Piano Sonata no.3 in C sharp minor, First Movement, Allegro con fuoco e agitato

Hi everyone! I am posting the 1st movement of my Third Piano Sonata in C sharp minor.

This movement starts at 2019, but was abandoned since I had to focus on composing my two Clarinet Quintets then. Then after finishing my Sextet movement I wanna write something trash to restore my originality, so I choose this one to work on. What I had is only b. 1-8, b.177-180 and b.225 till the end, so my job was to extend them and make the music as smooth as possible. Luckily the final product isn't quite trash at all, even though the style is less original than the Sextet. I know the recording is bad, especially with those tears, but hopefully it doesn't hurt! Hope you enjoy it!

This movement for me is furious, but it acts as self therapy by composing and expressing all my anger and confusion. I was in a state of depression at the composing period, worrying from the world to myself. Luckliy this movement saves me from falling to the depression trap.

I make use of the opening falling fourth motive and that triplet rhythmic motive all through the movement, which results in something Beethovanian and reminds me of his Appassionata. I started to enjoying it more and more after playing it myself. It's challenging but very enjoyable to do so.

Piano Sonata no.3 in C sharp minor First Movement.pdf  

Here is the structre of the movement:

0:03 Exposition, First Subject. Uses the falling fourth motives and the triplet rhythmic motives in the whole movement due to coherence (and laziness LoL)

0:39 Transition

1:02 Exposition, Second Subject, in dominant G# minor. 1st theme more chordal, 1:17 2nd theme, more cantabile in nature, 1:35 3rd theme with furious octaves, and the next passage with 16th triplets on top with the fate motive underneath reminds me the Appassionata most.

2:10 Development, begins with imitation and canon, then reach the more beautiful theme in 2:44, but soon crushed and the Appassionata related F minor comes in at 3:29. The progression here I am sure I have learnt from Schubert's Fantasie in F minor for piano four hands.

4:19 Recapitulation, First Subject. Try something Bramsian here. 5:10 Recapitulation, Second Subject, same as the exposition except in the tonic key.

6:19 Coda, using that beautiful theme from the development again (except with that freaking wrong note LoL). Building up climax until reaching 6:51(my favourite passage!), and is agitated till the end.

Feel free to criticize it or just take note on something interesting of it. I will be very happy for all your opinions! I know the recording is bad, especially with those tears, but hopefully it doesn't hurt! I recommend the YT video version more since it seems to filter out some of the tears!

Henry
 

There's nothing to criticize with this piece, other than the audio recording quality. It sounds like I am listening to a modern Beethoven who had some inspiration from Chopin. I hear slight hints of Chopin's first sonata, but other than that, this is your own voice. In fact this piece is much better than Chopin's 1st sonata. You have a gorgeous melody going on here which helps boost this piece's listening value. In fact, a lot of Beethoven's sonatas aren't as lyrical as this one. I found myself playing this theme in my head all day today (due to me listening to this piece like 4 or 5 times last night). I also had no idea you were quite the pianist either. Don't worry about the missed notes, it's more about the overall playing, and ability to convey the message clearly. Really the only thing missing here is the sound quality, because everything else is perfection.

I might have to do a dedicated video of this piece on my YouTube channel, because this movement really captured my interest. I may experiment with recording parts of your piece in midi, to see if I can help bring out the clarity of some sections. And since you compose in polyrhythms, it's really a perfect study because I can demonstrate how Music Jotter can use the polymeter to score certain sections of this piece.

What we have here is an expertly written composition and well executed performance. May I ask how long it took to compose this movement?

Wassup Henry,

I hope your doing well. Firstly, I just want to say that this recording is much better than the one you sent me earlier, the bass is far less muddy and the treble is somewhat clearer (from what I can hear). Also, good job on playing your own pieces. This seems very difficult, you must be a great pianist.

With regards to the music,  I think this is near perfection. My favourite is probably the development, it sounds like Autumn leaves falling down to me. Like Mike, I think this sounds like a modern Beethoven with touches of Chopin in the pianistic sections, but overall I'm hearing Henry Ng rather than those two.

Henry, I think that you should at least try to get this performed, or at least teach it to your piano students when they reach the level, the way the old master (Chopin, Liszt etc.) taught their students their own compositions. It's up to you in the end, but this piece is definitely something I'd want to learn if I was a pianiast.

Anyways, lovely piece, hope to hear the other movements soon!

Ciao,

Arjuna

Hi Henry!

