|
Critical Evaluation |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
|
Overall Evaluation |
40 |
100 |
|
Appropriateness Lever |
0.6 |
1.0 |
Sub-Enya! What pleasant wafting Gaelic-style music has to do with
forest fires defeats me. It’s melancholic, I’ll give you that. And
pleasantly melodic too. Turn out more of this with really memorable
tunes and I suspect you could sell enough albums to make a living. But
it’s too soft-centred and, to me, has nothing to do with forest fires
however pleasant its wafting atmosphere is! Sorry I can’t be more
positive about this piece. By: wobbie |
Score: 24 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
|
Overall Evaluation |
55 |
100 |
|
Appropriateness Lever |
0.5 |
1.0 |
As this was the first piece I
heard, I had a sinking feeling, there was no tension, no contrast, it
was if the film of the fire was being told in silent footage, mostly in
slow motion, like an art film that no-one understands. There was no
complexity with a limited tonal palette - the individual melodies were
applied in layers without any use of compositional devices such as canon
or rhythmic devices as augmentation or diminution. The aim was serenity,
where was that in the picture, where was that reflected in the title of
the piece. Nothing added up. The music was bland and pleasant enough to
listen to but ultimately it bored me.
By: Judge No. 1 (See Notes) |
Score: 28 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Complexity |
25 |
50 |
It seems as if you were going for
a minimalistic feel. I like the motif you have on the harp. It
keeps the movement of the piece going well. I think it would be
much more interesting if you used different chord progressions
later in the piece. It feels harmonically static the way you
have it now. From a listener's standpoint, that's just fine, but
from a compositional standpoint, your piece would be greatly
improved if you had more harmonic variety. |
|
Orchestration |
10 |
25 |
I don't feel that you used the
instruments you had chosen to their full potential. The harp
repeats the same motif throughout most of the piece, and the
chorus usually just sings chords. You could have also done more
with the percussion and piano. Mainly, you need more variety in
your orchestral writing. Use the instruments in ways that show
the uniqueness of that particular instrument. Always ask
yourself, "Why do I want the oboe to play this melody here?" or
"Why does this part work better for the trumpet as opposed to
the clarinet?" Just keep in mind that every instrument is there
for a reason, and each should be used in a way that is
appropriate for that particular instrument. |
|
Composition |
15 |
25 |
Your piece was pleasant and easy
on the ears. However, I wouldn't listen to it again after this
competition. I think one of the main reasons for this is that
the melodies just didn't grab me. To me, this felt like
background music - not something I'd actually sit down and
listen to. |
|
Relevance |
1.0 |
1.0 |
I thought it fit the theme
accurately. I could visualize the fire while listening to it.
|
It
would have helped quite a bit if you would have posted the score, by the
way.
By: Judge No. 2 |
Score: 50 |
|
Peer Evaluation |
|
From the composer of:
Affordable Wisdom |
Score: 84 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Complexity |
10 |
15 |
Rating this piece was kind
of hard for me, as I could never find the right distinction
between "this interpretation is very original" and "this
interpretation is just inappropriate". The beginning is really
calm and it gave a nice view on the mood of a regular forest.
However, whenever the song gets a bit more "chaotic", as the
composer notes, it doesn't sound like either a serene forest,
nor a massive forest fire. Its complexity is okay, though. The
harp motives are repeated endlessly, but with lots of added
instruments and melodies (that) it doesn't get annoying.
Orchestration sounds, well, like it's been copied right from
your average RPG track, which isn't really a good thing.
