A Work in Progress

The image above is an excerpt of one of my pieces: Violin Fantasy No. 1 (a.k.a. A Work in Progress).

Violin Fantasy No.1

I started this composition during the 2021-2022 winter break. I really wanted to start composing a new piece but never found the motivation to do so. The winter break provided ample time and sufficient motivation for me to finally break the ice and start the composition. It took me several weeks to finish the composition, but the result was worth it. It is a Violin and Piano duo, with an emphasis on atonality and a style that surrounds the half-step descent during climaxes.

The piece is broken up into 4 movements.

Mvt. I

The first movement starts with a piano introduction, and then the violin comes in. I particularly love when the piano is calmly playing tenths while the violin is up there quietly yet quickly playing sixteenth notes. The chromatic juxtaposition here is very unique and interesting, at least for me.

As the movement works its way to the climax, it introduces a half-stepwise descent in the bass line, forming a chromatic melody, while the melody, carried by the violin establishes a bright texture on a very high pitch.

Notice that the piano part is playing a polyrhythmic melody. The left hand is in 3 beats while the right hand is in 5 beats. The violin, on the other hand, is playing in 4 beats. This pattern will show itself again in future movements.

Mvt. II

A typically slow, calm melody with a climax at the end. It works its way to the climax and resolves itself by returning back to the starting melody.

Mvt. III

A rhythmically challenging movement, it is composed of four parts, each with gradually complete melody. The first part is disjointed in 3 beats, the second part is disjointed in 5 beats, the third part is disjointed in 7 beats, while the last part is melodically complete. The piano melody also evolves along with the violin, gradually sounding more like an accompaniment.

Mvt. IV

The finale of the piece. It starts relatively calm, reaches a small climax, becomes calm again, and shoots up into a huge climax.

Listen to the Piece

The audio is converted from the composition application Sibelius by NotePerformer3. The sound will sound less authentic than real-life performances. Due to copyright issues, only the second movement will be available for listening.