~ quarantine dream ~

[williamhu]

Hiya! It's been a while... first year of uni was way more hectic than I anticipated and I didn't get any composing done since my last post here... which was 6 months ago!

I'm a bit scared of posting in the Senior section, and more than happy to move back to Junior if you think my work is better suited there - last I was working on a set of preludes a few very encouraging comments suggested I migrate here.

This (also very short!) piece is not a continuation of the preludes unfortunately, but a little impressionist sketch about time passing in a dreamlike haze. As per what seems to have become typical for me, a lot of the harmony is built around ringing fifths/octaves, but I think this is the closest I've come to achieving a kind of crystalline sound that I've been in search of for a while.

This score in particular doesn't have any performance markings - generally very poor form, I understand! I was going to go through it and put in my usual 'emotional cues' (e.g. 'a happy memory' at bar 19), but then decided that for this miniature in particular the title + sparse score kind of captured the entire mood that I'd like preserved in any performance anyway.

The main goal for this was a very strict economy, I guess, in terms of packing as much into as few bars and as few notes as possible.

Anyway, hope you're all doing well, and hope you enjoy the piece!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2r80QkMaRw

[mjf1947]

A lovely gentle and sweet work. 

I am not an accomplished pianist .... I do have some questions about the reach of the left hand with some of the chords.  Do you expect the pianist to roll his hand in these spots?

Mark

[francoisfj]

A gentle work indeed, I like the soft harmonies and how it develops. I enjoyed listening.

[sandalwood]

Beautiful! I hear things said only music can say. The 16ths over the LH tuplets, it is too evident (to me) that "all this" made the heart momentarily squeeze, it just couldn't take it anymore.

Nice and complete as a miniature, though I think it could possibly work as part of a longer but still short work, as well. It could melt the coldest hearts when it came back with a twist as the 3rd of a ternary, me thinks.

Impressions as a listener: Very nice performance but is there  problem with the microphone placement? ...and is the top voice perhaps a tiny bit too emphasized, though I do appreciate the bells must be ringing?

Welcome back, by the way and best wishes with the school!

[williamhu]

A lovely gentle and sweet work. 

I am not an accomplished pianist .... I do have some questions about the reach of the left hand with some of the chords.  Do you expect the pianist to roll his hand in these spots?

Mark

Thank you! Any chord in this piece which extends beyond a 10th is fixable by using one hand or the other to 'steal' notes from the other clef.

A gentle work indeed, I like the soft harmonies and how it develops. I enjoyed listening.

I'm glad you enjoyed, thanks for the kind words.

Beautiful! I hear things said only music can say. The 16ths over the LH tuplets, it is too evident (to me) that "all this" made the heart momentarily squeeze, it just couldn't take it anymore.

Nice and complete as a miniature, though I think it could possibly work as part of a longer but still short work, as well. It could melt the coldest hearts when it came back with a twist as the 3rd of a ternary, me thinks.

Impressions as a listener: Very nice performance but is there  problem with the microphone placement? ...and is the top voice perhaps a tiny bit too emphasized, though I do appreciate the bells must be ringing?

Welcome back, by the way and best wishes with the school!

Thank you so much for the feedback!
Re: the recording, I returned home only a week ago and am under a mandatory quarantine in my room (hence the title of the piece). I don't have my usual piano + recording setup available here, I believe most of the 'white noise' / bumps in this recording come from the rickety keyboard stand I have with me. I also am not that familiar with the timbre of the keyboard / the different emphasis on different ranges on the electric keyboard, so the high voice might be my bad, sorry!
Thanks also for the kind wishes

I am glad you all enjoyed this little piece. Hopefully once I'm reunited with my grand piano I can start work on something more substantial

[RJB54]

A pretty, contemplative, piece.

[SallyS]

A very beautiful piano piece.... very contemplative.... very evocative! I think it stands well by itself.... I could imagine it as film music, and I'm not sure it needs extending. If I wanted to play it though I'd feel rather lost. Some of the highest notes look more 'important' than they are. At times the melody gets lost (visually) in the score. You've said that you haven't put any performance markings in.... suggesting they're not important to you. To me... that's like writing words without putting any spaces between words. I think it important that you put phrase marks in... dynamics etc... as you go along... as the piece emerges. Obviously performance marks would be needed for someone to perform it as you would want it... but I think as you're composing it helps clarify things for you. You can see the length of phrases.... where the fall... perhaps giving you a clearer idea as to how a phrase can be extended and developed. But that's only my opinion!!!😀
I think it's a lovely work.... I would just question the last couple of notes!!