Sonatina in E major

I can't say I've made a total comeback yet, but I'll just post something here because I can (in case you were curious as to where I've been (which you probably aren't)).

I'm trying out a new idiom of writing here, namely one consisting of lots of repetition and with a focus on structure. This piece is a lot less grandiose, a lot less formal, than my previous works (or attempts): I'm just experimenting with some simple ideas in order to get a little better with reusing ideas and incorporating structure into my pieces. Before this, most of my pieces have been nearly thorough-composed, and that gets tiring (I mean REALLY tiring) when you've only got a couple good ideas and little else to show for it. So, I'm going to go ahead and try my hand at the traditional sonata-allegro form, just to see where I go right and where I could improve. I'm still interested in finishing the first movement to a symphony I'm writing (that I'll probably never finish, let's be fair), and though I fully underestimated the energy required to obtain some sliver of symphonic genius, I'm still keen on getting something done and maybe calling it a Sinfonietta or something, just so it doesn't completely go to waste.

I'm still currently recovering from a really severe bout of writer's block that hasn't truly gone away, at least where writing classical music is concerned: I've been making some progress on a set of pop-y piece-songs that I've still yet to finish. I'm confident I'll get to it soon, though: they're a lot easier to write than the classical pieces I've been struggling to write!

For the record, I'm aware this piece is bad. I hope to seek some advice from people regarding what I can fix about my writing, because I'm in some state musically speaking right now and I'm having trouble coming up with competent ideas. Thank you in advance to anyone who actually responds! ✌️

I really enjoyed listening to this piece! It had a soothing and contemplative quality that I found very appealing. The repetition you mentioned added a sense of continuity, and I thought the piece flowed well. I particularly enjoyed measures 19 and the next few that followed; they really stood out to me. They conveyed a light, happy, and optimistic feeling that reminded me of the joyful and optimistic mood often found in classical sonatas 😄. I really liked the ending too. Overall a very refreshing and enjoyable composition. Congrats!!

Thanks, @David_DLM! I wasn't expecting this piece to have been as coherent as you mentioned, haha 😁

19 minutes ago, Awsumerguy said:

Thanks, @David_DLM! I wasn't expecting this piece to have been as coherent as you mentioned, haha 😁

Hahahaha yup. I genuinely enjoyed your composition, and I think your experimentation with simple ideas and repetition was a fantastic choice. Sometimes they are our best friends and help give structure to the piece in very satisfying ways for the listener 😄

Hey @Awsumerguy,

I feel like this piece is more modern than the title suggest with those voice leadings and chords! With the title I am thinking you are using the sonata form but I don't feel like here it's the traditional sonata allegro form, since there are no clear second subject, development sections, and the recapitulation is only a reprise of the first subject. What is the structure of the piece? I actually like your Symphony in C minor WIP very much, but less so for this one since this one is more an experiment of form.

Thx for sharing!

Henry

1 hour ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

What is the structure of the piece? 

Honestly I don't know either (lol), I just went on Wikipedia and found a template structure for the sonata-allegro and used parts of it.

The piece opens with a fast introduction, leading into the first material; it then transitions briefly into C# minor before going back to the first material in the bass in the tonic. The material then makes another transition into the relative minor before moving into a slow, secondary theme in B minor. It slows almost to a halt before speeding back up with a bridge in E, returning to an abridged, shortened introduction, which ends the piece.

I'm not sure if what I just said was a particularly accurate description of the piece's structure, but I think that's the gist of it.

1 hour ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I actually like your Symphony in C minor WIP very much, but less so for this one since this one is more an experiment of form.

That's very kind of you, @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu! I'm truly honoured to have written music you found enjoyable. 

I'm still reasonably proud with that piece, don't get me wrong: I do intend by all means to have it finished at some point, but I'm having trouble coming up with material right now. I found the academic and ultimately rather laborious process of writing a symphony somewhat tiring after doing that exclusively for about two-ish months, and I'm taking my time before returning; I don't want to cut the symphony short by leaving it unfinished! 

I noticed I could reuse so many ideas from the symphony, but I've just never gotten used to doing that because I tend to thorough-compose a lot of my past music: now that I've run out of available ideas, I have to learn to call back to save my better ideas for later use.

