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It'll definitely help you to understand each orchestral instrument's strengths and weaknesses. I would fanatically recommend investing in a copy of The Essential Dictionary of Orchestration. It has everything you'll ever need to know about just about every orchestral instrument. It includes what they are good at doing and how they are normally used, special considerations for each instrument, the dynamic ranges at every extreme of the instrument's range, what that range is, how to notate them on the page (this is particularly helpful for percussion), and much more.

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For example, I just popped my copy open to a random page. It's on the Horn in F (French Horn). Here's some stuff it has to say about it.

"Tonal and Dynamic Qualities"

"Low Register"

"In this register the tone quality lacks focus, is tuba-like, unsolid and quite dark. This subdued tone is more apt to provide a supportive "presence" than a confident tone. Projection is poor and intonation problems are more likely to be encountered in this register.

"Middle Register"

"Here, the horn in F is the most characteristic-sounding. The tone quality can vary from warm, dark, and haunting to velvety, noble and heroic. At louder dynamics and/or when ascending the register, the tone becomes brighter and projection increases. The best control of the instrument is offered in this register."

"High Register"

"Ascending the high register, the tone becomes progressively more brilliant and exciting. The higher the player ascends, the more difficult it is to play softer dynamic levels. Consequently, notes above written high G are almost impossible to play softly."

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And it doesn't stop there!! It continues on to list general characteristics of the French Horn like its extremely wide range and ability to blend into an orchestra, technical considerations like its lack of agility compared to other brass instruments, tips on notating for them since there's historical reasons to notate them a certain way, and even possible special effect indications like "brassy," "bells up," "lontano," muting, etc. as well as what they all mean. (I didn't know what lontano meant until I read it for this comment.)

Take note that I did NOT add in that bolded text myself. The book actually does that so you can take a glance at it just for quick tips if you want.

Seriously I can't recommend that book enough. It'll only run you $10, fits your pocket, and is a resource you'll consistently turn to when you wonder about a certain instrument. (I turn to it often, anyway).

10/10 for sure.

Hey friend. You ask great questions!

The issue you’re having is a great illustration of why music conservatory training is so essential. You say you’re willing to dedicate much time and effort; have you considered enrolling in a composition program? There’s much, much more to this than reading a book (or watching some YouTube videos). Deep training in several overlapping fields – theory, aural skills, music history, instrumental performance, choral singing, keyboard skills, score study, composition, etc. – all contribute to developing high level composition & orchestration skills, regardless of your styles/genres of interest.

Anyway, one place you can start on your own would be to dig into a good counterpoint treatise. Counterpoint training is about the craft of melody and of combining individually-compelling melodies to create harmony. There are many great treatises/books spanning literally hundreds of years, and everyone will have their favorites.

Knud Jeppesen’s Counterpoint is fantastic; old-fashioned, but excellent for basic principles. You can find a pdf online easily. The Salzer & Schachter book is more modern and also great. Thorough, well-organized, and I’ve found it to be effective with students who don’t have very deep musical backgrounds at the outset.

Above all, have fun with it and dig deep. Sing and play (at the piano/keyboard) everything you study and write!

I thought I might be walking into a buzz saw with this one...

Right, so I won't dispute that your large scale structure looks like sonata form, but a successful exposition, development and recapitulation requires very distinct themes in order to work. As other comments have noted, the thematic material lacks character and direction. That's a huge problem if you're writing in sonata form as the thematic material is primary over any considerations of large scale formal structure.

The distinction between the A and B sections should be dramatic and easily recognizable. This piece is much too homogeneous, in my estimation. Stylistically, it sounds like a sort of binary waltz form, not what I would hear as a sonata in the spirit of the great 18^th and 19^th century works.

Also, key changes (or at least tone center shifts, if you aren't writing tonal music) play an incredibly important role in Sonata form, but I'm having trouble discerning contrasting key centers here. This detracts from the internal conflict one likes to hear in a sonata, especially a short one like this.

Finally, I believe the development could be much longer. One truly important aspects of a modern sonata form is the extent of the development. The more far off field you go, the longer its temporal extension, the more tension you can build before the recapitulation. Listen to any of the first movements of Beethoven or Schubert sonatas and you'll hear what I mean. I'm not saying you should be writing something of the magnitude of Schubert's 960 or anything, but proportionally, your development could be two or three times longer, minimum.

