Toccata in C Minor for Pianoforte WoO 18b, No. 1

Hello Everyone!  I'm Emile, I'm 18 years old and I'm from a little island called Aruba in the Caribbean. I'm really passionate about Music, I'm a Classical/Romantic Composer/Pianist and started to compose when I was 12 and started with the piano at 14(able to play late Beethoven sonatas). And I've started to try my best to be known out there currently working on a piano concerto in f minor, string quartets and I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and getting involved in the great things happening here on this forun. This is the 12 variations on a theme in C major. But this is the 11th Variation! this is my first Toccata and First Fugue! this toccata took me several weeks and i was inspired by the intro of his Choral Fantasy when i first listened to it! and i decided to dedicate this to Beethoven because I finish the piece a day before his birthday.

Dedicated to (Departed) Ludwig van Beethoven, Birthday of the Year 2023

P.S - The 3 voice fugue is not in strict form it's a wander/sonata form

12 Variations and Nocturne for Viola and Piano on a theme in C Major.mid

Hello @Ghashes Tromp,

Welcome to the forum!

I really enjoy the youthful energy throughout the piece! For sure you are talented to write large scale composition at such a young age! Beethovanian influence is apparent throughout the piece. The sforzandos, energy level, quotations like the Hammerklavier subject like b.232, or the Third Piano Concerto like b.274, the conquering fate C minor to C major are great. It’s also a great attempt on trying fugues on the theme!

The harmonic language is more in your own style. Voice leading like in b.10, or the episodes in the fugue are more modern in terms of harmonic content.
I think you can write smoother transitions between each sections. I think the modulation to the G major section in b.19 is not well prepared with G minor suddenly turned to a G major. A dominant D major before it will fit better in my opinion! The fermata on a C sharp in b.170 is suddenly moved to its tritone G for the next fugal section and may cause confusion to listeners since the two bars are nearly unrelated! Maybe again ends on a D major chord would be better? I love the retransition to b.269 more!

The voices in b.187 right hand should be written in their own distinctive beamings rather than having the theme shared between two different voices.

Beware some of the enharmonic spellings! Like in b.291 you can use B natural and E natural instead of Cb and Fb. D sharp in b.32 can be written as Eb. There are more of this issue in your score and you can check them out!

Despite being nitpicky, I really enjoy your attempt! For sure you have great talent in composing and really look forward to your even bigger scale works! Thx for sharing your music and joining us!

Henry

Hello @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu,

I want to express my sincere gratitude for taking the time to listen to my composition and offering such detailed feedback. Your insights into the harmonic language, transitions, and various technical aspects are incredibly valuable.

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the youthful energy and recognized the Beethovenian influences throughout the piece. Your suggestions for smoother transitions, voice leading, and enharmonic spellings are duly noted. I won't be revisiting this particular piece due to other compositions to work on at the moment and busy most of the time, but I'll definitely take these notes to heart for my future compositions that's a promise. I will post other compositions of mine that I have made already, so the public can see more of what I offer.

Your constructive feedback is exactly what I need to grow as a composer, and I truly appreciate your encouragement. I'm excited about the prospect of incorporating these insights into my upcoming works.

Thank you once again for your thoughtful critique, and I'm looking forward to sharing more of my compositions with this wonderful community.