This is a great sonata movement and it coheres very well and is thematically unified but with enough variety to sustain interest from beginning to end!  It also is very smoothly connected by good transitions.  My complaint is in the type of pianism and style that you use throughout the piece giving me a very melodramatic and heavy impression because of all the sturm und drang.  This is a problem that I might have to face in the future myself if I ever plan on trying my hand at writing a piano sonata (so take this review with a grain of salt since all I have is a very short sonatina which I've tried to learn but am not good enough to play).  The problem is:  how does one write a piano sonata in today's day and age avoiding stereotypical and clichéd pianism and including an original harmonic and melodic language?  Don't get me wrong - your sonata is perfect the way it is and I don't think it can be improved in any way, being what it is, but I can't help but find some parts of it overly melodramatic and overblown and somewhat clichéd (bars 50 - 51 and 185 - 186).  I guess it does sound Beethoven-esque and Chopinistic, but with quite original melodies.  But the harmonic language and style is very conservative to me.  I understand that the aforementioned bars cannot be excised from the piece because they are a logical consequence of things that came before because the piece grows it's ideas very organically from previous material.  But I can't help but feel a sense of bombast despite its being very bold and incisive and sharp (and it's possible I might be more enthusiastic about its good features if it was a better recording and not so dry as well).  But of course, overall this is very enjoyable for what it is and is meant to be, but I do wish you explored some more of your own original harmony.  Most of the great composers in music history found ways to create their own original harmonic language/formulas that were unique only to them and I wouldn't want you to shortchange yourself by never embarking upon this pursuit!  Thanks for sharing!

Peter

let me point out why this movement is quite the Beethoven inspired one....
first, mini-variations. phrases get repeated and harmonically identical short phrases in 1-4 bars or something like that, but because of the varied speaking it never gets too boring.
second, retaining the Haydn style treatment of cadences
third, the coda... the endless V-I-V-I  etc. lol
don't forget the massive resemblance of the development ending to recap to the c-sharp quasi una fantasia, and the triplet motion of Appassionata as well
Actually in terms of motivic development I don't find this movement follows the Beethoven treatment too much, it's more Schubertian in that sense, especially the more free harmonic progressions, introducing new lyrical themes, like that.

Bars 230 and 232 the rest make the otherwise furious atmosphere feel like a bit empty and suddenly come to a halt, I feel like the triplet motion still needs to persist (unless coming to a halt is entirely the intention, but I subjectively find that less likely?).

also its basically twice as fast as your pastoral 1st mvmt, how is this even possible, but you proved it... 😞
but thanks for sharing your expression here!

.

12 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

But the harmonic language and style is very conservative to me

Regarding this, I personally don't mind conservative harmonies. I know I said this in one of my videos, but good harmony doesn't necessarily mean, who can create the craziest and most unique harmonies in a piece. I think that crazy harmonies may actually ruin this piece, just given its style. One of my complaints around composers who try to get too creative with their harmonies, is that the overall piece sometimes starts to lose its meaning.

In my opinion, use harmony where applicable. In a piece like this, the tamer harmonies are ok in my eyes, simply because the rest of the piece has other elements to give it color. One instance of this is the polyrhythmic section which is one of the most beautiful sections of this sonata. Perhaps the phrase may contain basic harmonies, but the clean harmonic structure makes the phrase easy to follow. And don't forget the melody. Melody is probably one of the hardest aspects of composition, and I do think Henry excelled in that area.

6 hours ago, PCC said:

Actually in terms of motivic development I don't find this movement follows the Beethoven treatment too much, it's more Schubertian in that sense, especially the more free harmonic progressions, introducing new lyrical themes, like that.

Interesting, because I recently listened to nearly all of Beethoven's sonatas, and I find that most of them are not really lyrical. Some exceptions would be Moonlight Sonata, and perhaps Pathetique. But Henry's sonata is perhaps neo-romantic. I found myself enjoying this 1st movement sonata more than a lot of Beethoven's 1st movements. I'll have to give Schubert a listen one of these days.

Hi all,

Thx for all your reviews! I will reply them one by one (to earn more exp LoL!)

