Young Composers' Chorale Challenge

This is an exercise in part-writing, similar to Recursion

Very good idea, JLG. Just hope we don't come too close to Bach on these! :excl:

This one is good xD. What about chord rules/restrictions?

Very good idea, JLG. Just hope we don't come too close to Bach on these!

Well, mine didn't. I'll post it later. It really was tougher than it looked.

This one is good xD. What about chord rules/restrictions?

While encouraging discipline, I'm trying not to be too restrictive. I'm also trying to avoid writing a dissertation on theory before this even begins. I'm leaving the choice of harmonies and such up to the individual, hoping people will make logical choices. I also think that modern harmonies from people so inclined might be interesting. So it's wide open, provided the few guidelines I've already presented are followed.

I should add, for the benefit of those who might be sitting on the fence or who might not see the value of this kind of exercise, that any of you who intend to take college-level theory can expect to be assigned this kind of work - and with good reason. Understanding this kind of part writing can only improve your understanding of the art and science of composition. It might be well to get a head start on it now.

Those of you who might have a particular knack for pedagogy, your input is especially welcome if you're so inclined.

I have written a choral plus one variation, I hope you all like it a bit :angry:

Choral.mid

Cool. :D

Not exactly the harmony I'd personally have put with this tune, but your part writing is pretty good. I can find no errors, only musical decisions I don't understand - and that's OK! Your style has some traditional aspects, yet it is definitely modern.

Originally posted by J. Lee Graham@Sep 30 2005, 05:00 AM

Cool.

Ok. I just saw this here, so I decided to do it.

Please, don't kill me for my bad piece.

I've never actually written in this still, and the restrictiveness is cramping.

However, I do realise the good these kinds of exercises will do me, so thanks for spending your own time to help people like me, who can't really work in this form.

Btw, I haven't actually listened to any of the other submitted versions yet, i promise :D

Edit: ok, Bach88's is way better than mine, lol. :)

Von_Himmel_Hoch.mid

I am also very curious for your piece

Here ya go, such as it is. It's not very imaginative, but I was trying specifically to come up with something that would, shall we say, "set a good example." It's very...traditional and academic.

Daniel, I'll comment on yours shortly.

Anyone else want to comment, or jump in the pool?

Due to my stupidity, I can not post my arrangement in the form of a MIDI and can only do Finale notepad; If you are intent on only having MIDI files in this challenge then don't even listen to my rambling.

I can listen to your, cause I can download it for some strang reason ;) but I can't get midis :)

Me neither; we are both unfortunate souls incapable of listening to our peer's music.

I really like your piece, J. Lee!

I think the major problem with my piece is that it doesn't modulate enough. :P

I'm very curious for the musical choices you didn't understand.

I think the major problem with my piece is that it doesn't modulate enough.

I wish some of the other pedagogy types would come in here. Suddenly I feel like I'm imposing my personal sensibilities on what gets submitted here, and I'm not sure I'm qualified. Who the hell am I, anyway? I'm a traditionalist, with a lot of years of experience in traditionalism, and I'm going to judge something like this according to my expectations. Of course, a college professor would do exactly the same, and might actually be much more strict with something this elementary.

I'll just go ahead and say what I feel needs to be said, and we can discuss it if you wish. Just understand that I'm coming from a very traditional point of view - and that isn't necessarily a good thing, especially for other people who don't operate in an 18th Century glass bubble like I do. I'm not making any value judgments. That's what I meant by not understanding some of the choices you made, Bach88. They weren't choices I would have made in the same situation. That doesn't make them the "wrong" choices. From your moniker, I'd have expected something more traditional, that's all. If there were something really wrong, I'd have said so. Does that make sense?

Yes, thank you. It doens't matter.

Critiques or just remarks are always welcome of course :P

I've done a new effort, this also shows the great possebilities of this simple melody!!

( Too much like your piece :P )

Choral2.mid

Hello

I have two questions

1 is it allowed to change the cantus firmus (melody) slightly in rithme?