Hopefully this clarifies where I'm coming from. My initial comment wasn't nearly as specific or helpful as it could have been (in fact it was basically inaccurate). What I'm trying to convey here is that Sonata form is so very much more than an extended binary form, and in that respect you have a lot of room left to explore.

One more book recommendation: Charles Rosen's Sonata Forms

The part of theory that made composition most accessible to me was studying form. By that I mean the high-level organizational structure. For example, Sonata form, verse-chorus form, 12-bar blues form, etc. It's not just about those specific templates, but rather why they actually work. For example, what is it about verse-chorus form that makes it so universal for most of pop music. Once you feel comfortable analyzing form, it's easier to start composing with that sort of road-map ahead of you. For example, with a song, if you know you'll want to use verse-chorus form, it's a lot easier to proceed with writing music with those pieces in mind (the chorus should be catchy, the verse should properly showcase the lyrics, maybe I want a really unexpected bridge to build up tension before the final chorus, etc). Without having form in mind, writing music ends up being sort of free-form and doesn't have a sense of direction or "journey" (which of course can be intentional).

If you're ok with learning from a very classical point of view, I highly recommend "Classical Form" by William E Caplin. (There's also a workbook version). This book has nothing to do with teaching composition directly, but it really opened my eyes in terms of understanding how a piece of music is structured so that it "makes sense." Simple things we might take for granted but actually make a big difference in keeping music sound coherent, like how do you introduce a melody but highlight its importance? How do you develop a melodic idea so that the listener can follow along with your thought process? etc.

It does require a decent amount of theory background though. There is a classroom workbook version that goes over a some of it, but you'll need to feel comfortable at least with reading sheet music and analyzing chords. I would say at the very least, you want to be familiar with everything past a college Music Theory 1 course.

textbook:

https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Form-Functions-Instrumental-Beethoven/dp/019514399X

workbook version:

https://www.amazon.com/Analyzing-Classical-Form-Approach-Classroom/dp/0199987297

sonata #1 sounds like a psuedo Beethoven/Liszt

sonata #2 sounds like a young psuedo Mozart. It sort of feels like you are trying to stuff the music into the form, like trying to stuff a genii into a bottle. The Genii doesn't always cooperate.

:-)

sonata #3 sounds like a psuedo Mozart, but is much more masterful than your earlier efforts. it is the more accomplished, and seems much more listenable and enjoyable. It sounds like you are starting to put in additional layers so that everything isn't obvious on the first go around. This is a very good thing to do. It sounds like you are starting to have fun with the form. It has a good flow.

Keep this up, and we won't have to shoot the critics.

Recommended reading: Charles Rosen: Sonata Forms

Basso Continuo (Figured Bass)-You do not need to learn how to read it fluently or anything, but it is the building block of the composers of that time. This is especially prevalent in the Baroque period. Study it, play it, listen for it. This helps to truly understand and write good cadences and tropes of that time.

Bach - Bach is king when it comes to tonal harmony and modulation.
Study his Harmonized Chorales and learn how he constructs his harmonic phrasing and cadences.

Counterpoint - I used this book by Kent Kennan. Learn the basics of good voice leading. This is a huge subject and requires study and practice, but it is crucial to replicating the music. This will help you develop the tools needed to construct the forms and sounds of that time.

This is a good starting place. Keep in mind people spend entire lifetimes learning this stuff. God speed.

Nice composition. I listened to the whole thing. It's a bit shaky on a technical level in some places (lines sometimes step on each other, though you comment that you like that kind of thing; some notes sound a bit like filler too, which is a streamlining thing), but the ideas and pacing are solid. It sounds like you've taught yourself well, and you're evidently familiar with the literature. You might want to read up on some contemporary music theory just to feel like you're in the loop. For a long time, I harbored anxieties about my own writing just because I was unaware of what was going on in the world. It was a purely psychological thing, and my writing was fine, but that kind of thing affects creativity. (If you don't feel this to be the case, don't worry. I'm describing my experience more than I am trying to analyze yours.) The two big books in classical form right now are William Caplin - Classical Form and James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy - Sonata Theory. Both are hefty tomes, but the main points are quite digestible and compact.