Henry

Hey Mike,

On 11/30/2023 at 12:00 PM, chopin said:

There's nothing to criticize with this piece, other than the audio recording quality. It sounds like I am listening to a modern Beethoven who had some inspiration from Chopin. I hear slight hints of Chopin's first sonata, but other than that, this is your own voice. In fact this piece is much better than Chopin's 1st sonata. You have a gorgeous melody going on here which helps boost this piece's listening value. In fact, a lot of Beethoven's sonatas aren't as lyrical as this one. I found myself playing this theme in my head all day today (due to me listening to this piece like 4 or 5 times last night). I also had no idea you were quite the pianist either. Don't worry about the missed notes, it's more about the overall playing, and ability to convey the message clearly. Really the only thing missing here is the sound quality, because everything else is perfection.

I am very happy you say that! I am actually afraid of being too unoriginal with my voice in this piece since I think I subconsciously use too many cliched elements in the movement, like using the Appassionta too much or just lame chords LoL. I worry a lot about the missed notes since I am the one who is playing, but looks like it's forgivable given that I am the composer as well! I am super happy you have one of the theme spinning in your head!

On 11/30/2023 at 12:00 PM, chopin said:

I might have to do a dedicated video of this piece on my YouTube channel, because this movement really captured my interest. I may experiment with recording parts of your piece in midi, to see if I can help bring out the clarity of some sections. And since you compose in polyrhythms, it's really a perfect study because I can demonstrate how Music Jotter can use the polymeter to score certain sections of this piece.

I will be very honored to have the movement used and introduced in MJ channel! Better to be roasted than to be ignored! The sound quality is real bad haha since I just put the phone on the piano to record it LoL!

On 11/30/2023 at 12:00 PM, chopin said:

May I ask how long it took to compose this movement?

I used a month and one to two weeks after picking up the movement again, but I usually only composed on Saturday afternoon then so it's just 7 days of actual composing time or so??

Thx for your review!

Henry

Hey Arjuna,

23 hours ago, expert21 said:

Firstly, I just want to say that this recording is much better than the one you sent me earlier, the bass is far less muddy and the treble is somewhat clearer (from what I can hear). Also, good job on playing your own pieces. This seems very difficult, you must be a great pianist.

Thx! I recorded this on a grand, while the last one is on an old upright, so the sound is clearer here. And I feel like I am a better composer than a pianist, otherwise I will play the piece a lot better without messing up some passages 😭😭!

23 hours ago, expert21 said:

With regards to the music,  I think this is near perfection. My favourite is probably the development, it sounds like Autumn leaves falling down to me. Like Mike, I think this sounds like a modern Beethoven with touches of Chopin in the pianistic sections, but overall I'm hearing Henry Ng rather than those two.

Thx! I am afraid the piece is not too unique, but am happy that you think you are hearing my voice in it! I love the development too, especially with that E major theme which provides some cushion for the otherwise too agitated movement.

23 hours ago, expert21 said:

Henry, I think that you should at least try to get this performed, or at least teach it to your piano students when they reach the level, the way the old master (Chopin, Liszt etc.) taught their students their own compositions. It's up to you in the end, but this piece is definitely something I'd want to learn if I was a pianiast.

in fact when I practiced this movement in my piano studio I scared the kid next room and the staff told me to play softer LoL!!! I am not sure my students would love to learn it, but I may try to perform it in other occasion if I have the courage to do so.

23 hours ago, expert21 said:

Anyways, lovely piece, hope to hear the other movements soon!

I would do the fifth movement of my 2nd Piano Sonata first, then going back to the 2nd movement of this one!

Thx for your review!

Henry

Hey Peter,

23 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

This is a great sonata movement and it coheres very well and is thematically unified but with enough variety to sustain interest from beginning to end!  It also is very smoothly connected by good transitions.

Thx! I always prioritize cohesion first since without it the music will become a mess haha!

23 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

My complaint is in the type of pianism and style that you use throughout the piece giving me a very melodramatic and heavy impression because of all the sturm und drang.  This is a problem that I might have to face in the future myself if I ever plan on trying my hand at writing a piano sonata (so take this review with a grain of salt since all I have is a very short sonatina which I've tried to learn but am not good enough to play).  The problem is:  how does one write a piano sonata in today's day and age avoiding stereotypical and clichéd pianism and including an original harmonic and melodic language?  Don't get me wrong - your sonata is perfect the way it is and I don't think it can be improved in any way, being what it is, but I can't help but find some parts of it overly melodramatic and overblown and somewhat clichéd (bars 50 - 51 and 185 - 186).  I guess it does sound Beethoven-esque and Chopinistic, but with quite original melodies.  But the harmonic language and style is very conservative to me.  I understand that the aforementioned bars cannot be excised from the piece because they are a logical consequence of things that came before because the piece grows it's ideas very organically from previous material.  But I can't help but feel a sense of bombast despite its being very bold and incisive and sharp (and it's possible I might be more enthusiastic about its good features if it was a better recording and not so dry as well).

