The monthly depository of compositions from PianoWorld members!

JANUARY

Happy new year everyone!

This is where we, the pianoworld members and composers offer our compositions free of charge to the rest of the pianoworld members!

Compositions are copyrighted at all times to their respectful owners.

At any time one can delete their compositions in this thread. Though this is not nice, there might be reasons to do so. However, be aware that after some time has passed you can NOT edit your post, in which case you'll need to delete the file from the servers.

If you have troubles uploading, finding webspace, offering or htmling, just let me know. I'm only a PM away, or an email away. It's very easy to get a hold of me!

And if you want, offer your insights on your own works. Offer the score, or the recording. Offer both, or offer your ideas as well. Write as much as you'd like, or as little. Share with us your thoughts about your own works... and when you're done with that, share your thoughts and your feedback about the works of others. Offer and receive!

Finally... enjoy...

And let's start off with one of Steve's works!

Steve Chandler wrote his work for solo piano titled 'Luminous' and he's offering it to us.

The recording can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/pantonality
and the score can be found here: http://www.nikolas-sideris.com/EMF/Luminous.pdf

He mentioned that this work is the opposite of his previous piece (in the December thread) titled 'Elegy'. I'd agree that this is a very positive take on things!

I assume for me to participate in this thread is nearly pointless? I already posted my first and only work here in the CL.

Haha!

Here are your options:

a. Post the work here (even if you've already posted it).
b. Allow me to do that for you. But then you wouldn't be able to say anything about your work...
c. Don't post the work but comment on the works of others.
d. Leave the thread in shame.
e. Post a new work!

All of the above, except (d) are lovely options and none is too wrong or too right!

In other words: Why not? As long as you're nice (and you're extra nice) just post anything you like, comment, offer feedback, provide the background of your work... and share the love for composing and music! ^_^

I think this is a really great idea and it's totally cool what you're doing here! I just wish more people on PW composed. The Composer's Lounge always feels so lonely.

I have a different take. It doesn't feel lonely to me because I imagine all these people who compose popping in from time to time, posting a work, making a comment. They're not hanging out here all the time because they're busy composing! My internet connection is pretty dodgy, and sometimes I can't even listen to recordings at all, but I still pop over here when I have time, and see what's going on. I haven't posted any of my own works yet - maybe one day I'll get my technological act together.

While I agree with curra, I will also mention that in my opinion we composers (my included of course) suffer from a sort of autism: We are ashamed to show our works, we feel bad if we dare promote our works, and we try to hide our best work as if the world would end if we were better than the masters of classical music!

(This is why I started EMF... To battle my tendency to hide...)...

What do you mean by this?

What is the saying? . . . "Be careful what you wish for."

I know exactly what he means. Composing is a very solitary activity. It's a lot of work to bring even a short piece into existence. By the time a piece is done I'm usually pretty tired of it, but still insecure about it (or parts of it). Then the thought enters the mind, "What of people don't like it?"

I never consider the possibility of being better than any of the masters. That never enters my mind, because I see inadequacies in my own capabilities. My memory could be better. If I play something I like I struggle to reproduce it and usually have considered a bunch of other possibilities by the time I do. I'm too aware of my shortcomings to think I might approach the quality of the masters.

Finally, I think back to my student days when I wrote in a more modern style. I'm well aware that many will perceive my work as conservative, but when you've been composing for 4 decades you don't do it to please others. If I don't enjoy listening to my own work I won't expect anyone else to. Yet I don't want to be completely irrelevant so I have developed a style that tries to balance my need to enjoy the listening experience with my interest in unique harmonic combinations.

Just listened to both "Elegy" and "Luminous", Steve -- IMO, they are, along with "Tender7", your best solo piano compositions. Just curious -- did you yourself post the recordings of these pieces, or is it done via some digital method? I suspect the latter, because it is "mistake-free", but also lacks the expressive character that I think would enhance the impact in both pieces. Thanks for sharing these!

Tim, thank you, coming from you that means a lot. One of the things I had to come to terms with (along time ago) was that I simply don't have the ability necessary to be a very capable pianist. I learn pieces too slowly and I make mistakes (which usually causes the wheels to come off the wagon). But, I love composing and I think I've gotten pretty good at it. In order to get a sense of what my pieces really sound like I had to develop a technique to produce a decent sounding recording. For Luminous I played all the parts into the computer (albeit about half tempo). It is obviously a midi recording in that a computer played samples using midi. I did feel it necessary to edit the performance which took out some (but not all) of the nuance. The world will never (if it has any sense) pay to see me perform these or any other of my pieces.

I do appreciate that you enjoyed them. Elegy and Luminous were conceived to be two sides of the same coin.

Thanks,

A bit of fun this month, but then I don't take myself seriously at the best of times. I found an old tape recording of me at about twenty. Many pieces on it actually had scores, albeit even rougher than my last ones, still lying around the house.

I remember this one had a story. We had a really rough neighbour, but a good sort, and Mum, Dad and I used to get on the drink with him until three in the morning. Dad had a tin on the kitchen cupboard containing cigars, and after the consumption of half a flagon of local sherry, our neighbour teetered over, helped himself to a large one and demanded I play the piano. This was a musical description of our neighbour. Alas, everyone is now long gone, but how well music captures the spirit of past good times - much better than a photograph.