2 Does the melody have to sound throughout the piece or can the other voices

make whoopy on the side?

artisimo

1 is it allowed to change the cantus firmus (melody) slightly in rithme?

Sometimes that's allowable - Bach did it occasionally - but I'd say not in this one.

2 Does the melody have to sound throughout the piece or can the other voices

make whoopy on the side?[/b]

Again, inasmuch as it's a chorale, it should be as much like a straightforward hymn as possible, so no interludes...if I understand you correctly. My own example or any of Bach's are just about exactly the kind of thing I mean.

* * *

My apologies to those of you to whom I owe replies. I'm busier than I'd like to be, and I'm trying to find enough time and the right kind of mental energy all in one place at the same time. Bear with me... I have a day of tomorrow... my first in quite a while.

My apologies to those of you to whom I owe replies. I'm busier than I'd like to be, and I'm trying to find enough time and the right kind of mental energy all in one place at the same time. Bear with me... I have a day of tomorrow... my first in quite a while.

hey, if you're busy, or not in the mood, don't worry about not replying.

if you don't have much time, you don't need to use it on a forum..

Here's my entry. I tried to make the chord progression perhaps a little more interesting than what Bach would have written... I haven't proofread, so I'm not sure if there are glaring errors, but let's see how it works out.

A_Winter_Fantasy.mid

vom_himmel_hoch.mid

I tried to make the chord progression perhaps a little more interesting than what Bach would have written...

omg..heresy!!!!

in my opinion, yours was good.

quite different to all the others so far, but personally, although i think some of Bach's music is boring, i don't think your chord progressions were any more interesting than what Bach would have done.

not to lessen what you've done though. good cohesive work imo.

This is my very first Chorale.

Thank YOU DR. Fux. which he sorta helped. I think?

My_first_try_at_a_choral__whoo.MID

Yay! Two more! Gotta have a listen.

OK Daniel, you were first...here we go.

Your overall understanding is good. However, in a chorale, all the parts need to be able to sing all the words (chorales are hymns, even if they're only done as exercises), and you have the soprano entering the pickup to each phrase alone, so the other parts would be leaving words out. This would be easy to fix, e.g. in the very first pickup, maybe you could have an A minor chord, perhaps

Well, here my attempt to add my 2 cents of skill.

To get a musical idea and give the added voices a special meaning I looked upon the original text of the hymn.

What catches the eye right away is the decending of the melody one octave from C to C. This corresponds with the idea of the angels coming from heaven down to earth to give the tiding the expected birth of Christ.

In the original text are keywords that are helpfull in composing the 3 additional voices.

Let's look at the text:

Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her

Ich bring euch gute, neue Mär,

Der guten Mär bring ich so viel,

Davon ich singen und sagen will

From heaven above, from there I come

I bring you a good new tiding

Glad tidings of great joy I bring,

Whereof I now will say and sing

1st sentence:

The word "Da (there)" is accented as like pointing to the place where the angels stem from. The general feel is a decending motion

2nd sentence

Starting with static angelic voices, the voices move toward earth, and end up in an earthly dissonant. The dissonant is on the word "(neue)Mär (new tiding)" and wants to be solved, which is logical because its about something new and unfinished. It also is a reference to the crusifiction eventually.

3rd sentence

The voices "stand up" and the syncopation suggests people spreading the news one to an other. This really speeds up in the

4th sentence

The voices start (in double speed) to imitate the melody of the first sentence, in spirit following the text "Whereof I now will say and sing".

However, humans are rendered as imperfect and thus the imitation of the initial melody to.

Artismo

PS, Im a non believer, I just know stuff.

Vom Himmel hoch.mp3

Thanks alot J.Lee!

I had no idea i had that many mistakes in it, lol.

i agree with your points, but should explain that the G in the bass in measure 5 was to make the chord/cadence feel unresolved.

yea, i should avoid the voice jumping..

im on a different computer at the moment so i cant change anything though :blush:

p.s. that's really interesting artisimo

Wow, I can't believe I still haven't done this one. I will get right on it! :blush: