The Boar's Head

Hey to everyone.

Have just written my first choral piece with actual words!

It's for a Christmas Carol competition, and the lyrics come from a traditional 15th century English song.

The submission deadline is next Wednesday (1st Nov): so any suggestions to help improve the score are very welcome!

Not even sure I have the right key signature?

There's a dissonance between E flat and E natural in bar 18 that I'm not sure about. It sounds ok in the midi rendition; but maybe I should change it somehow?

Hey Alex,

First of all I think I conceive this piece more in 3/2 time than a 6/4 time, as I feel like it's more in a simple triple meter with some syncopation and hemiola in between, rather than a compound duple one. For the key it indeed begins on B flat major, but you modulate to B major in b.16 and rests on E major in b.25, but I am not sure whether you would change the key signature for that. But I will at least change the Eb to D# in b.16 and 18.

On 10/28/2023 at 7:46 PM, Alex Weidmann said:

There's a dissonance between E flat and E natural in bar 18 that I'm not sure about. It sounds ok in the midi rendition; but maybe I should change it somehow?

I think you should change the E natural in alto to a D#, since the dissonance there for me is unnecessary.

I think maybe you are imitating the parallel organum? The tenor and bass moves in parallel fifth almost throughout the whole piece. But if you do want to imitate an organum, maybe you should give the cantus firmus to the tenor as well? Since it's the melody carrier in organum, rather than the cantus (Soprano). The movement from E major to Bb major in b.26. You should use an Ab in b.30 since it's Ab major chord there.

Thx for sharing!

Henry

13 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I think maybe you are imitating the parallel organum?

Actually I wasn't. Had to look up the meaning of this. Seems quite appropriate though for a 15th century Carol.

Many thanks for all your suggestions: they were super helpful!

I should've spotted that A flat in b.30. It's really obvious now you've pointed it out!

Decided to go with no key signature, since there is no settled key, and have attached a revised version below.

I couldn't get the breath marks to work properly in MuseScore: so I left them out. (They appeared right on top of the notes, merged with the noteheads; rather than above the stave where they should be!)

Does anyone know how to fix this?