As a contrast to the previous composition I've posted, here I have a fugue in 3 voices. This is not the first fugue I've done, but it's the better one I have (in my opinion). This time I also posted the score.

This fugue was intended to be played in a guitar, but as it showed to be IMPOsSIBLE (according to a friend of mine, professor at the university), I "arranged" it for piano and made some changes.

Hope for comments.

Thanks for listening.

Chris,
Here is a 1-point lesson in 18th century counterpoint: avoid octave movements in the parts. If you will analyze your score carefully, you will see in measures 7-8, end of 12 -13, 15-16, considerable ocatve movement. Don't be fooled by the surrounding passing/neighboring tones that partially obscure it, because the ear is not fooled. You will see that this is quite pervasive/recurrent. Your use of stretto in 16-18 I think is premature, and should have been saved for near to the end of the piece. That's just a few pointers. BTW, fuge writing is very difficult. You should work through 2-part inventions first.

These octave movements... man, some of them I have not perceived. Thank you a lot. This fugue will surely undergo a good revision. But I wonder if the octaves in measure 12 can really be considered as "octave movement", as one voice has an octave with one, and then with another one in lower register... if anyone could clarify me about this point...

12th measure 4th beat moving to 13th measure 1st beat.

Hi Chris,

First of all, welcome to Pianosociety. I'm Riley, nice to meet you It is nice to have you here. A quick look at the composition section tells me you like to be active in discussions, and this is what we wish other members would do, so keep up the good work! I had a listen to your "Chanson pour une vie." The beginning had a jazzy feel to it with a touch of impression, if I can say that confidently. I can definitely echo what Eddy said, sticking with a theme can serve you well. The structure of your piece I do not feel is clearly defined. I could be wrong

I listened to your fugue. Not bad for a composition modulation exercise. If Bach and he lived down the hall and he was putting together a set of fugue works I wouldn't tell him about your piece. And that mainly because Bach is the master of music, his work stands apart from other motivated composers but also, your piece could use some work. The pivot chord change on the 2 beat of measure four was just out of character, but it seemed a temporary tonicization, so I will not say it had no place in the piece.

Also, I saw your comment on my piece "despair," thanks! Kind of disturbing that it could be likened to a prisoners last ruminations, on his way to the gallows but I did name it despair for a reason. I submitted it to a contest but this week found out it did not win. I like to think I know a lot about composition, but I have a lot to learn.

One final piece of advise, listen to some classical piano music. Good literary writers have said you improve writing by reading good literature. The same holds true for composition and music literature. That's my two cents


~Riley

Hi, Riley. Thank you for listening and commenting on my work. Your 2 cents are more valuable than you imagine.

Yeah, this fugue is not a fugue we could be impressed of, like any Bach ones. But surely one way to improve compositional techniques is trying to apply what we know in a piece. And fortunately I've known this forum, which has people who want to exchange information and help each other (boy, this sentence was not correctly written, I guess. Sorry, it's not my native language).



Yeah, I already do that. I love classical piano music and listen to them everyday. I have a vast repertoire in my PC that I like to listen reading their scores too.



Music is my life. I have no other main plans in future that do not envolve music (remember, I'm studying music at the university). Then, sometimes I see some opinions and "rules" to which I do not agree simply because "things are like this". You know, I dance too (not these party dances, but artistic dance, that you go see in a theater - not ballet), and I see the same discussions like "you cannot do this because people do not!" We simply have reached the conclusion that this is art, and there are no real rules. I have never studied in a music school, but I have some friends that have, and believe, they have a very narrow mind. Simply because they are taught to be so! I once asked a violinist friend of mine (very skillful, by the way) if he had already tried to improvise on his violin. He simply said "No, because my teachers have never told me to do so..." Shocked! If we all try to fit in the same format, we'll not really have development in music. BE CAREFUL, I'm not saying anarchistly that we don't have to know all these things! Of course not! I am now, for example, studying Schoenberg's "Harmony", "Preliminary exercices in couterpoint" and "Fundamentals of music composition". I want to learn all these subjects, and I believe we need to. However, being stuck in the same patterns will difficult innovation and evolution.

I believe my speech was very radical, but please don't interprete like this.

Thanks again

Yesterday I heard that Saul Bellow had said, "A writer is a reader in search of emulation."