Hello!
Here is a new piano sonata allegro movement that I've written during the pandemic.
I'd welcome any feedback you might have.
Dan
UPDATE; Thanks for all the lovely comments about the opening movement. I've now completed the second movement! Hope you enjoy it. . Dan
Replies
I loved this. Must have taken you a lot of time to put it together since it's quite long. The music takes me back to another time long ago. Evokes class, style and deeper thinking of an era gone by. Moving between the clefs with the same or similar motifs was a very creative approach IMHO.
The only small nit I have is I think it's just a bit too fast. Yes lots of pianists can play it that fast, but to my ears, going by at that tempo doesn't allow one full time to digest the content. JMO others may vary.
Thanks for sharing! Quite a nice work indeed.
This is really excellent! The first main theme sounds cribbed from Saint-Saens (I think), but it's what you do with a theme that counts, and everything about the working out here sounds fresh and new to me. This is a superb example of classical sonata allegro form, right down to the key relationships and the way the two main themes are varied in the recapitulation. I tend to agree with Timothy that it's just a hair too fast - I assume this is a software rendering? If so, I'd love to hear a pianist play this at a SLIGHTLY slower tempo.
Bravo!
BTW, I assume there are more movements to come?
Dear Dan,
wow, this is really delightfuly to listen too! Only at the left hand the simple accompaniement with these equal octave jumps like at m. 42f. or 115-118 could be a bit more creative. I am curious about the followng movements :-)
Gerd
Thanks all for your very kind comments and insightful feedback. I will work on a second movement...
This piece has a brisk pace and is full of interesting passages and phrasing. I like it. It has diversity and dimension. As an opus created by young hands, it shows potential. When composing,(and I am not an expert) always consider the ear of your audience. The final appreciation will be the 'feeling', greater than the sum of it's parts.
Just to say, I've added a slow, second movement in the original post.
Very delightful Sonata. Enjoyable to listen to. Even though I thought that things could have been done a little different in terms of variety and contrasting themes within the sonata to make it more effective, still it stands on its own merit the way it is.
The second movement is delightful too.
Regards
Hi Dan,
I’ve been here just a few short weeks and I’m amazed by the high quality of all contributions here. What a pleasure to listen to your work Dan, very well done!
Waves of inspiration come and go I different sizes, shapes and forms. If one is lucky enough to start writing in a high wave something beautiful happens.
I feel your inspirational wave was slightly bigger in the first piece than in the second, although both are beautiful and I would love to hear the next piece.
About the first piece I agree with Gerd. Between bar 114 and 121 the left hand lacks a bit of inspiration.
At the end of bar 23, right hand, Bflat/D - A/C (repeated) These notes break character with the general idea of the piece.
I love the consistency with which you present the central theme.
About the second part.
Maybe it could do with some “Humanize” (in LogicPro there is a choice “humanize”) slightly offsetting starting points, durations and velocities, making it flow a bit smoother.
I agree with others about the tempo, slightly too fast.
If the difference between pp and ff was a bit bigger it could be a more interesting story.
All in all, very nice good job Dan, well done. Thanks for posting….
The second movement has much in it to admire - there is a lot of very intricate interplay between the two hands and the music never does quite what the listener expects. Very fresh-sounding. My only real criticism is that the performance (or rendering) sounds quite stilted and "dry". This might be due mainly to the lack of pedal, but the staccato articulations over extended passages contributed to that impression too. If there is a "humanize" feature as Joost suggests, that might be something to try -- though I'm still not clear on how the rendering was produced. DAW? Notation software? If notation software, the limitation might be there, depending on which app you are using.
But I greatly admire your abilities as a composer! All in all, this is excellent work.