Actually that's what I have told myself haha! I agree on your observations very much since I myself think it's a bit too conservative and cliched. B.50-51 or b.116 is way too much like the Appassionata. In fact at the time of composing I thought zero of originality, because 1) I was way too depressed to think of "creating" something at that time, I was just thinking of expressing my anger and fear without thinking too much on originality; 2) I thought I had displayed some originality in my Sextet movement and I wrote this sonata movement rather as a restoration piece of originality without using too much of it. I hope the 2nd movement that has been finished would have more originality of harmony in it! At least I think it's more original with more pentatonics even though there are still bangings of chords there! You are right the music is overly melodramaic, overblown and sturm und drang, since that was the status of my mind then. But at least the movement acts as self-therapy and does a good job on it.

23 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

Most of the great composers in music history found ways to create their own original harmonic language/formulas that were unique only to them and I wouldn't want you to shortchange yourself by never embarking upon this pursuit!

Hmm... So you are putting me alongside the great composers in music history??!! I feel happy but crushed to be compared with them haha! But I will definitely try to have my own unique sound when I want to. This sonata is surely not a piece I would love to express my originality given the therapeutic nature of the movement.

Thx for your review!

Henry 

18 hours ago, PCC said:

first, mini-variations. phrases get repeated and harmonically identical short phrases in 1-4 bars or something like that, but because of the varied speaking it never gets too boring.

Haha yes I hate mere repetitions!

18 hours ago, PCC said:

second, retaining the Haydn style treatment of cadences

Actually what is his style treatment of cadences?😜

18 hours ago, PCC said:

third, the coda... the endless V-I-V-I  etc. lol

Yeah I love the coda's sheer relentness of ignoring varieties of harmonic progressions LoL! The passage is way too agitated to invite variations LoL!

18 hours ago, PCC said:

don't forget the massive resemblance of the development ending to recap to the c-sharp quasi una fantasia, and the triplet motion of Appassionata as well

Wow I nearly forget about the Moonlight tbh, but you remind me that and the retransition is really quite similar!

18 hours ago, PCC said:

Bars 230 and 232 the rest make the otherwise furious atmosphere feel like a bit empty and suddenly come to a halt, I feel like the triplet motion still needs to persist (unless coming to a halt is entirely the intention, but I subjectively find that less likely?).

Well actually I think it quite fit haha, since it provides some sort of last breath before the final outburst which is non-stop. Also my hands will be wait too exhausted if there are motions on the rest LoL!

18 hours ago, PCC said:

also its basically twice as fast as your pastoral 1st mvmt, how is this even possible, but you proved it... 😞

It's possible, even though I always get my fingers and arms in ache after each practicing session! I did practice for the movement for at least several months sparsely, but it is still far from perfect with lots of errors......

Thx for your review!

Henry

Hey Aaron,

17 hours ago, 44W74l4 said:

It's wonderful Henry

For me the development section is the best. And I also like those dramatic pauses throughout the piece.

Thanks for sharing this piece with us 

Thx for your compliment! I love the development too! My favourite section is the coda since I can bash the keys I want haha! And I really think that the abrupt pauses are going to be one of my writing habits haha!

Henry

13 hours ago, chopin said:

Regarding this, I personally don't mind conservative harmonies. I know I said this in one of my videos, but good harmony doesn't necessarily mean, who can create the craziest and most unique harmonies in a piece. I think that crazy harmonies may actually ruin this piece, just given its style. One of my complaints around composers who try to get too creative with their harmonies, is that the overall piece sometimes starts to lose its meaning.

In my opinion, use harmony where applicable. In a piece like this, the tamer harmonies are ok in my eyes, simply because the rest of the piece has other elements to give it color. One instance of this is the polyrhythmic section which is one of the most beautiful sections of this sonata. Perhaps the phrase may contain basic harmonies, but the clean harmonic structure makes the phrase easy to follow. And don't forget the melody. Melody is probably one of the hardest aspects of composition, and I do think Henry excelled in that area.