Cigar Tin Stomp

Cigar Tin Stomp page 1

Cigar Tin Stomp page 2

Cigar Tin Stomp page 3

I like "Luminous", Steve. How remarkably spontaneous and bright it sounds, almost as if you had looked out the window on a fine morning, sat down and played it on the spot. The effect is delightfully in contrast with your actual method of creation. Don't know how you do that.

Ted,

Your Cigar Tin Stomp took me back to my youth when we'd see cartoons with the tin pan alley piano playing. Very cool and nicely done! How did you get the piano to sound just like it would in an old recording?

Glad you liked Luminous, you're right it was anything but a spontaneous creation, but I'm glad it sounds like one. I don't know how I do it either. Thanks.

Ted,

Your Cigar Tin is marvelous. I'm not as old as Steve, but I think neither Steve is THAT old! I still, however, get the same vibes as he did from your piece. Brilliant.

And as a side note I just love the way your scores look. It's fabulous to look at them and enjoy your handwriting and thoughts, and deleted parts and everything.

Here's the score combined into a single PDF file:

http://www.musica-ferrum.com/documents/The%20Cigar%20Tin.pdf

Thanks for listening, Nikolas and Steve. It was actually the other way around, Steve. The tape was awful and I had to make the sound at least bearable. I am sixty-five. For various reasons the recording cannot be earlier than 1967 or later than 1971 but although I remember the event very clearly its exact date escapes me.

All my scores look ratty because I hate the act of writing music. I used to get progressively worse tempered from start to finish and it shows. Thanks for combining them Nikolas, it makes it easier for people.

Ted Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed listening to your Tin Stomp. This is music that´s make everyone happy :-)
Also agree fully on your comments about Steve´s Luminous. Beautiful piece!

My contribution is a jazz waltz I have been working on for quite some time. Finally got the pieces together:
Jazz Waltz
And here´s how the score look like when recording the piece into a trial version of Sibelius. Unfortunately I have very limited knowledge about scores so I am not able to make the corrections required:
Score

Sounds great. Where's the rest of the trio!?

Thanks. The flute and bass players are lurking somewhere in the Casio bank, I believe

Don't forget the drums! I hear the chick of the high hat.. and brushwork on the snare. (perhaps because I am a drummer myself)

Steve:

Luminous is really pretty. Wish I could add more but don't know enough yet! Very nice to listen too. May have to listen a few times more!

Ted:

Cigar Tin Stomp sounds like tons of fun to play! Just awesome!

Rune E: A very nice mellow tune. Something I'd like to eat to! LOL

Awesome songs you guys.

Rune: Lovely stuff! And the score, while it's not clear, gives a very precise point on what's going on!

It's very catchy and, exactly because of the bass and the flute, it reminded me a bit of Claude Bolling... Perhaps you've heard of him?

In either way I hope that this week I'll be able to post on of my works for solo piano. And it's not a miniature like last month!

Okay so this is my first to share (only my second written!) I'm sorry there is no music to accompany the score but I'm still having issues recording at the moment.

I think it sounds better than I expected! LOL Anyways hope you can enjoy a beginner's attempts.

Opus. No.2.

This is my take on the écossaise form. Though it is not in 2/4... nor is it dance-y... and I don't think it's very Scottish. I guess it's nothing like an écossaise.

http://musescore.com/joel_w/untitled

Joel you may think it's none of those things, but I thought it was dance-y, though perhaps not Scottish. It was delightful and should be longer, there's a lot you could do with this.

Joel,

I agree with Steve. And it IS delightful.

I would, however, like to comment on the difficulty level of your work(s)... I think it's a tad more difficult that one would expect... :-/ But still it's a brilliant piece of music. (and there are a few tiny spots in the score that need correcting, if you want me to let you know...).

Thanks Steve and thanks Nikolas.

Nikolas, I would love advice.

Great Joel,

I'm glad you're so open about this. Here goes:

1. Any clashing elements should be eliminated. Some slurs touch the notes, etc...
2. If you're unclear about the pedal, just let it be. Are you sure you want pedal in the half of bar 1 and then at bar 4 only? I bet most pianists would use a bit of sustain pedalling around the places of the big gaps (to bridge the space that is), and perhaps in other places as well.
3. The dynamics go between the two staves, not above (the dim. sign in bar 4).
4. The tempo markings and alterations always go above the two staves.
5. A dynamic marking at the end of a bar is a bit weird (the last p on bar 12). It's difficult to say exactly when it applies.
6. There appears to be missing a slur in the final bars. How you want these 16ths played?
7. But even more, there's a staccato dot in hand the last bars, but not all. Is this intentional or not?
8. Finally. The doppio movimento. Ok, I get what you mean and it makes sense, but somehow I think that 32nds would be a better choice. They would surely panic the pianist and righfully so. Right now you're cheating the eye a bit like this...

hope these comments help a bit.

Nikolas