Sinfonietta No. 3, Mvt. I - Allegro

Hello fellow composers! I am very excited to present my newest work, the first Movement of my Sinfonietta No. 3! This opening movement is intended to be lighter in mood, with a simple structure. The plan is to eventually follow this with a slow second movement, and a fast third and final movement. 

I had a few goals in mind as I composed this, feel free to evaluate how well I achieved them:

• Focus on simple, memorable themes and motives
• Keep the overall structure simple, in this case A-B-A-B
• Write something in an unusual time signature (5/8)
• Have a greater emphasis on rhythmic elements.
• Evoke an overall lighter, fun mood.

The movement is structured as A-B-A-B, with a brief introduction

• 0:00 - The Introduction presents the rhythmic motif, which is contrasted with a sweeping pentatonic melody
• 0:22 - The first theme is a soaring melody, first presented in the violins. A contrasting woodwind theme is presented, before returning triumphantly to the soaring melody, which then builds to a climax with the opening rhythmic motif
• 2:03 - The strings usher in a staccato melody in the lydian mode. The woodwinds then introduce a simple melody that floats above, with periodic hints of lydian dominant. The section builds to a bombastic climax, with the horns and trumpets soaring above the orchestra.
• 3:12 - The first theme returns, this time in the English Horn. The overall structure of this section remains the same, but with significant changes to the orchestration. The section builds to a climax again, this time more resolved.
• 5:26 - The staccato lydian theme returns, this time more urgent. The section builds to a climax in the horns and trumpets again, this time with an ominous bass melody underneath. The entire ensemble crescendos to fff to end the movement.

As usual, I have several questions for feedback, feel free to answer as many or as few as you wish:

• What effect does the music have on you? Does in conjure up an image? Or an emotional feeling? Does it tell you a story? This can be the piece as a whole, or a specific part or parts.
• What was your favorite part? What was your least favorite part?
• How well do you think the motives are developed?
• Do you have any comments or critiques on technique, e.g. harmony, melody writing, counterpoint, orchestration, voice-leading, etc.?
• How do you feel about the overall form? Is it effective?
• Do you have any comments of the quality of the performance in the audio file? I really want this to be a decent representation of how the piece would sound if it were performed live, since it is unlikely it ever will be. Feel free to put your "conductor hat" on and critique the "orchestra".
• I have included a score and welcome any constructive feedback on its presentation. And if you're like me it's a lot more fun to follow along with the score.
• Are there any composers this reminds you of, that I might enjoy listening to?

Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy! If you liked something I did and want me to explain how I did it, feel free to ask.

-gmm

Score link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EnjEuPwdFr7Ep-f4SRH3BEMYTKxfxu48/view?usp=drive_link

Hey @gmm!  Glad to see another iteration of one of your great orchestral works!

So I'll just start off with some observations.  I scanned your score pretty diligently, and I noticed that you seem to always divide your 5/8 measure into a group of three 8ths followed by a group of two 8ths.  To me, this came as a surprise because usually music does not fit so well into a preconceived irregular meter (I would have expected at least one measure somewhere where the group of two 8ths comes first followed by a group of three).  Although your long leading melodic lines that float above your 5/8 ostinato riffs surely are somewhat free of meter.  The piece is very cinematic to me, with its often very repetitive nature so I will be describing some of the parts of the piece in that kind of context.

On the whole this piece definitely comes across as very accessible and easy listening, as per your intention.  The groove is catchy and the main focus of the piece as per your goals.  I think my 2nd favorite part of the piece is the Piu Allegro sections at E (2:03) and N (5:25).  This part sounds almost like a bombastic dance especially towards its end and the euphonium and bassoons especially create a kind of sense of an impending problem for the main characters in the film.  The piece sounds deceptively simple but is actually quite complex!  This Piu Allegro section especially sounds simple at the beginning when you double all the instruments on the same melodic line, but it is a great way to change the texture in an accessible way and create the ear-worm which is later developed into a more complex fabric.  You end the movement on this theme crescendoing into a chaotic cacophony that is still nonetheless accessible and you leave the listener in a cliffhanger which I think was a great way to end the piece.

My favorite part is probably the gentle, lyrical wind section at B (1:05) and I (3:58).  It might fit an introduction of some kind of really unusual and idiosyncratic character.  

