Romantic Music: Developing Criteria

PLANNING

3.1. Developing Criteria Once I obtained the necessary knowledge I need to compose a piano étude, it was fairly easy to develop my criteria (See Appendix C). As mentioned previously, I wanted to compose my piece in the style of Romantic music. I measured this based on the use of lyricism, chord diversity, and chromaticism. Additionally, since I was composing an étude, I needed to incorporate technicality as well, so I assessed my project’s focus on virtuosity and a specific technical element. I also decided to develop criteria for musical form, as a lot of music in general shows presence of section, development, and variation. My rubric deals with a lot of the information I collected from my research, combined with my prior knowledge

I first planned to outline the basic chords and melody of my composition. I thought this would help me see how to incorporate Romantic aspects into my piece. During the outline part of my plan, I also kept in mind musical form by planning to work on different sections at a time, and using ternary, or ABA’ form. After completing all of the sections I needed for my outline (minus the cadenza), I would figure out how to notate the exact notes with the help of my basic chords and melody, while also considering arpeggios. Not only would this help incorporate the technical aspect of the étude, it would also help me see what direction I would take it later in the cadenza and the detailed elements. Since a cadenza is a technical, virtuosic passage usually near the end of the piece, I decided to write it after I notated the arpeggios and not at the end of my outline (as it wouldn’t make sense to even try to outline something as showy as that). Once I had all of my notes down on paper, I would add musical details such as dynamics (volume), articulation (how specific notes are played), tempo (speed), and other similar elements in order to make the piece sound a lot more musical as a

I have become more knowledgeable as a result of my research. I became more open-minded as I considered different suggestions and advice. I took risks as I experimented and tried new techniques, and learned to find ways to communicate clearly through my music. I also found myself becoming more fascinated and curious with music in terms of composing. When I was reflecting over my strengths and weaknesses of my progress, I became more balanced as a result of that. This process has greatly benefited me as a person and as an IB learner, and will continue to help me in the IBMYP program and