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Post by Dave Dexter on Dec 1, 2017 9:26:42 GMT
The contestants were: A - "Two Minute Warning" - Bob Porter B - "The Ferryman's Song" - gx C - "Chaconne for Alfie" - Anonymousintrovert D - "Forum Contest" - Tim Marko E - "Interlude" - Driscollmusick Thanks to all who entered and voted - as you can see, Driscollmusick takes home the prize with his sumptuous "Interlude", with gx and Anonymousintrovert 2nd and 3rd place respectively. No votes for Bob and Tim, but I'm blaming that on low voter turnout - I'm happy to say truthfully that all the pieces interpreted the strictures with some wonderful moments. I'll ask Anonymousintrovert if they mind being outed, especially as they're actually pretty extroverted. Now, as I believe was desired, discuss away! soundcloud.com/user-980608167/sets/contest-1
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Post by driscollmusick on Dec 1, 2017 18:37:47 GMT
Wow. Thanks, all! I liked everyone's pieces very much and found it difficult to vote on one (I didn't vote for myself!). But does this mean I get another star next to my name? If anyone's interested in the idea behind it, I didn't just write this for the contest. I'm actually going to use this as part of the opera I'm working on. It will be an orchestral interlude right after the opera's opening scene (the one where the grandmother and chorus of bears name the heroine when she is a baby) and the second scene where the heroine is introduced as a young woman. In essence, the interlude is intended to represent the heroine's transition from a child into adulthood (unseen on stage). The interlude will segue right into the following scene, but I didn't include that transition because it involves F# minor harmony (not allowed in the contest!)
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Post by Tim Marko on Dec 1, 2017 21:53:41 GMT
Excellent work, John. Congrats!
Is a score available?
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Post by Dave Dexter on Dec 2, 2017 17:27:28 GMT
I can reveal that Anonymousintrovert is in fact Julie Harris, from this and the ning forum. She's like a secret agent, but for music.
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Post by Julie Harris on Dec 3, 2017 18:06:02 GMT
As soon as I heard the first six notes of "Interlude", I knew it was something special. I've listened to it many times now, and I never fail to be moved. Great piece!! Can we see a score?
As for my alternate identity, yes, Dave, I really am an introvert who would love to remain anonymous. The piece I entered was a gift for one of my students. When I saw the guidelines for this competition, I thought it would be a good chance to demonstrate some basic things for her. She likes writing tonal pieces with simple ideas, and she is learning how to build up to a climax, and how to balance cohesion and contrasts. She is also writing for four performers. "Chaconne for Alfie" was to show her that it's ok to write "simple" music that performers enjoy playing. I was a little surprised to get even one vote. I would never have voted for Chaconne if Interlude was one of the choices! But I guess that's even more reinforcement for my student, who worries that she's too "old fashioned".
Great music, everyone!
And by the way, no one knows who the real "Alfie" is, not even me. It just sounded good and reminded me of Michael Caine.
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Post by driscollmusick on Dec 6, 2017 16:40:18 GMT
As soon as I heard the first six notes of "Interlude", I knew it was something special. I've listened to it many times now, and I never fail to be moved. Great piece!! Can we see a score? As for my alternate identity, yes, Dave, I really am an introvert who would love to remain anonymous. The piece I entered was a gift for one of my students. When I saw the guidelines for this competition, I thought it would be a good chance to demonstrate some basic things for her. She likes writing tonal pieces with simple ideas, and she is learning how to build up to a climax, and how to balance cohesion and contrasts. She is also writing for four performers. "Chaconne for Alfie" was to show her that it's ok to write "simple" music that performers enjoy playing. I was a little surprised to get even one vote. I would never have voted for Chaconne if Interlude was one of the choices! But I guess that's even more reinforcement for my student, who worries that she's too "old fashioned". Great music, everyone! And by the way, no one knows who the real "Alfie" is, not even me. It just sounded good and reminded me of Michael Caine. Thanks for the kind comments on the piece, Julie. It is quite heartening to hear someone actually got something out of these series of notes I strung together. I'm afraid I don't have a score yet. Although I do work in notation software, my workflow lately has been focused on the sound output, so I don't (yet) have scores that make sense in the real world!
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Post by fuguestate on Dec 7, 2017 17:31:32 GMT
I voted for the Ferryman's song, because I felt it sounded most comfortable and natural in its instrumentation and interpretation of the contest rules. I thought it sounded like gx 's work, and so it was. OTOH, I could have been biased from having listened to gx's fugues repeatedly over the last while. His piano style must have rubbed off on me unconsciously.
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Post by gx on Dec 8, 2017 8:25:29 GMT
Thanks HS.. I tried to make it sound 'natural'.. (but your second paragraph almost sounds like a disclaimer I must say, John, this is most beautiful,, Very etherial, and powerful - reminds me a bit (the best bits) of Wagner, Beethoven and John Adams, Copland, and others, - though it is totally your own. Listened a few times now.. Really great!
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Post by driscollmusick on Dec 8, 2017 18:05:21 GMT
Thanks HS.. I tried to make it sound 'natural'.. (but your second paragraph almost sounds like a disclaimer I must say, John, this is most beautiful,, Very etherial, and powerful - reminds me a bit (the best bits) of Wagner, Beethoven and John Adams, Copland, and others, - though it is totally your own. Listened a few times now.. Really great! Thanks, Gregorio! You list all composers I draw some inspiration from, but glad to hear you don't think it's too derivative... Keeping a major chord going with arpeggios does tend to invoke the minimalists (or Copland/Wagner at times)
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Post by Bob Porter on Dec 13, 2017 21:48:38 GMT
I also voted for "Interlude". I listened to them once, and then voted. I like a piece of music to appeal to me right away. If it doesn't, I'm less inclined to listen to it again. I enjoyed all of these pieces, though I think the harmonic constraints were kind of tough. I know I interpreted the rules differently than everyone else. I used those four chords. Period. Which probably made the piece sound too repetitive. On the other hand, I felt the other pieces seems to lack focus. No judgement, just an observation. I think lots of music lacks focus. If the other pieces had recurring themes and organization, and I missed it, well, just know that I'm not very deep.
Interlude had the most overall appeal to me. Except for (cough) my own.
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