Just a score nit-pick:  do you know if it is possible to export the PDF in a higher resolution?  I sometimes can't even tell the difference between quarter-notes and dotted quarters!

Overall a wonderous soundscape from you once again!  Thanks for sharing!

@PeterthePapercomPoser thank you so much for listening, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

On 9/7/2024 at 9:16 PM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

So I'll just start off with some observations.  I scanned your score pretty diligently, and I noticed that you seem to always divide your 5/8 measure into a group of three 8ths followed by a group of two 8ths.  To me, this came as a surprise because usually music does not fit so well into a preconceived irregular meter (I would have expected at least one measure somewhere where the group of two 8ths comes first followed by a group of three).  Although your long leading melodic lines that float above your 5/8 ostinato riffs surely are somewhat free of meter.  The piece is very cinematic to me, with its often very repetitive nature so I will be describing some of the parts of the piece in that kind of context.

Good observation! I suppose I didn't necessarily intend to always stay in the 3-2 grouping, it more or less just came out that way. I will say there is some ambiguity in some parts of the flowy melodic line you point out. The part I indicated below could be more naturally interpreted as a 2-3 grouping, which would go against the 3-2 ostinato underneath it in the horns. But I didn't think it made sense to change the horn part just for this, and I also kept the notation this way for consistency across the parts.

On 9/7/2024 at 9:16 PM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

On the whole this piece definitely comes across as very accessible and easy listening, as per your intention.  The groove is catchy and the main focus of the piece as per your goals.  I think my 2nd favorite part of the piece is the Piu Allegro sections at E (2:03) and N (5:25).  This part sounds almost like a bombastic dance especially towards its end and the euphonium and bassoons especially create a kind of sense of an impending problem for the main characters in the film.  The piece sounds deceptively simple but is actually quite complex!  This Piu Allegro section especially sounds simple at the beginning when you double all the instruments on the same melodic line, but it is a great way to change the texture in an accessible way and create the ear-worm which is later developed into a more complex fabric.  You end the movement on this theme crescendoing into a chaotic cacophony that is still nonetheless accessible and you leave the listener in a cliffhanger which I think was a great way to end the piece.

Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I was really just trying to come up with an ostinato that conveyed a lydian feeling, and just wrote a melody to flow above it. But you're right, I would imagine this section is more difficult to play than one would expect 😅

On 9/7/2024 at 9:16 PM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

My favorite part is probably the gentle, lyrical wind section at B (1:05) and I (3:58).  It might fit an introduction of some kind of really unusual and idiosyncratic character.  

Awesome! I'm glad you like it.

On 9/7/2024 at 9:16 PM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

Just a score nit-pick:  do you know if it is possible to export the PDF in a higher resolution?  I sometimes can't even tell the difference between quarter-notes and dotted quarters!

Hmm are you referring to the resolution on the video or on the pdf itself? I would expect the video to be difficult to read at a detailed level, but I would think the score pdf should be pretty clear, depending on the resolution of your monitor at least.

Thanks again for listening! I always appreciate your feedback!

25 minutes ago, gmm said:

Hmm are you referring to the resolution on the video or on the pdf itself? I would expect the video to be difficult to read at a detailed level, but I would think the score pdf should be pretty clear, depending on the resolution of your monitor at least.

No, I'm talking about the score link you provided.  The dots on your quarters in this screenshot are barely visible:

Admittedly, this is a problem I have also had when exporting pdfs in Musescore and I don't think there was an option to increase the resolution as far as I am aware.  Maybe it would be possible to import the PDF into a graphics editing program such as Photoshop or GIMP and increase the sharpness of the image?

Another thing I forgot to mention:  you've put the Piccolo underneath the Flutes?

24 minutes ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

No, I'm talking about the score link you provided.  The dots on your quarters in this screenshot are barely visible:

Hmm that's odd. On my screen it is pretty clear, but it did take a second to load. Maybe give it a minute to load all the way?

25 minutes ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

Another thing I forgot to mention:  you've put the Piccolo underneath the Flutes?

The piccolo sounds an octave higher than written, so it is actually an octave above the 2nd flute.

1 minute ago, gmm said:

The piccolo sounds an octave higher than written, so it is actually an octave above the 2nd flute.

Yes I know that.  But, the score order for the instruments would usually have the Piccolo at the top followed by the Flutes, right?