Yeah I really don't think of originality during composing. Or rather I sacrificed the originality for the expressivity of the movement. I agree with Peter that the harmony is not innovative enough, but maybe that's because what I want to express is not that new and innovative at all, so I just use more conservative harmony which fits the content and emotion I wanna express. For something more oringial like the Sextet movement, I use somewhat more original harmony since the content I wanna express there is more original. I always think like the presentation is always just the product of what you wanna tell and express. Without something original to tell I won't force myself to speak like an original person since that will be dishonest. And I am happy my melody captures your mind!

13 hours ago, chopin said:

Interesting, because I recently listened to nearly all of Beethoven's sonatas, and I find that most of them are not really lyrical. Some exceptions would be Moonlight Sonata, and perhaps Pathetique. But Henry's sonata is perhaps neo-romantic. I found myself enjoying this 1st movement sonata more than a lot of Beethoven's 1st movements. I'll have to give Schubert a listen one of these days.

19 hours ago, PCC said:

Actually in terms of motivic development I don't find this movement follows the Beethoven treatment too much, it's more Schubertian in that sense, especially the more free harmonic progressions, introducing new lyrical themes, like that.

I certainly enjoy Beethoven's sonatas than my own since he's God haha! I love Schubert sonatas too, paticularly the G major one and his last 3 sonatas! I don't feel like my process is Schubertian though, except that C# minor-F minor-A minor-C# minor progression which I am sure I take from the first movement of Schubert's 4 hand Fantasie!

Henry

On 11/30/2023 at 2:24 AM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

Hi Henry!

This is a great sonata movement and it coheres very well and is thematically unified but with enough variety to sustain interest from beginning to end!  It also is very smoothly connected by good transitions.  My complaint is in the type of pianism and style that you use throughout the piece giving me a very melodramatic and heavy impression because of all the sturm und drang.  This is a problem that I might have to face in the future myself if I ever plan on trying my hand at writing a piano sonata (so take this review with a grain of salt since all I have is a very short sonatina which I've tried to learn but am not good enough to play).  The problem is:  how does one write a piano sonata in today's day and age avoiding stereotypical and clichéd pianism and including an original harmonic and melodic language?  Don't get me wrong - your sonata is perfect the way it is and I don't think it can be improved in any way, being what it is, but I can't help but find some parts of it overly melodramatic and overblown and somewhat clichéd (bars 50 - 51 and 185 - 186).  I guess it does sound Beethoven-esque and Chopinistic, but with quite original melodies.  But the harmonic language and style is very conservative to me.  I understand that the aforementioned bars cannot be excised from the piece because they are a logical consequence of things that came before because the piece grows it's ideas very organically from previous material.  But I can't help but feel a sense of bombast despite its being very bold and incisive and sharp (and it's possible I might be more enthusiastic about its good features if it was a better recording and not so dry as well).  But of course, overall this is very enjoyable for what it is and is meant to be, but I do wish you explored some more of your own original harmony.  Most of the great composers in music history found ways to create their own original harmonic language/formulas that were unique only to them and I wouldn't want you to shortchange yourself by never embarking upon this pursuit!  Thanks for sharing!

Peter

 

I agree with Peter - while this piece is clearly original, the harmonic palette isn't as fresh. 

Besides that, this piece is perfect. I especially enjoyed listening to your primary themes within the exposition, such a beautiful melody. Your Development was quite nice as well. You are a wonderfully talented pianist-composer and this piece does both of those titles a great justice. 

Sorry for coming late to the party, Henry. I’ve been planning to comment for a while and actually listened to this piece quite a number of times. I can clearly hear the Beethovenian influences with the fate motif, and the piano writing is indeed chopinesque. As others have mentioned, the harmonies are completely suitable for the type of work you are writing. Although there are touches of Henry Ng in this piece, I do think there are heavy influences from other composers shaping your music. In the process of finding originality, I think you should try shaking those influences a bit more. Perhaps add some 7ths or sharp 9ths to those V - I progressions, and spice up the rhythms of the fate motif. Writing smaller pieces will help, that way you can fully work with a specific idea you want to explore. Hope this helps

Great work on this, though. I could probably never write or play this well.

On 12/2/2023 at 10:08 PM, GospelPiano12 said:

I agree with Peter - while this piece is clearly original, the harmonic palette isn't as fresh. 

Yeah I agree with Peter myself.

On 12/2/2023 at 10:08 PM, GospelPiano12 said:

Besides that, this piece is perfect. I especially enjoyed listening to your primary themes within the exposition, such a beautiful melody. Your Development was quite nice as well. You are a wonderfully talented pianist-composer and this piece does both of those titles a great justice. 

