r/MonthlyComposition

I am a professional triangle player.

Main challenge: Write the exposition of a sonata, following the typical form of Theme 1, Bridge, Theme 2, Codetta.

There are no restrictions on what instrument(s) the sonata is scored for. You can take some artistic liberty with the form if you like.

For those of you unfamiliar with sonata form, the Wikipedia page is a good place to start. Listen to some sonatas of Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven to get a feel for the form.

In short, the exposition of a sonata begins with an opening theme presented in the tonic key. Following this is the bridge, which modulates to another key, normally the dominant or relative major (if the tonic is minor). Nex

Hello everyone! I'm not a mod, but I just thought of this cool idea!

The challenge is to basically compose a piece for a quartet (or more if you want!) consisting of randomly generated instruments! Here's how I would go about getting this random list-

Step 1: Go to random.org and click "List Randomizer" under "Lists and More"

Step 2: Copy and Paste this list I created into the text box. If you have other instruments you want the computer to consider, then add them as you wish!

Violin I Violin II Viola Cello String Bass Harp Piccolo Flute Oboe English Horn Clarinet Bass Clarinet Bassoon Contrabassoon Saxophone French Horn Trumpet Trombone Bass Trombone Tuba Timpani Snare Drum Bass Drum T

Hi everyone! Here are the challenges for this month.

Main challenge: Write a piece that avoids chordal movement of a perfect fifth or fourth.

Text challenge: Write a piece inspired by The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams.

The concept of the circle of fifths plays a fundamental role in Western music. Harmonic motion by a perfect fifth (or a perfect fourth, its inversion) is everywhere--like in perfect cadences, or when pieces modulate to the dominant key. The goal of this challenge is to avoid this fifth-centrism, and to explore other intervals for chordal movement. It's perfectly alright to have some mot

Look who got a challenge up on time, for once! And it's my cake day! Here are the challenges:

Main challenge 1: Write a piece that switches between at least three different key signatures.

Main challenge 2: Write a polytonal piece. That is, a piece that uses multiple keys simultaneously.

Do both challenges together if you like!

Text challenge: Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe.

Like the shfiting metres of last challenge, polytonality is a practice that became more popular in the early 20th century. Probably the best-known example of polytonality is the Petrushka chord

Continuing challenge, for those who wrote a sonata exposition last month: Continue your Sonata by adding a development and, if you're feeling ambitious, a recapitulation. For info/inspiration about sonata form, see last month's challenge. Also, in February we did a theme and variations challenge if you want ideas for how to vary or develop a theme.

Also feel free to go back and do the July challenge if you want to do the continuation for this month, or if there's ano

Main Challenge: set Robert Frost's Acquainted with the night to music.

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky

*Proclaimed the ti

Our Challenge Suggestion Form is working and it's working well! A few people have already contributed some fantastic suggestions that we hope to get to in the coming months. A big thank you to everyone who's been suggesting things.

On that note, thank you to u/rehwaldj for the suggestion of a duet or trio, this month's main challenge.

Main Challenge: Compose a short duet or trio.

Possible Duet Combinations: 1) Violin & Cello 2) Flute & Clarinet 3)

Possible Trio Combinations: Piano Trio -1)Flute, Clarinet in Bb, Piano 2) Violin, Cello, Piano 3) Regular Trio - 1) String Trio,

Last September we did Szymanowski's challenge, where the goal was to create a short composition following a simple outline. The challenge this month is similar, just using a different outline. This outline was inspired by a Chopin prelude, which I'll talk about at the end of the post.

Main challenge: write a 12-bar composition following this outline. There are three phrases of four measures each. The first ends with a perfect cadence in the dominant key. The second and third phrases should be very sim

Main Challenge: Avoid resolution as long as you can or until the end of the piece. This can mean

• using [deceptive cadences](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadence_(music\)#Interrupted_(deceptive\)_cadence), or other methods of phrase extension (to give you unusually long phrases),
• or you can just avoid the use of the tonic chord at the ends of phrases, giving phrase endings an unresolved feel.
• Or avoid resolving the melody by instead resting on chord extensions (i.e. the 9th, 11th, or 13th note of the chord) instead of the more stable chord tones (i.e. 1, 3, 5, 7).
• Or you can get creative with another way to leave things unresolved

Main Challenge: write variations on a theme. We'll try and get a suggested theme up soon since that seemed like a fun way to do this challenge last time. If anyone has any suggestions for a suggested theme we would definitely consider that. You can post suggested themes in the comments and we might add one of those to the post here as an official suggested theme, or just leave them down there for people to find if they want.

This challenge won our vote for which past challenge to repeat. The last time this challenge was done was February 2017, you can check it out [here](h

Main challenge: Write a 16-bar chorale in four-part harmony.

This challenge was inspired by the many chorales that Bach wrote (some examples). It's a pretty general challenge, and there are lots of different things you could do with it.

Some general notes about chorales: the rhythm established at the beginning of the phrase should not be relaxed until the end of the the phrase. For example, in the first chorale that I linked to (BWV 26), the quarter note rhythm is maintained by new chords every beat, until the motion is arrested by the fermatas at the phrase endings. Each phrase ends in a cadence. Chorales often modulate, but they u

Hi everybody! It's been a whole year since we started running these challenges. We've come a long way, and there's a lot more to do in the future. In addition to the September challenge, I'll also outline some changes we're going to implement shortly to the subreddit.

Main Challenge: Write a 16-bar, binary theme following this outline.

Alternate Challenge: write the saddest-sounding piece you can.

Some background information: this challenge is courtesy of u/Barcelona_City_Hobo. See their comment. I quote the mos

This thread is for posting unfinished compositions:

• pieces you don't know how to finish
• pieces you don't want to finish
• pieces you didn't finish in time for a past challenge (you can still post them in the challenge thread late when you finish them, but come the new month, feel free to post your progress for last month)
• etc.

Ask for advice where you need it. You can post no matter how little you have. This is a place to learn and grow!