Tau Ceti

Hi all.

Have posted this before in the incomplete section; but I've now finished the composition.

Excited to hear what y'all think about it!

I named the piece after the closest G-class star with Earth-like planets, and imagined what a future manned mission to this star might reveal.

Still have a load of work to do on the score; but the composing is basically done.

I wanted to make good use of Spitfire Chamber Orchestra, Berlin Brass and Berlin Percussion within MuseScore, as I recently bought these libraries when on sale.

I'm very pleased with the results, as they sound quite realistic to me.

Almost didn't buy Berlin Percussion; but glad I did now, as the free Muse Percussion doesn't have bowed crotales. Think these are quite effective within the piece.

Wonder if the very downbeat ending works with the upbeat opening?

Was trying to make the harmonies go to unexpected places, whilst remaining true to the opening theme, and developing it into new areas.

Not sure how successful I've been in making the work sound unified and coherent? 

Also wonder which composers this reminds you of?

Looking forward to your comments!

Alex

What a fantastic work. It certainly sounds like film music, a symphonic poem or something similar. The themes and the beautiful orchestration totally evoke that futuristic atmosphere you mention. The part with percussion instruments is one of my favorites.

Thanks Luis!

It really helps having good instrument libraries, as I can hear how it might sound with real musicians.

Have to sort out my score next, and decide how to organise the divisi in the strings.

There are some places where I've forgotten to notate new starting dynamics, and have instruments coming in at ppp against ff in the brass!

Then I just need to find a symphony orchestra crazy enough to play it! 🤪

Alex ... this is a well thought composition with lush harmonic movement.  The opening theme reminds of works by Vaughan Williams ... very British sounding.  My only comment- is that - I would have loved to hear those opening melodies more pronounced in later parts of the work.  Overall it was a pleasure to listen to ...

Nicely done!

Mark

48 minutes ago, MJFOBOE said:

I would have loved to hear those opening melodies more pronounced in later parts of the work. 

That was my original thought. Was planning to conclude the work with a more epic version of the opening theme; but it ended up going in a different direction entirely!

Many thanks for listening,

Alex 

Hi again @Alex Weidmann!

I like the ebb and flow of this piece!  There's definitely a gradual rise and fall in dynamics that sounds very natural to the arc of the piece.  What doesn't sound natural however is how the melodic line sounds interrupted or cut off by occasional staccato notes in the strings in the beginning.  This is a problem that you soon rectify with the addition of more instruments playing the melody and a thicker orchestration.  But I like the piece despite that - it makes me think of a peaceful and potentially life-bearing world in orbit around Tau-Ceti in the goldilocks zone for that star.  Although, now that I read about it, the Tau-Ceti system is quite a bit older than our own solar system, so it's possible that it has already harbored intelligent life in its past.

Musically it amazes me how you are able to make music out of the most random seeming musical gestures on solo instruments with a harmonic pad underpinning.  It's so totally alien to the way I write music.  You also make use of really alien sounding chords that I would never think of using (all of which is appropriate for a piece about an alien solar system I guess! LoL)  Thanks for sharing!