http://www.savefile.com/files/4155534


here is the update guys, I decided I'll post it in here because it's better for this forum to have more activity to revive it a bit cus it's pretty dead.

So here's the update, I've been working a tiny bit each day on this thing though some days I don't have time because I concentrate mostly on piano (because I suck) and I added another half a minute or so to this thing.

So anyhow for those that have been keeping track, I'm finally almost at the piano exposition. All the themes have been presented in both tonic and dominant keys, and the music has reverted back to the tonic key of A major and at the very end you can hear the transition material shooting up again in the home key. This material will be followed by a few more seconds of fanfare and a big cadence which then introduces the piano which plays the opening theme and goes through all of the themes of the exposition with the orchestra now.

However keep in mind that the work is highly unfinished all throughout and especially towards the end there's bare parts that either don't have woodwinds written in yet or don't have some strings written in etc, so whenever it sounds like something is missing then most likely it is, in most cases though it's the woodwinds and horn.
This is how Mozart composed too, I have a copy of his requiem entirely in his hand (I'm obsessed with the work) and the way he usually composed is basically he might write out the entire movement in strings only or sometimes just the most important voices. For example many of the requiem movements, he wrote out only the most important things i.e. the bass and the top melody line and the chorus, and all the rest like woodwinds is crap that he mostly left for his pupil's to finish. So I compose mostly in the same way, I usually do a skeleton of just the most important lines which are generally the bass and some of the melodic lines of the strings or sometimes if the melody is being carried somewhere else like woodwinds. And I keep that up for a while until the entire idea I have in my mind for that part is realized (so that I don't forget it.) THEN, now that it's down on the paper in a bare-bones format and now I won't forget it, now I can go back and fill in the orchestration like woodwinds and change other things around as I see fit.
So like I said most of the latter half of it is missing things here or there and even the beginning is still missing some woodwinds at times.

I do need your guys suggestions this time though, I want you to honestly tell me what you think of the last 30 seconds or so because I was planning on doing a minor theme episode with a full blown theme but the exposition was already getting too long, Mozart usually introduces the piano at around 2:00-2:20 mark of his concerto or before and I'm already at 2 and a half minutes so I just basically introduced some minor-ish diminished chords to signify a minor excursion that will later be fleshed out more thematically by the piano, this is a technique also used at times by the composers.

So my question is what do you think of that last 30 seconds (though keep in mind like I said it's still missing a few instrumentations) but in general what do you think? because I was thinking of scrapping it and redoing it- I didn't like it at first but now I'm kind of getting used to it after listening to it a few times.

As always thanks for your comments in advance:

http://www.savefile.com/files/4155534 here's the updated file.

And for those that missed it in the pianist corner thread here's also that piano quintet that I have ono hold right now too if you wanna hear something different: http://savefile.com/files/4921985

this is mostly unfinished in the middle parts as well whenever you hear just a instrument or two by itself, but you get the general idea.

p.s. I apologize for the length of the post as usual but I can't help it I type too damn fast

i'm furious : why there's still no piano entry? your intro becomes too long... and thought at that 'turn' near end, it would start piano entry, but then it goes on again and nothing is really happening... but, you know me: i want Beethoven! sorry, it's not helpful.

lmao ... sorry there but it's coming very soon I promise, by the way listen to some Mozart concertos mine really isn't that out of the ordinary yet, I think many if not most of his concertos has a piano entry at 2:20 or later, at least the one or two I've tested recently just to see when the piano enters, it entered around 2:20... I honestly expected to enter earlier and wanted to but I got a little carried away but like I said it's only gonna be another 10-15 seconds at most, this last fanfare you hear at the very end of this sample is just gonna flourish for a few more seconds and then make a big cadence and the piano will spring into action.

edit: I should add that the reason for that repeated transition material 'fanfare' at the end is because up until now we were still in E major and I have to change over back to A major (the original tonic) because when the piano comes in it has to play in the original key so I must establish that key to the ear of the listener otherwise it wont sound right so that's why I had to add an extra few seconds at the end just to establish the feel of A major once again and prepare the listener for the A major piano entrance.

i understand your intention, but i seriously think at that key change point, it's already established the key (to my ear at least), prolonging it just becomes tedious after that. but i'm not much of composer though...

no you are right unfortunately, after that minor diminished chord segment establishes A major it pretty much is established to the ear but still it is a general convention to use some sort of transition material after your last theme exposition to lead into the instrument entrance, I guess because it sort of builds up expectation. I think it would be a little anti-climactic and dull if after all this initial fanfare the whole thing ritardandos tempo-wise and then goes through some death throes in the minor and suddenly a bright and happy piano just emerges from these shadows as if nothing happened. I think the tempo needs to be built back up just a little bit to kind of lift the expectation again since this is afterall a major key piece, so at least that is my theory and I am hoping after you hear the piano entrance you will change your mind and see that maybe my way was effective afterall but I could be wrong...and if I am then after the piano comes in I'll go back and try to rework it, your inputs appreciated tho, discussing it helps me to think about it more clearly.

Requium A.,
Sorry it took so long to get to listening to this. Wow! You added a lot! Sounds very nice! I really like it.

The only thing I was wondering was that I hear more primarly woodwind (at least I think that's what I hear) between 0.25 - 0.31 and again between 0.40 - 0.47. The continuity of the strings sounds "interrupted" or as if the woodwinds "stick out" in these sections in an otherwise lovely, flowing sounding piece since these are the only 2 places in the whole piece I heard them being brought out more. I'm sure you had a good reason for doing this. Just curious what you had in mind in these places?

Overall, has a beautiful flow to it and I especially love the strings.

sarabande I believe the parts you are referring to are most likely where I haven't filled in the orchestration yet, hopefully I'll go back and do that soon as I go long, but in the meantime I have added some more and finally brought in the piano but I'll post an update when I have more cus it's only a few seconds of the piano introduction