If I were the one teaching you (which we could arrange, if you'd like), I'd hit counterpoint hard. You don't have poor counterpoint or anything like that; I bring this up because it seems your style is strongly modeled on 18th and 19th century music and a close examination of counterpoint in those styles would strengthen your own writing.

University professors might be able to teach you (and if you show them this trio, I think they would be happy to work with you), but you might also seek out a grad student as they tend to be cheaper. Are you involved in the classical music scene in your area? There might be a composer (or a performer with experience in composition and teaching) whom you might want to work with.

Just 2 main comments:

1. Pay much more attention to your orchestration. It was too blurry to see the finer details, but there are many things that can be done better. For starters: there is no need for there to be 6 key changes in the first 30 or so measures. Aurally it works, but just add in accidentals for sections that modulate successively, otherwise it looks sloppy. In a similar vein, never show people a non-transposing score. It's great for a composer's purposes, but it actually makes reading it more difficult for others (especially conductors). Little mistakes like random dynamics in resting instruments and unnecessary subdivided rests can add up; and there are places where you obviously want it slurred, so be sure to add them. Also, I don't know if you are a singer, but generally in instrumental scores crescendos are notated below the single-staff instruments and in-between instruments on a grand staff. These are a just a few of the problems I saw, but just know to always go through your piece with a fine tooth comb. I very much recommend this book and looking at other scores as much as possible. It pretty much will answer any orchestrational and notational question you may have (that is, aside from many contemporary techniques)
   
   
   
   
2. Aurally, the piece is interesting, and although I understand that you meant to not repeat any of the themes, I disagree with the final outcome because of it. It needs to have some sort of form or unifying factor for the listener, especially in a piece this filmscore-like. The piece is so harmonically and melodically standard that the lack of form just seems odd and causes the ending to be abrupt. Hell, the unifying factor could be something as simple as a single triangle attack or snare drum role, just something that makes if feel less like a random assortment of themes that for some reason ends in the middle.
   
   
   
   That all being said, the themes are very intriguing and I would love to hear them expanded and varied a bit. You plant many seeds for a large scale work, but it ultimately ends before it come to fruition. Of course, you can disagree and disregard any or all of these comments if you want, that's your right as the composer. However, I do think you should take my first comment to heart. I reiterate this mainly because you are using this as an audition piece, and the very first thing they will do is read through the score without the music (so you want your first impression to be a good one). People really do appreciate a clean score, though it is the most tedious and time consuming part of the compositional process (and the part I personally hate the most). Good luck in your endeavors and never stop composing.

In no particular order, here are some things that come to mind:



Modes of Rhythm

Anthony Wellington teaches slap bass and rhythm using the "Modes of Rhythm" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asYfvMzjk7M

This is an interesting approach to working with rhythm.


Arranging for Large Jazz Ensemble by Dick Lowell

https://www.amazon.com/Arranging-Large-Jazz-Ensemble-Pullig/dp/0634036564/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=dick+lowell&qid=1554352576&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Good resource for jazz arranging



The Study of Orchestration by Samuel Adler

https://www.amazon.com/Study-Orchestration-Third-Samuel-Adler/dp/039397572X/ref=sr_1_2?crid=270ZIQBMLZL3O&keywords=study+of+orchestration&qid=1554354116&s=gateway&sprefix=study+of+orc%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-2

I have the 3rd edition. Get it used rather than new. This is a popular choice when studying instrumentation and orchestration for orchestral/chamber music.


Other good orchestration online resources:

http://resources.music.indiana.edu/isfee/

https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Academy/Instrumentology/


The Secrets of Dance Music Production

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Dance-Music-Production/dp/0956446035/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=attack+magazine&qid=1554356008&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I haven't checked this one out completely, but it's an interesting resource for electronic music with great visual analysis


And if you're looking for things to improve your composing skills, definitely study counterpoint. Start with Species counterpoint then move to other styles/eras. Learning this completely changed my perspective of theory and why we learn it.


Hope that helps.

Great job! Everything I wrote when I was 17 was shit, so congrats on being awesome!

Nice resolutions and voice leading! Try to avoid the parallel resolutions between the vln2 and cello that pop up from time to time. A good mental discipline is that every time a voice resolved to a root or a fifth of a harmony, make sure it’s contrary.