I play many missed notes though haha!

Henry

7 hours ago, Setthavat said:

Sorry for coming late to the party, Henry. I’ve been planning to comment for a while and actually listened to this piece quite a number of times. I can clearly hear the Beethovenian influences with the fate motif, and the piano writing is indeed chopinesque. As others have mentioned, the harmonies are completely suitable for the type of work you are writing. Although there are touches of Henry Ng in this piece, I do think there are heavy influences from other composers shaping your music. In the process of finding originality, I think you should try shaking those influences a bit more. Perhaps add some 7ths or sharp 9ths to those V - I progressions, and spice up the rhythms of the fate motif. Writing smaller pieces will help, that way you can fully work with a specific idea you want to explore. Hope this helps

Actually even I myself don't know what Henry Ng's sound is like but I will try more in the future! In fact I feel like the 2nd movement of the piece more "me". Maybe the intention of having to heal myself by writing the 1st movement minimize the originality of sound in it, which is the sacrifice I am willing to make, after all I think I don't necessarily chase for originality in every one of my piece haha! But thx for your suggestion and your high standard in my pieces!

I personally will just love to have those V-I progressions retained haha! I really love those moments when there are only sheer powers using the simplest progression without concerning other things! But your suggestion is great and I will take account into it!

7 hours ago, Setthavat said:

I could probably never write or play this well.

Nah I am sure you play better than me! I make TONS of wrong notes here. And I have yet to write orchestral music like you! Thx for your review!

Henry

Hello there

So, this is going to be a weird review. It's because I like your piece a lot, and you're an outstanding performer. And the crux of this comment is not about good or bad, but you and your goals and decisions as a composer.

First of all, yes the audio isn't that great. Yes I know you know that. Yes I'm the same way, I care mostly about the notes themselves and the performance. Yes sharing your recording here of all places is absolutely acceptable (hell it's better than any midi), but what others have said rings true about quality being very important. I'd say it's something to invest in, but if your situation doesn't allow you to freely record yourself in some optimal way... do what I do. Just go to a studio and have them record you. It's worth all of your hard work and time you've invested into your own music. Trust me, music production is a lot to learn, and you can do it, as can I. But if you're anything like me, learning a bunch of nonmusical nonsense in home recording is tedious and boring. If you're up for it, great. Go full throttle because it IS worth learning. But I don't have the time or money to care as much as some others who really enjoy the craft and dedication it takes. I'm amateur at best, and I'd rather devote my time to practicing my instrument and pure composition rather than mixing and engineering. You're a smart guy, you work a nice job and make a decent living. You're single, yes? No kids? Damn son, save that money for studio time!

That aside, I'd like to mention that I thoroughly enjoyed this music. As always, you continue to dazzle us with your great performances (throw away the humility of pointing out your mistakes to us. It's not as bad as you think, your performances are always very impressive). You continually display a brilliant understanding of the studious aspects of music. Sonata form has become your bitch, and your craftsmanship of motivic development is something that anyone aspiring to better themselves in composition could learn from. There's nothing to say that's "wrong", or that the technicality of your music falters by sentence X of page Y in theory book Z. At least not that I heard... but that's kinda my point of this post... we'll get to that. 

I love that you just poured your heart out into this. You let your emotions take the reigns and dictate your every move. It sounds raw to me, like a primal rage kept in check by your studies and skill as a composer. I listened to this a few times, and after the first, I took off my composer hat and just let the music take me wherever you wanted it to go. 

Henry, you ARE a fantastic pianist. This is more personal to me, and not really the point of anything I'm saying in this comment, but I adore every time you mention your students, or any time you talk about being a teacher. As you know, I've done the same, and there are so many times where I catch myself learning new things and thinking about an aspect of music in a new way simply by reinforcing my knowledge or experience to someone else. The detail you give your performance (and other pieces of yours!) is something to admire. Sure I play piano a bit, but guitar is my main instrument. And the care you take with your precision and desire to let the musicality of your music flourish is something that I've taken from listening to your music. You'd be surprised to know that there have been times when I record myself and think, "yeah, that's good"... but then re-evaluate. It wouldn't be good enough for Henry. Gotta do it again. It's better that way 😄 If you're going to immortalize your music with your own recording, make it perfect (as in the performance, not the audio haha). 

So... anyway......................................

