# Are You a Composer?



## stevesachse (Sep 4, 2008)

Hey, I'm new here. I'm a composer finishing my BA in music composition and making plans for graduate studies. I compose a variety of styles of music, but lately I'm really into 20th/21st century practices. I enjoy experimenting with all approaches to writing while maintaining a dedication to making music and not just 'noise'. Well, unless that's what I'm going for. ;>)

Are there any other composers here? If so, what type of music are you writing these days?


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

I will not call myself a composer, but I've dabbled in it in my spare time.

There's an orchestral piece I've been working on (on and off) for a few months. It's kind of like a tone poem based on ancient Rome. I suppose it's in a late-Romantic style.

I wish I had more time to work on it. I could probably pull of something pretty cool!


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## Matthew (Sep 6, 2008)

*composer*

I would call my self a composer, I have composed over 30 scores, most for choral settings. Most of them preformed by my various choirs I sing in, although I have no formal training (I am only 17, in highschool) I am planning on going to university for composition.


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## soundandfury (Jul 12, 2008)

I would say I'm an amateur composer (just like I'm an amateur at everything else I do in music); I seem to be anchored in the Baroque era. Every other piece I write has a harpsichord part(!) Also, I tend to stick strongly to all the old rules of harmony; I use very few dissonances, and have a lot of V-I stuff.

There's a forum elsewhere on talkclassical for 'today's composers'.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

I try to compose when I can. I've been experimenting with stuff, but now that I actually have some things to work towards, I'll probably have something notable to show for my efforts. I've actually finished exactly one piece (if you could call it "finished"): a piano tone poem on Julius Caesar that I had to do for an English assignment. It came out alright, with my terrible pianism; I got a 100% on the assignment.


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

Also writing about ancient Rome, eh Violist?

Yes, my pianism is atrocious. But I use the piano to experement with tunes and harmonies and then I try to commit what I've written to paper for different instruments. I need to get the Sieblius software to help it all come together.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

I compose for my own amusement and others amazement ... mainly I do lots of improvising at my church job "filling the gaps" with walking music or during a meditation time where I need to fill for several minutes on the spot without any warning or preparation time. I've recorded some and would like to import them into a notation program to engrave later on.


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## Drowning_by_numbers (May 30, 2006)

I'm in my second year studying for my Bmus in music composition. I also compose in a variety of styles, and can't say I have settled on one yet - though I would like to think I have some kind of a voice! Choral music is my first love and I write a LOT of it, but pretty much a bit of everything really! Writing my first orchestral piece at the moment which is going pretty well.. touch wood!


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## stevesachse (Sep 4, 2008)

If I may offer advice... If you are considering graduate studies in composition, I'd suggest really searching intently for what you want to compose now, because grad. school is where you will really focus your time on your professional portfolio, and I've found that I'm a little behind on that because I experimented so much. I've written stuff ranging from modal jazz tunes, to Romantic, Impressionist, 12-tone, and other atonal. In a way, I think it shows that I have a strong ear to have been able to write competent pieces in all of those styles, but now that I've been focusing more on 21st century stuff and experimenting, I kind of wish that I had been working on developing my voice more in that area. I guess it's all part of the path to discovery that well all go through. I'm just where I'm at.


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## SalieriIsInnocent (Feb 28, 2008)

I'm trying to right an opera. Kinda like star wars meets rigoletto. i can write the music but my libretto sounds like an english translation of a really good italian opera. I want it to be something new. Without becoming a flamboyant broadway peice. (sorry Dont like broadway) or a musical. Now when i say star wars i dont mean Laser blasters star destroyers and light sabers. I just mean the over all idea. Now Star Wars would make an awesome opera. Darth Vader would be like the commander in Don Giovanni. Say.....I'll just ask george lucas if its okay.


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## Yagan Kiely (Feb 6, 2008)

I have my final year recital in 2.5 months time. I completed a Cert IV in the subject three years ago also.



> I kind of wish that I had been working on developing my voice more in that area.


But you have... that is exactly what the other stuff was. Where else can we learn for the future if not from the past?


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## themusicismymaster (Sep 14, 2008)

I am the lead guitarist and songwriter in a rock/pop/metal band who sometimes does male vocals and piano,in my spare time i compose,i have written numerous guitar and piano minuets,a guitar concerto,a piano concerto,and a symphony.


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## altiste (Jun 11, 2008)

*tonally tortured*

Describing my own music i find is a really tricky task. I've just had a couple of relatively recent pieces descibed as "tonally tortured" on a French forum.  I used to use the word "atonal" a lot, but now try and avoid it. The other day I came across the expression "cross-tonal".


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## Yagan Kiely (Feb 6, 2008)

One of my pieces was described as Prokofiev gone mad by a reputable composer in Australia. I'm not sure if it is a complement or not, but I'm taking it as a sideways one.


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