I’m not sure if you’ve been exposed to Fux Modal Counterpoint, but you should learn it and live by it if you want to compose in the Baroque, classical, or romantic idioms.

https://www.amazon.com/Study-Counterpoint-Johann-Joseph-Parnassum/dp/0393002772

Best of luck!

The book: https://www.amazon.com/Counterpoint-4th-Kent-Kennan/dp/013080746X

Thnx for the composers you mentioned. I'll check out your channel!

>And honestly, I think it's great that you've developed such a career with something you are good at, and very passionate about.

Actually I work as a software engineer. But music is my passion. And occasionally my 2nd profession.

>Same genre, same methods of writing, but once you hear those solemn strings and brass, we know it's Zimmer.

Yeah, I don't disagree with that. For example Allan Holdsworth played fusion. But you can tell it's him and not just another "fusion guy". "Film music" is just an umbrella term covering many genres. My point was that Baroque is somewhat limited (compared to other approaches) to what you can do stylistically and it has been done. But maybe the composers you mention will change my mind.

>I too am working on developing mine.

Good luck!

Hey there, masters student in music composition here. Many, many kudos to you for throwing your stuff out there for all to see; I wish I could say I did the same at your stage in the game.

My undergraduate teacher would always harp on being absolutely meticulous with notation in our lessons. It is the first thing a conductor sees before a note is even played, and may mean the difference between your piece and another's getting performed. Plus, your music is your art and your craft, it should look as great as it sounds.

I would highly recommend you get your hands on Elaine Gould's Behind Bars, or maybe Heussenstamm's less intimidating Norton Manual of Music Notation to start with. These are just a few of the resources I've used thus far for everything relating to notation in music.

A few things I noticed are below, and I apologize if any of this is beyond MuseScore's capabilities:

1. Always start with some kind of tempo indication and dynamic level; this instantly gives the casual peruser something to latch on to, and sets the mood for the piece.
   
2. Make sure the division and grouping of beats is always clear. This is probably the most complicated to describe, but examples include beat 4 of m.5, RH, or beats 2/3 of m.14, LH. These could easily be misread by performers. I reference you to the above manuals or another musician who can explain it in person.
   
   
3. Accidentals, both "actual" and cautionary, as well as notation of pitches using the same written pitch class. Check out m.27, LH. It might be clearer to notate as "G-Bb-Cb-Bb-Cb", to avoid the confusion of the repeated "B". Avoid weird intervals like augmented seconds, diminished fourths, etc. A same-but-different scenario occurs between m.25-26, LH, where a G# and a G are written close to each other, but over the bar. The bar line cancels all accidentals, but the performer may not always realize it until it's too late.
   
   
4. Above all else, consider performance practice. For those that don't play the instruments they're writing for, this can be difficult. I recently wrote for guitar for the first time, and I spent hours trying to figure out if sonorities I wanted were congenial or even possible. For example, m.37, RH is impossible for any piano player, but can easily be restructured to have the lowest C in the left hand. A good player will do this naturally, but it's best to write it as exact as possible.
   
   I apologize that this is long-winded, music notation is complicated. But hopefully these tips get you started! Always think what you would want to see if given a completely new score to read, and write that.

Your notation is fine, no problem there at all. If you want, you could put a indication above the staff when it first appears showing the grouping, e.g. half, half, dotted half | dotted half, half, half (sort of like you would with a metric modulation), but it's certainly not essential, since your notation is clear.

Whole rests are the norm for empty bars in any meter, as are multi rests, so you're fine there too.

It's worth picking up the Elaine Gould book Behind Bars for issues like this and many more. It's an excellent resource that will serve you well in all compositional endeavours.

All good! As a composer myself, I ALWAYS send my works to performers and ask, could you understand how to play exactly this with simpler notation? The answer is usually yes!

This book is AMAZING. My friend got it, and we have been pouring over it ever since, absorbing as much as we can and rehashing our scores to make as much sense to performers as possible.

An orchestration book sounds like a VERY good idea... is this the one you're talking about?