I have to say this. I really do. You're brilliant, and deep down, you know you are too. It's so obvious to me that you've studied music composition with great love and care. You've found a passionate bond with music, especially with your favorite composers. You wield the torch of the great romantic composers, most notably the one who created the era. 

Beethoven is one of my heros, as is yours I know. I can tell with great certainty that you've dissected and absolved all the information and knowledge you could receive from his music. IN FACT, although this changes over time, I'd say for the past 10 years or so Appassionata has been my favorite sonata of his. Of course you know that one. I can tell from listening to your piece. There are many things that reminded me of this, as well as Beethoven's "style" in general. 

I wouldn't say your sonata movement is the same as Herr Beethoven's music, but the way you treat material is a lot of times. That's not wrong or bad, but when you get feedback that says, "this reminds me of Beethoven", or, "you need to broaden your harmonic language", I think it stems from this. 

There are lots of examples that make me think this; this quest for originality is difficult. For instance, the popular band Polyphia is very famous for their technicality, but the harmonic language and treatment of developing material is pretty standard (sometimes annoyingly novice IMO). So what sets them apart? It can't just be the technology and effects of 2023 instruments and guitar pedals. They wouldn't be as admired. Or what about Beck? Or Primus? Or any band or musician that has made themselves revered and their music loved? WHAT IS THE SECRET??!!!?!

Or to simplify my point, what was it about Beethoven that we still listen to and study his music in the 21st century? His Piano sonata no.2... is that not Haydn influenced? Tinges of Bach and Mozart for his Minuet in G? What was so great about him?

He was learning and discovering who he was, not only as a man but as a musician. He learned from the greats of his day, just like you do. But at some point, he abandoned the framework of the masters he learned from and decided to give the world a new flavor. A flavor he crafted and that was his own, and he didn't ask or take a poll with everyone to see if it was what they wanted and liked. People don't know what they want or like, you have to amaze them. 

Beethoven, known as a brilliant improviser and brash emotional musician, started his first symphony (is he not known for being one of the greatest symphonists?), at the age of 29 or so, with a C7 chord to F. It's in the key of C. He purposely lead the listeners ear in another direction to give ambiguity, right at the start. Isn't that cool? In the year of 1800? Idk, stuff like that really makes me respect him. And it's because he used the absolute fundamentals of music to be creative, not timbre or effects. 

The point is, I feel like it's WHAT he was thinking regarding music theory that would be cool and interesting that's so impactful. Think of the French hearing Stravinsky's Rite of Spring for the first time. Who cares what the outcome of that performance was, he transcended time and knew his music was meaningful without caring what the perception might be. Debussy's Prelude of the Afternoon of a Faun... he was 32! Was he an accomplished pianist and musician? Absolutely!! Was he thinking about the creative use of the lowest flute register? Uh, probably! And just like you, he dedicated so much time in getting better at his craft. Do you know Jimi Hendrix? Watch footage of him as a black man playing electric guitar for a bunch of hippie whiteys. So many moments of awe, as normally you'd see people dancing and banging heads, but instead a look of wonder and perplexity consumed them as they witnessed a wizard. How did he get that original? Well, he grinded the Chitlin circuit, and learned from the masters, just like Beethoven, just like Polyphia, and just like you. 

So to anyone who says your music isn't original... just wait. In a few years time, you'll continue your craft, you'll get better, and you'll continue to explore that inner voice you have that keeps you going until you not only make a mark on the world of music, but you'll craft a scar. It'll be unremovable and originally yours.

To summarize, this is fantastic music, but more importantly, I'm excited to hear your evolution as a composer, musician, performer, and friend. You have immense talent and an unfathomable love for music, yet the greatest attribute you have in my most humble opinion is your craving to help those around you. It's already a given that you're an outstanding musician and will grow to the greatest heights of craftsmanship, but your larger than life heart will take you farther than you realize.

Thanks for sharing, this was a joy to hear, and well done Henry 🙂

Hi Henry.

This is beautifully written and performed! The triplets and polyrhythms are clearly reminiscent of Beethoven's piano sonatas.

My only slight reservation with this piece if one of personal taste. I've never been much of a Beethoven fan, and tend to prefer Mozart from the composers of the Classical Era.

Musically I seem to be more in tune with almost any other Era of music: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic, Modernist and Postmodernist. Classical is the one period/style I struggle to appreciate. 

I am a big fan of Chopin though: so I enjoyed most those passages where his influence comes through.

