# First Movement of my Organ Sonata



## pluhagr (Jan 2, 2012)

Hello all! All constructive comments and criticisms are welcome. This is only the first movement of my Sonata and they're on their way.

Sound:

__
https://soundcloud.com/thecontemporary%2Forgan-sonata-movement-i
Score: http://issuu.com/pluhagr/docs/organ_sonata_-_full_score


----------



## Anterix (Jan 24, 2010)

I didn't connect with the piece. Maybe I have to hear it more times.

For the first movement of a sonata you have two things: a passacaglia and a fugue. This seems to me a baroque concept trying to be a classical concept. I don't know how this will work when the hole structure will be heard. But for now it puzzles me.

The harmony/melody sometimes seems lost. Or I lose myself in it. Some things, many things, I dont find harmonic sense. But I can be missing something.

I would be careful with 5ths. Open 5ths have a sonority very caracteristic that in my opinion contrasts much with the rest of the piece. And I am not talking only of the final of the phrases. Parallel 5ths and occasional parallel octaves also sound very characteristic, in my opinion puting in danger the contra punctual flow.

I fell the need of more cadences.

Sorry for my English. I don't know how to explain some things.
These are just my opinions.


----------



## DaDirkNL (Aug 26, 2013)

I love it! I seem to like most of your music, having just been through all your compositions on soundcloud.


----------



## pluhagr (Jan 2, 2012)

Anterix said:


> I didn't connect with the piece. Maybe I have to hear it more times.
> 
> For the first movement of a sonata you have two things: a passacaglia and a fugue. This seems to me a baroque concept trying to be a classical concept. I don't know how this will work when the hole structure will be heard. But for now it puzzles me.
> 
> ...


Hey thanks for the criticism! I agree with the open fifths, changed that bit up. But I'm not sure I know what you mean by what is wrong with a passacaglia and fugue being a first movement. I'm taking the baroque concept and using it here. Though I don't think my music is very Classical era-ish.

As for the harmonies, I did want to give the sense of being lost. Much of the middle section is harmonically unstable, like the development section of a sonata. Other than that I use some older cadence styles like the double leading tone cadence. I guess I'm confused about what you said about my harmony.


----------



## pluhagr (Jan 2, 2012)

DaDirkNL said:


> I love it! I seem to like most of your music, having just been through all your compositions on soundcloud.


Thanks so much for taking the time to listen to my music! It means a lot to me. Always happy to find someone who likes it. What's your favorite piece?


----------



## Anterix (Jan 24, 2010)

pluhagr said:


> Hey thanks for the criticism! I agree with the open fifths, changed that bit up. But I'm not sure I know what you mean by what is wrong with a passacaglia and fugue being a first movement. I'm taking the baroque concept and using it here. Though I don't think my music is very Classical era-ish.
> 
> As for the harmonies, I did want to give the sense of being lost. Much of the middle section is harmonically unstable, like the development section of a sonata. Other than that I use some older cadence styles like the double leading tone cadence. I guess I'm confused about what you said about my harmony.


I am sorry, sometimes it's hard for me to explain in English, but I will try.

Form: if it is a baroque sonata should have 3 movements (slow fast slow or fast slow fast).
If it is a classical sonata it should have some kind of proximity with sonata-form, normally in the first movement.
Your organ sonata has two things in the first movement. These two things (passacaglia and fugue) seams a typical baroque pair of pieces like prelude and fugue. I am curious how this will work as a first movement of a sonata. This is not a critic. It's just a thought.

As for harmony
I don't know what you are looking for. You have, sometimes in the same phrase, tonal characteristics, modal characteristics, and some "dangerous" characteristics. These dangerous things are, some 2nd inversion chords not prepared or resolved and 4th intervals very exposed. And sometimes parallel octaves or fifths in the counterpoint.

You can say it was what you wanted. And I respect that. In that case, I would have to listen more times to understand.


----------



## DaDirkNL (Aug 26, 2013)

pluhagr said:


> Thanks so much for taking the time to listen to my music! It means a lot to me. Always happy to find someone who likes it. What's your favorite piece?


498 days appeals to me the most. Only thing I wonder is: Why is it called 498 days? I also enjoy the string quartet, I find it very humorous musically speaking.


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

I don't care what form your music takes.

Calling it a sonata implies some first movement in either the later sonata allegro format of the classical era, or some variant thereof - with wide latitudes -- going back to the earliest of sonata di chiesa works.

With one or more additional movements, this could readily qualify as a suite, simply, with the movements then named each by form, or form + whatever tickles your fancy.

SUITE;
Passacaglia, fugue, Gigue & MyDogSpot

Calling this 'sonata' is misleading at the least; at the worst, it could lead to thoughts that you may be illiterate in the naming of musical forms.


----------



## pluhagr (Jan 2, 2012)

PetrB said:


> I don't care what form your music takes.
> 
> Calling it a sonata implies some first movement in either the later sonata allegro format of the classical era, or some variant thereof - with wide latitudes -- going back to the earliest of sonata di chiesa works.
> 
> ...


I completely understand what a sonata is. Calling it a sonata today means something much different than what it used to be. I use the term sonata in the contemporary sense. In actuality the first movement is in a sonata form with a fugal coda. The name of the piece as of now is just a place holder until I finish the piece. I prefer to call solo works for an instrument a sonata. Whether or not any of it is in sonata form. But I will keep your concern in mind when titling the finished piece.


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

pluhagr said:


> I completely understand what a sonata is. Calling it a sonata today means something much different than what it used to be. I use the term sonata in the contemporary sense. In actuality the first movement is in a sonata form with a fugal coda. The name of the piece as of now is just a place holder until I finish the piece. *I prefer to call solo works for an instrument a sonata. Whether or not any of it is in sonata form.* But I will keep your concern in mind when titling the finished piece.


Why bother at all, then -- you do know how many terrible pieces without much of any form litter youtube under the banner of 'Sonata,' don't you? If it is in Sonata form, fine. The trend to make up your own idiosyncratic definition of words is at a quick end when you wish to communicate clearly to the majority 

If it is a sonata, then do call it that, but please don't waffle on what one is.

"Sinfonia" in its antique usage is a mighty fine cover - all for many a situation, and has a rather nice ring to it 

The few weaknesses I heard have been covered by others. And I would tell you I know first hand about selecting a pitch for a certain effect (your not quite right cadence mis-guides) and being convinced that works, the repetition of working on it and playing through only reinforcing that, only to find, as we have here, a number of people pointing to the same places as not working. I'd really look at those and find another solution, which might simply be one or two different pitches than you've got in those spots. They sound merely like 'mistakes in common practice voice-leading' more than what you had hoped.

The rest, sounds 'alright' to me, both the vocabulary and instrument not my cuppa, a fact about my tastes, not a criticism.

Best regards.


----------