There's a fair chance that no one will ever have to touch the stuff I've written. We did our performances (for the shows we didn't get an orchestra together so they were just piano/keyboard/guitar), and we're wrapping up studio recordings of the show, which is what I created the orchestrations FOR since I had the chance to have them be heard (digital orchestrations, yay!). Anyway, I'm putting together a master score at this point mostly for my own education and satisfaction. There's a slight chance that perhaps the show will be rented out someday, but who knows. Either way I'd like an accurate score of everything :). Thanks!

https://www.amazon.com/Study-Counterpoint-Johann-Joseph-Parnassum/dp/0393002772/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=gradus+ad+parnassum&qid=1555859668&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Awesome! Appreciate that. This is not going to be easy. But I love challenges.

Thanks! The manuscript I use is the Warner Bros 75-page A3 manuscript pad, 18 Stave Landscape. You can order it from Amazon here.

EDIT: Also, manuscript choice is surprisingly important - I was gutted several years ago when my favourite manuscript paper company Panopus went into liquidation. Took me a while to find a good alternative :)

I learned from Gardner Read. The Norton Manual of Music Notation is handy. It's old enough (30 years) that it has some material on manuscript preparation, but you can just skip that. What I currently have is Elaine Gould's Behind Bars, which I like but is probably overkill.

I'm not sure quite what you mean by "the emotional connotation side of music theory." If you're looking for e.g. what 17-18C musicians thought and wrote about the "doctrine of the affections", there are historical texts out there. But books that try to go deeper, i.e. to help you understand why a certain piece makes you feel a certain way, are doubtful, and I haven't found any of use in my own work.

[The Study of Orchestration by Sam Alder] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Study-Orchestration-Third-Edition/dp/039397572X/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1396568479&sr=8-5&keywords=orchestration) is a good one, although a bit expensive.

Fundamentals of Composition by Arnold Schoenberg is one I really enjoyed, and goes from simpler forms and melodies to much more advanced areas.

Thanks for the in depth reply! I actually found another option which was I found a classical composition teacher (been teaching for a couple decades) who starts students off with Walter Piston's Harmony 5th edition -- Would you recommend this as opposed to the self-taught route?

Can't speak on the exercises you seek, but best composition book I've ever come across is David Cope's Techniques of the Contemporary Composer.

Might have to dig around the web for an affordable copy, though.

But here's the thing - years down the road, after you've written a bunch of music, you'll look back on this and probably not want to have it performed. You'll say "Wow, I can't believe I used to write music that sounded like that". I'm not saying that to imply that it's bad music, I'm saying that because that is the progression that all composers go through. When you finally have an opportunity to have a large work performed, you're not going to want it to be something you wrote long ago when you were a college student just starting out, you're going to want it to be something fresh that uses your most up to date musical skills.

Also, you don't have to take an orchestration class to learn how to orchestrate, you just need to study scores and get an orchestration book. I highly recommend starting with this pocket orchestration book, which is very cheap and contains most of the basics you need.

I would suggest this book https://www.amazon.ca/Study-Counterpoint-Johann-Fux/dp/0393002772 to help with making baselines- Basically, you bass line must be in 'Counterpoint' with the melody, usually below the melody- If better voice leading would entail moving voices in the same octave- do it. It is all so that the melody remains principle.

I like Cope's - Techniques of the Contemporary Composer.

Some of it is a little outdated. I think score study of works you really like is what will be the most fruitful.

Sure thing, heres the amazon link for now

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0571527094/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474157595&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=a3+manuscript+paper&dpPl=1&dpID=41Onk%2BCmKfL&ref=plSrch

This book lays set theory out in an easy to understand way:

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Post-Tonal-Theory-3rd-Edition/dp/0131898906

Of course, most books are only going to describe the theory, composing is a whole other story.

Careful study of this book will teach you everything you need to know about counterpoint:

http://www.amazon.com/Study-Counterpoint-Johann-Joseph-Parnassum/dp/0393002772/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407209207&sr=1-1&keywords=gradus+ad+parnassum

https://www.amazon.com/Harmony-Fifth-Walter-Piston/dp/0393954803

Essential Dictionary of Orchestration

Depending on exactly what style you're looking for: Fundamentals of Musical Composition - Arnold Schoenberg

If you're going to be a music major in the fall, make damn sure that there's a counterpoint class on your roster. If there isn't, find someone in the department who can give you private instruction. If you're at all serious about composing, you must understand how counterpoint works. This book is basically my bible:

https://www.amazon.com/Counterpoint-Composition-Study-Voice-Leading/dp/023107039X