To add to Vince, in my opinion, music doesn't always have to be original. But I want to emphasize that I actually enjoyed your "Beethoven-esque" sonata more than a lot of Beethoven's own sonatas! That is tremendous value to any listener, even if it is of a similar style. And Henry, as I go through your piece and notate it carefully in Music Jotter, I am truly appreciating how very rhythmic this piece actually is. I had to take a day off from scripting my next video which will be 100% dedicated to you, because I had to fix a few things while I was notating! Your piece also inspired me to create custom note spacing, sooner than later. The reason for this is because some of your voicing has spacing that does not overlap notes (which is a Music Jotter default), but is spaced a bit to the right.

I'm not sure what my video will be about yet, but I have some ideas. I will see how much of your piece I can actually notate in Music Jotter, then I may try to record parts of it in midi.

Hey Alex,

Thx for listening!

On 12/4/2023 at 10:12 PM, Alex Weidmann said:

This is beautifully written and performed! The triplets and polyrhythms are clearly reminiscent of Beethoven's piano sonatas.

My only slight reservation with this piece if one of personal taste. I've never been much of a Beethoven fan, and tend to prefer Mozart from the composers of the Classical Era.

Musically I seem to be more in tune with almost any other Era of music: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic, Modernist and Postmodernist. Classical is the one period/style I struggle to appreciate. 

I am a big fan of Chopin though: so I enjoyed most those passages where his influence comes through.

Yeah, although for me it's more romantic than Classical! I am happy you like it especially those Chopinistic element!

Henry

You're right of course he's Late Classical/Early Romantic. It's just that to me Beethoven sounds more Haydn than Chopin.

I think this is excellent. I look forward to the rest of the movements.

While I think everything's well written, there's several lovely moments in this piece that stuck out to me in particular:

-- bar 51 morphing into bar 52. It feels almost like the tugging, and then rattling of a chain. A very striking sound effect in context.

-- bars 107 - 114 I love how the hand crossing over to the bass adds a certain textural contour. It reminds me of something ... molten and steely, yet smooth.

-- bars 144 and 148 and 157. The pauses are great. I noticed the YouTube commenter who complained about how bad and random the pauses are, and then he completely undermined any semblance of his own credibility by saying it "objectively ruins the form" or whatever. But in so doing, his ignorance provides an excellent life lesson that transcends music. It just goes to show, not everyone's viewpoint is worth considering, and there are times it's appropriate to simply ignore criticism that flies in the face of good sense. Just as there is good and worthy criticism from people who seek to provide different viewpoints to enrich a person (for no one knows it all), there is criticism that exists for the sole purpose of tearing down and making oneself feel superior in one's own imagination, and what value is there in it? That individual clearly has a LOT to learn, and he will only achieve it if he ever learns the wisdom that comes with humility.

Thanks for sharing, Henry 🙂

Hi Zach,

Thx for your review and appreciation! I enjoy it very much!

2 hours ago, SergeOfArniVillage said:

bars 107 - 114 I love how the hand crossing over to the bass adds a certain textural contour. It reminds me of something ... molten and steely, yet smooth.

Yeah this features a lot in your own sonata!

2 hours ago, SergeOfArniVillage said:

bars 144 and 148 and 157. The pauses are great. I noticed the YouTube commenter who complained about how bad and random the pauses are, and completely undermined any semblance of credibility by saying it "objectively ruins the form" or whatever. But in so doing, his ignorance provides an excellent life lesson that transcends music. It just goes to show, not everyone's viewpoint is worth considering, and there are times it's appropriate to simply ignore criticism that flies in the face of good sense. Just as there is good and worthy criticism from people who seek to provide different viewpoints to enrich a person (for no one knows it all), there is criticism that exists for the sole purpose of tearing down and making oneself feel superior in one's own imagination, and what value is there in it? That individual clearly has a LOT to learn, and he will only achieve it if he ever learns the wisdom that comes with humility.

Actually I really don't care. I respond him merely to provoke him so he will be "infatuated" and respond to me and so the video can earn more exposure LoL! I have you guys who are all very knowledgable musicains and composers respond and review my pieces which I deeply appreciate, so I won't care the self-proclaimed genius's view on YT. Let him continue to think himself greater than others, since at last he will be the one who suffer.

2 hours ago, SergeOfArniVillage said:

I look forward to the rest of the movements.

I am afraid it will be long time after 🤮 I did finish the first draft of the 2nd movement but yet to modify it or have my hands to play on it; 3rd movement I just have the beginning theme...

Thx very much!

Henry