# Sonata Invention 3



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

So, I have a rough draft performance of this piece ready to share complete with kitchen sounds. Over the course of this week, I will have a better one, but this should give you a good idea of what kind of a piece it is.

It's a bit of an odd one:


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

I liked the angular half serious half playful nature of this one. Like a sort of "dark clown" vibe. Don't know if that's the mood you were going for, but I liked it!

If you don't mind me asking (since unfortunately you usually don't provide scores...) what form is your piece in? It seems like a sort of rondo form... And also what primary keys you go through (I think you sort of went through usually F major, D minor, and F minor???). If I were to criticize, it somehow seemed a bit imbalanced in the form. And I'm not sure whether that's because of the long term harmonic choices, or the way the melodies and motives were used... but somehow something in the form seemed awkward. I'm not knowledgeable enough to say for sure, however.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Thanks for you feedback septimal! I don't really know the definition of a rondo form. But I do feel a bit uncomfortable about the 2nd half of the piece. I was hoping that was due to difficulties of performance, the way I might interpret it, but I'm not sure. 

The piece starts essentially in F major, but a D minor chord was implied in the 2 part counterpoint of the beginning. The one part in the beginning of the first half where I pause and then rapidly modulate winds through A flat but finds its way back to F major by way of picardy third in a tonic center of F minor, on the dominant of C major. There is a sort of neapolitan thing with C sharp major to a diminished on the alternating major second up high also in the 1st half, that inspired me to dive into a 2 part passage in F minor that quickly became F major again. One harmonic device I used a lot was that I thought about the rising perfect fourths, would alter harmonies chromatically according to each risen perfect fourth. I did this trick in different ways several times. The 2nd half is harder to explain...


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

OK I feel like I might have an idea of what may be problematic about the form. I could be wrong, and I actually would like someone like Mahlerian or the others to correct me or elaborate.

I feel like somehow there needs to be a gravitation to the dominant somewhere in your 3 and a half minute piece. It seemed that this was missing... You do have a half cadence and then a pause in your initial theme, but there seems to be no modulation to the dominant in the piece.

I feel like having your initial thematic material played in the dominant at some point, or introducing a contrasting theme in the dominant would be a good idea. Or at least some sort of cadence on the dominant. I _think_ that in both the baroque and classical eras, there's most often a sort of initial surge to the dominant. Like a Bach fugue will go to the dominant, or a classical sonata will go that the dominant. Even in a classical minuet and trio (ABA), in the A section there will either be a half cadence in the tonic key or a full cadence in the dominant key. The point of this being making the overall music "active".

(A little extra point: for a shorter or simpler bit of music, just having a half cadence at a climax is enough as is sometimes the case the A section of the classical minuet, but for a more longer or complex piece, perhaps actually tonicizing the dominant somehow is best.)


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## Truckload (Feb 15, 2012)

Nice work. Lots of interesting things going on. I wonder if you are familiar at all with the music of Hindemith and his "Mathis der Maler". The Hindemith piece is built entirely around harmony constructed on the interval of the fourth.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

That is a fun piece clavichorder! Some of the whimsy and surprise of CPE Bach's work — and indeed I can't hear it without thinking of that composer. Which is not to say it sounds derivative, more like neo-gallant?. It is interesting in its own right. Good counterpoint too, especially in the first part.

A couple of criticisms:

The cadence at the double bar sounds like it drops a beat, like there is a duple bar thrown in? Not sure if that is so, but it strikes me as a bit of muddle at the end precisely where one would want sharpness and clarity. Maybe perfunctory too and a little awkward? Otherwise I wouldn't change anything about the first part.

Something bothers me about the second part. I think it might be that all of the essential activity is in the right hand for a long time. The left hand seems like it is confused about what it wants to do or is having trouble justifying its existence? After the more equal voiced writing of the first part the change in texture is perhaps an unwelcome departure? A more equal division of the work between the hands might help?

Okay. Apologies for just blurting out vague impressions on just a few hearings. I am anxious to hear the final version. 

BTW: I do hope you have scored this and your other efforts?


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Thanks for your insights and criticisms Truckload and EdwardBast. I don't know if there will be a final version anytime soon, as I think I'm moving onto the next thing. 

I actually have not scored this yet...


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

clavichorder said:


> Thanks for your insights and criticisms Truckload and EdwardBast. I don't know if there will be a final version anytime soon, as I think I'm moving onto the next thing.
> 
> I actually have not scored this yet...


Shame. It sounded like it was going to be really good.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

EdwardBast said:


> Shame. It sounded like it was going to be really good.


I just seem to have hit a certain threshold for knowing what to do with this piece at this time. I'm working on something that's more like a conventional sonata, and it's when I get a functional version of that finished, I'll come back to this one and start ironing out the details and doing some rewrites.

As for sheet music, don't get me wrong in thinking that I'm in anyway averse to it. I just don't find that part of the process very easy. But one day necessity will surmount laziness. Again, thanks for your well thought out criticism and encouragement.


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## Andersunt (Dec 16, 2015)

Cool , steady .. Projects about 1/8 beat ahead ... Illusory, but on point and great


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