Although it sounds nice, the composer didn't show much of his
creativity by orchestrating this piece in a striking way. Just
as the beginning, the ending was very nice, yet not very
appropriate and a bit sudden too (the climax to get to the last
‘outburst’, if there's one, is about 2 seconds =P). The middle
tends to get a bit boring compared to the other two parts, hence
the somewhat lower rating. |
|
Orchestration |
7 |
15 |
|
Composition |
12 |
15 |
|
Appropriateness |
10 |
20 |
|
Beginning/Start |
5 |
5 |
|
Middle/Climax |
3 |
5 |
|
Ending |
5 |
5 |
|
Overall Opinion |
15 |
20 |
|
Bonus/Malus |
none given |
|
From the composer of:
Blisters |
Score: 67 |
A few Final Fantasy elements can be heard in the piece, but with good
usage and discretion. Compositionally, it wasn't satisfying enough.
Fairly nice development/overlapping of melodies and orchestration.
Overall a short and sweet piece.
However, the music itself doesn't fit into the picture, despite the
description given. The song is too much in the serene side. I would
prefer a bit more chaotic if given such a scenario, or at least a
balance between serene and chaotic. After all, this is still a forest
fire.
For the middle section, I would prefer a modification in the
accompaniment. The repetition of the motive in the bass part was just
too redundant.
The ending could be better, as in more dramatic. The ending of the last
melody (last 4 notes) killed the mood.
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
|
Complexity |
10 |
15 |
|
Orchestration |
11 |
15 |
|
Composition |
10 |
15 |
|
Appropriateness |
14 |
20 |
|
Beginning/Start |
4 |
5 |
|
Middle/Climax |
3 |
5 |
|
Ending |
3 |
5 |
|
Overall Opinion |
15 |
20 |
Bonus/Malus
Instruments blend quite well together in the middle |
+2 |
From the composer of: Fate of the Forest |
Score: 72 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Complexity |
16 |
20 |
Simple, but effective in its simplicity |
|
Orchestration |
15 |
20 |
The orchestration is pretty basic, but
used well |
|
Beginning |
3 |
5 |
The solo harp is pretty, but the harmonic
progression seems a little TOO sweet and serene compared to the
moodier tone of the rest of the piece (I understand this is
intentional, but the transition to the grim remainder of the
piece is jarring) |
|
Middle |
5 |
5 |
Once the percussion enters, this piece
really gets into its stride. The mood is a lot clearer. |
|
Ending |
3 |
5 |
It might have been stylistically
appropriate, but I would have liked something a little more
conclusive than the piece simply ending as it does. |
|
Overall Composition Quality |
17 |
25 |
I enjoyed the piece, but I felt it could
have used a little more variety. It seems like you just layered
more instruments on and off without really building tension or
"moving" anywhere. |
|
Appropriateness |
17 |
20 |
Although the quasi-industrial/ambient
approach you took was surprising, it succeeded in conveying a
sense of tragedy nevertheless |
From the composer of:
Forest Fire: A Brief
Tone Poem for Orchestra |
Score: 76 |
|
This piece reminded me of a forest, but not (of) a forest fire. I saw
peaceful and verdant forest lands, not a wasteland of destruction. The
composer’s intention may have been to show what’s beyond the fire, but
then why use the forest fire picture as an inspiration to begin with? I
feel this piece was not relevant to the provided image because I heard
no vestige of a fire.
The harp at the beginning and then piano later were a bit repetitive.
Understandably a picture is being painted, but there is no rhythmic
shift; just repeated note values. It sounds like the composer laid this
foundation and decided to keep it going the whole song, not paying
attention to it. It only stops at the end. I wish more attention was
devoted to it for the duration of the piece. Therefore I feel this is
too ‘simple.’
The harmonies and melodies are nice; the percussion gives the piece
depth, but it sounds just like a loop, with no real thought to their
effect on the music as much as it provides that.