That's what I planned on experimenting with in this sonatina and in my other pieces that are still in-the-works. I didn't spend nearly as much time on this piece (~4 days? compared to the symphony's many many months) because I just wanted to get used to writing this way (that is, with more repetition). I hope you'll bear with me for this one: the results should show in the final product of the symphony's first movement! 🙇🙏

23 minutes ago, Awsumerguy said:

The piece opens with a fast introduction, leading into the first material; it then transitions briefly into C# minor before going back to the first material in the bass in the tonic. The material then makes another transition into the relative minor before moving into a slow, secondary theme in B minor. It slows almost to a halt before speeding back up with a bridge in E, returning to an abridged, shortened introduction, which ends the piece.

I'm not sure if what I just said was a particularly accurate description of the piece's structure, but I think that's the gist of it.

But usually the introductory material won't be repeated in the exposition, otherwise it will be counted as the material, for example the first movement of Beethoven's op.130, even though the tempo is different the slow "introudction" will be counted as the first theme of the exposition while the fast theme would be counted as the second theme, and both themes comprising the 1st subject.

The C# minor section in b.33-44 may be counted as the second subject as in Haydn's monothematic sonata form, and the slow section in b.45-64 can be the development. Then the introductory material, or what I name as the 1st theme of the 1st subject recapitulates, that's fine, but the whole 2nd subject disappears, and this will be a big abnormality of a sonata allegro form! Probably you should at least have the material of b.33-44 recapitulated in E major to complete the sonata form!

31 minutes ago, Awsumerguy said:

I'm still reasonably proud with that piece, don't get me wrong: I do intend by all means to have it finished at some point, but I'm having trouble coming up with material right now. I found the academic and ultimately rather laborious process of writing a symphony somewhat tiring after doing that exclusively for about two-ish months, and I'm taking my time before returning; I don't want to cut the symphony short by leaving it unfinished! 

I noticed I could reuse so many ideas from the symphony, but I've just never gotten used to doing that because I tend to thorough-compose a lot of my past music: now that I've run out of available ideas, I have to learn to call back to save my better ideas for later use.

That's what I planned on experimenting with in this sonatina and in my other pieces that are still in-the-works. I didn't spend nearly as much time on this piece (~4 days? compared to the symphony's many many months) because I just wanted to get used to writing this way (that is, with more repetition). I hope you'll bear with me for this one: the results should show in the final product of the symphony's first movement! 🙇🙏

Two months time is short! I use 6 years for my Clarinet Quintet in C minor! Really looking forward to your final product!

Henry

7 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

But usually the introductory material won't be repeated in the exposition, otherwise it will be counted as the material, for example the first movement of Beethoven's op.130, even though the tempo is different the slow "introudction" will be counted as the first theme of the exposition while the fast theme would be counted as the second theme, and both themes comprising the 1st subject.

The C# minor section in b.33-44 may be counted as the second subject as in Haydn's monothematic sonata form, and the slow section in b.45-64 can be the development. Then the introductory material, or what I name as the 1st theme of the 1st subject recapitulates, that's fine, but the whole 2nd subject disappears, and this will be a big abnormality of a sonata allegro form! Probably you should at least have the material of b.33-44 recapitulated in E major to complete the sonata form!

I never knew that about sonata-allegro! I suppose it must be on Wikipedia somewhere, but I never bothered to check. I'll keep that in mind when I write the symphony. Thanks for the heads up!

7 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Two months time is short! I use 6 years for my Clarinet Quintet in C minor! Really looking forward to your final product!

😱 I never knew you could spend that long on a piece...

I'll make sure to remember that, Henry! I guess I should be pacing myself a little slower then huh 😅

22 minutes ago, Awsumerguy said:

😱 I never knew you could spend that long on a piece...

I hope I won't need that much time for a piece in the future anymore 🤮!

22 minutes ago, Awsumerguy said:

I never knew that about sonata-allegro! I suppose it must be on Wikipedia somewhere, but I never bothered to check. I'll keep that in mind when I write the symphony. Thanks for the heads up!

If you really wanna know Sonata form thoroughly, Darcy and Hepokoski's Elements of Sonata Theory will be a real extensive read for it, with Hepokoski's Sonata Theory Handbook as supplementary book to it.

Henry