Ah I gotcha. I put it there since it is doubling the third flute. I think I've seen it this way before... I'll see if I can find an example. But it also seems reasonable to have it above the flutes as well.

Found this thread, looks like there is a lot of confusion on this topic 😅

https://vi-control.net/community/threads/is-the-piccolo-above-the-flute-or-below-in-score-layout.83869/

Hi @gmm,

I have longed to review this but finally have time and energy to do so!

This is absolutely wonderful! I love the rhythmic pattern and the pentatonics very much in the A section. The 5/8 time signature is exceptionally great given how it shortens the usual 6/8 to give a motor if drive towards the whole piece. 

I love all the parts here. The grand opening, the expressive low register violin theme plus the driving rhythm on the background in section A, the wind theme in section B, the grand colour shaping in section C, the tutti in the piu Allegro section etc, and all these themes are motivically related by the pentatonic scale.

For me what impresses me is that you go for very effective affects to be created. In your previous pieces you may take more time to create the atmosphere, but now they are instantly created in the opening and themes’ initial appearance.

I love the Piu Allegro theme very much, but for me maybe the transition to it is a bit abrupt since the dynamic, rhythm and texture differ. But that’s subjective in my part, and the contrast is great.

The contrast in section G is great, I love your modulations, and since you don’t overuse your brass, the brass theme here appears particularly powerful. I want the theme lingers longer though.

The reorchestration of the returning theme are very nice too. I always love horn solos and the combination of piccolo and cello is wonderful with pitchy and mellow sound combined in a weirdly wonderful way.

In b. 212 A Tempo the note D is slightly off tune for me. In the marvellous J section I may want the rhythmic motive to be brought out a little bit more, but again it’s subjective, since I think it will move the music more, but there is already trills from flutes so…. It’s subjective haha. I also particularly love the violin counter theme in section K. Even tho it’s a countermelody it’s still under the spell of similar notification contents. This show how coherent and detailed you write. The buildup to the climatic ending, or the whole piece is what I should have taken in my own orchestral writing in the future.

Me like @PeterthePapercomPoser aka Paper the Peter Composer finds only one thing to grumble: the low resolution score on YouTube LoL! It’s in high resolution in the drive file but so difficult to look through on YT!

Thx for sharing this wonderful music!

Henry

On 9/22/2024 at 8:11 AM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I have longed to review this but finally have time and energy to do so!

I feel the same. 😄 

Real quick, I too was bummed by the score on YT. But... then again, how else do you post a score on YT? I think it's fine, and actually, although unreadable, it's cool to see the composer sharing the score as their way of writing the piece. I think it shows craftsmanship. Too many people just slap a scenic mountain background or something (which, I guess I would do too in all fairness). The pdf is fine for me.

Honestly, I have probably said this to you before but just can't remember, but I hate critiquing a single movement of an unfinished work. I just don't know where you plan to go, so a lot of what I have to offer might be moot or irrelevant. However, at the same time I like to at least share some thoughts for people who's music I admire. 

Open orchestration, lydian harmonies, driving yet quirky 5/8 rhythms... this is all stuff I enjoy, especially in an orchestral setting. I'm interested to see how the future movements will be. Are you extracting themes and motifs from this movement? Or is there a plan/sketch yet? For instance, I noticed some well thought-out coherence in your writing for this movement. 

Like the 3-2 groupings of eighth notes in your theme in bar 60. Looks like that's the basis for the Piu Allegro shortly after? I love that thoroughly composed technique. Anyone, especially younger members, could learn a lot from you sifting through your score. 

Of course your orchestration is wonderful to my ears. Loads of color and thought in variation. 

I don't really have anything critical to say, I just hate that your music isn't more recognized here or on youtube. Do you have a specific goal with your audience? I know the setting of tonal orchestral music by living composers isn't always well received, unless you really go full throttle in the media biz. It's just that I always want admirable and skilled musicians to succeed. Maybe you have a comfortable life and you're not interested; that's ok, I'm enjoying your journey through composition regardless. 

The movement felt too short to me with how much substance you packed in. Themes were fleeting in a way. I felt like you could have expanded more and more, but again, I don't know what the future holds for the work as a whole. Just know, you can always count me in as a listener and gmm-enjoyer. 

Well done my friend. If praise is all I have to offer, than so be it. At least I can share that with you 😄 

Vince