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
|
Overall Evaluation |
75 |
100 |
|
Appropriateness Lever |
0.75 |
1.0 |
From the composer of:
Inferno |
Score: 56 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Setting |
7 |
10 |
It does well, but stays
with one clear idea and loses some of the underlying messages
that could be seen within the scene. |
|
Composition |
6 |
10 |
The chord progressions are
very common and are not unique. The sound is atmospheric but
stale and static. |
|
Orchestration |
4 |
10 |
The layer-on-layer type of
song is very contemporary pop and is not too interesting. |
|
Overall Score |
5 |
10 |
|
From the composer of:
Music for Trumpet and
Strings |
Score: 55 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
|
Overall Evaluation |
88 |
100 |
|
Appropriateness Lever |
1.0 |
1.0 |
From the composer of:
Of Desperation,
Death, and Hope |
Score: 88 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Relevance |
7 |
10 |
Using
the notes given, the relevance to the topic is clear. However,
if I look at the picture given initially, I feel that the piece
does not quite match. Sure, the ‘red haze’ and ‘peaceful’
explanation can be given, but I really do feel that this piece
gets a little wrapped up in its serene nature. It feels a bit
like a pop song, something that’d be played during a slow motion
emotional scene. I’m not hearing the ‘chaos’ interwoven. Still,
as this contest is not about the absolute relevance to the
picture but rather about the link to the picture through the
notes given, I chose to give it an above average score. |
|
Orchestration |
7 |
10 |
It was a bit random in the orchestration.
There was suddenly choir, out of nowhere, and oboe and flute… I
didn’t feel as if it was really coherent. It was good that they
were brought back at 2:30 but then suddenly they dropped off
again and it ended. It is difficult to rate the orchestration of
a piece not intended to be performed, so I rather evaluated the
inclusion/coherency of instruments. Better than average, but
still work to be done. |
|
Overall Effect |
15 |
20 |
I think overall this is a well written
piece that is just a little simple for my tastes. The ostinato
got tiring (being present throughout the whole piece) and,
though I realize that the writer was trying to convey the serene
and peaceful aspects of a forest fire, I do not quite understand
the relation to the topic. The melody does not really stick with
me, and being a largely tonal and simple work it really should
if it is written well. I would advise the writer to pay more
attention to form and instrumentation in the future – this is
not a bad effort, mind. Definitely above average. |
From the composer of:
Prelude for Solo
Piano |
Score: 73 |
| Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
| Complexity |
11 |
15 |
| Orchestration |
11 |
15 |
| Composition |
10 |
15 |
| Appropriateness |
14 |
20 |
| Beginning |
3 |
5 |
| Middle/Climax |
4 |
5 |
| Ending |
3 |
5 |
| Overall Opinion |
14 |
20 |
| Bonus/Malus |
none given |
From the composer of: Tell Me About The
Forest |
Score: 70 |
Technical Elements [35/60]:
- Harmony:
The 6,7,8 progression makes for a decent thematic element in the
piece but it becomes overused by the end. Since you stay in the same
key area the entire way through the piece, it gets boring quite
quickly. The piece is the same the entire way through. Try something
new for a change.
- Development:
You kept the material stylistically consistent but it was almost to
the point of nausea. The piece isn’t loose and unrelated but it
doesn’t vary enough to maintain interest.
- Orchestration:
I like choral pads. I also like oboes. It’s a shame the instruments
were always serving the same role through your entire piece.
- Form:
This piece reminds me of the techno version of an RPG track with
that prevalent and repetitive harp ostinato. The alternation to
between the harmonically static ‘B’ section and the mobile 6,7,8 ‘A’
section give the piece some sort of a form. Also, while the
beginning and end are predictable, they work.
-
Overall, this piece is suitable to work as
background music in a game and probably is better than the music in
Legend of Dragoon but really cannot stand alone as a work of art.
Musicality [15/20]
Relevance [10/20]:
-
I don’t get how this is related. The composer's notes makes sense,
but the music does not.
Overall Thoughts [C / Acceptable]. This really
is a pleasant piece. I don’t mind listening to it.
From the composer of:
The Dance of the
Clumsy Bear |
Score: 60 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Overall Evaluation |
50 |
100 |
(Too) simple in
composition and orchestration, but a nice melody. |
|
Appropriateness Lever |
0.7 |
1.0 |
I like the melancholic
mood. |
From the composer of: The Wildfire Suite |
Score: 35 |
