should be played mezzo staccato; but if it's a phrasing line rather than a slur, then the notes should played as regular staccato. 
If that's true then this could lead to notes being wrongly articulated, because slurs and phrasing lines look identical: so they could easily be confused.

Are you referring to this case?    This just means that the F and E should be connected legato to the G which is staccato.

I was actually thinking more of a phrase where you have staccato notes in the middle surrounded by legato notes on either side.

Looks like there aren't any in this piece.
Perhaps that's because you're supposed to avoid using phrasing marks where they might be confused with slurs?

Hi @Nazariy,

This is a pleasant and lovely piece! As @Quinn noted you have great use of characteristics and timbres of each instrument. I particularly like the interplays between the instruments in mov.1, it's so adorable. I like moments of imitation in b.15 and 96; B.96 is also beautiful for the modulation to Ab major. The texture in b.142 is great, I like you are combining flute and clarinet for a different sound there. 

Second movement is serene and as Quinn noted, chorale like. It's beautiful, and I hope horn and bassoon will feature more here for mood and register change, since in the first movement is the top three winds (flute particular) carrying the melodic lines mostly.

The fugal third movement is comfortable and not overly-contrapuntal for a relaxing piece.

One thing I notice is that the oboe is almost always acting as the second melodic instrument, it almost never crosses beyond the flute except a few times in the 2nd movement. Maybe you can have oboe and clarinets feature more on the top part, and bassoon can carry more melodies, instead of just have them playing in the imitation parts or when paired up. However this is personal and doesn't affect my love towards this piece.

Thanks for sharing! Is this piece for a call for score?

Henry

You seem to just love to write pastorale/nature music!  I like this movement - it contains many moments of quiet serenity and gentleness.  It also has moments of drama.  Despite being in a romantic style it still retains a certain galant-like character.  There are some typically-Mahlerian chromatic surprises with the horns being brought out especially giving me that impression (measure 215).

The second movement was really short for a slow movement.  Then again - I should be careful what I wish for, since I don't particularly like slow movements!

The third movement was nice and tuneful but also I felt too short for the material presented.  These last two movements especially lack substance in my opinion.  They don't seem particularly important nor paramount in the form of the piece as a whole.  In comparison to the first movement, they seem like an afterthought is all.  Although I still enjoyed them of course.  Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for your comments!

I'm kind of realizing this just now that I've been into "pastorale music" because I wouldn't say this some time ago but maybe it's true now! 
@Alex Weidmann About staccato notes under a slur, in this piece theres no such case. I use it in other works more for (string word) portato, but if the score is clear I don't think that there's any way of confusing a phrasing line and that.
@PeterthePapercomPoser This work is conceived as a combination of 3 "miniatures", so I understand what you mean. I also think like this, but at the moment of composition I wasn't up to doing something more developed and now I don't feel like to do so. Surely I'll end up doing something more sofisticated in the future for this instrumentation.

On 7/7/2023 at 10:15 AM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

One thing I notice is that the oboe is almost always acting as the second melodic instrument

This is something to improve, I found it a little more difficult to match the instruments at some points so I think at the time of composing it I avoided doing such thing.