Pale Moonlight

Hey Guys,

I composed this today. I'm curious about what you think. Please, leave a comment! (I hope the SoundCloud player won't disappear! 😄) 

This is great!  It brings to mind the glistening light of the moon on a stream of water.  When the piece speeds up it also gives the impression of the stream speeding up and the moonlight being scattered more wildly by the water.  From a music theory perspective, I really enjoy how the main theme starts on the subdominant chord.  For me this is confirmed by the ii - V progression that you insert before a deceptive cadence back into the iv.  Of course you modulate quite a lot in this piece and you don't end in the same key that you started in, so the actual tonal center of the piece may be considered ambiguous and up to interpretation (for which it would also be nice to have a score).  I interpret the main key of the piece to be F minor owing to the fact that the main theme, both in the beginning and when you return to it is in that key.  Thanks for sharing this very affecting piano piece!

4 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

This is great!  It brings to mind the glistening light of the moon on a stream of water.  When the piece speeds up it also gives the impression of the stream speeding up and the moonlight being scattered more wildly by the water.  From a music theory perspective, I really enjoy how the main theme starts on the subdominant chord.  For me this is confirmed by the ii - V progression that you insert before a deceptive cadence back into the iv.  Of course you modulate quite a lot in this piece and you don't end in the same key that you started in, so the actual tonal center of the piece may be considered ambiguous and up to interpretation (for which it would also be nice to have a score).  I interpret the main key of the piece to be F minor owing to the fact that the main theme, both in the beginning and when you return to it is in that key.  Thanks for sharing this very affecting piano piece!

 

Thank you, Peter! I appreciate your criticism. I started it not with the tonic because you mentioned earlier several times, so this decision was conscious. Do you know a pianist who can play this piece of music? I have been searching for pianists, but it really hard to reach them. 😄

10 hours ago, olivercomposer said:

Do you know a pianist who can play this piece of music? I have been searching for pianists, but it really hard to reach them. 😄

Do you have the sheet music for this piece?  Maybe edit your main post to include a pdf of the score and maybe someone will record their rendition for you?

Hey @olivercomposer,

This is very enjoyable music! I love the fact that you are featuring the upper register of the piano and it really makes the music clear as crystal and moonlight. That flat submediant and minor subdominant in the middle section is very lovely particularly that that minor subdominant is a Db minor. 

On 7/5/2023 at 3:35 PM, olivercomposer said:

I started it not with the tonic because you mentioned earlier several times, so this decision was conscious.

I remember Peter keeps asking this haha and you are doing a really great job here. I initially interpret the opening as Bb minor with some Dorian influence but later found that it's in F minor anyway. It helps with the paleness suggested by the title by having an ambiguity in tonality as well! It also helps with that smooth retransition after the middle section, since Bb minor is a great pivotal chord! The picardy third tainted with Db minor is very romantic and appears in many romantic pieces and produces a hazy effect here. Nice job and thanks for sharing!

Henry