contemporary string quartet

@Wagner, just read the names of those who are on the commission ... and as was being said in some linked threads, access the winning pieces from previous editions. Have you already done this research?

Anyway, I mainly meant in terms of the sign... which however (un)fortunately influences quite a lot of musical content, and that is also logical.

wagner wrote:

ps. how useful can Vincent Persichetti's harmony manual be in this regard? Does anyone among you use it?

And in these musical composition competitions, is a language with references to tonality or otherwise to tertian harmony well-received or considered poor?

The manual can also be useful, but what kind of harmony does it treat? There you go.

Many factors contribute in competitions: the language, the notation, and musical content no less. Of course, a certain type of writing today can only be afforded by Arvo Pärt, but you go your own way. One must not bend to the logic of competitions... everyone must be who they are; if that happens to coincide with "competition" requirements, then it's all the better.

We are already deep into it and many points for reflection have emerged. From my point of view, I would also meditate on two other aspects.

From a didactic point of view:

wagner wrote:

Unfortunately, my Teacher only follows me occasionally and demands a lot of autonomy. In the composition of this piece, I am completely free without stylistic constraints or anything else... he advised me to write it to participate in the Composition Competition

The presence of the (M)aster does not reduce autonomy... it is the absence of the (m)aster that, rather than leaving you free, leaves you abandoned. He advises you to participate in a competition and is not there to support you... I am certain that if he had advised you consciously, he would also know how to guide you best. That being said, it is always good and right to engage with other musicians as well, and one way can be, and has been, through the forum.

The second point, however, is related to the use of the term 'contemporary'... I prefer the word 'modern' because an ambiguity often arises with the genre "Contemporary" which, in my opinion, always stems from an initial improper use of the term contemporary. I am certain that the pieces we label as Contemporary today will no longer be so in a few decades... so it is a done deal.

Furthermore, lately, the equation "Contemporary Genre" = "Modern Piece" does not always hold true...

From what I understand, you want to write a modern piece regardless of the dictates of Contemporary as a genre.

Considering that, as I have happened to say in other topics, when courses on "performance practice of contemporary music" are born... by definition it is no longer news (precisely PRACTICE) ... listen to and analyze much music that you like. If you want to start from minimalism... do not hesitate to analyze the major exponents of what was an avant-garde half a century ago. In fact, despite a harmony based on the superposition of thirds, tonality is made of something else, so the term 'neotonality' is quite forced... but we already understood each other.

On the topics indicated by various users, you can find several points regarding competition logic... in the end, I strongly agree with Xenakis's last intervention.

The fact is that today tonal or at least diatonic music seems forbidden; all elite composers write in a dissonant style that I do not like. [censored]. Antonio Vivaldi's music in his time might not have been at the top of the charts, but it certainly did not require so much effort to listen to. [censored]. When I listen to a symphony by Brahms or Beethoven, I get chills. [censored]. Penderecki is right when he says that young authors of art music today are epigones of the old great avant-gardists!
I don't understand why complicate things. I much prefer composers from the minimalist movement.

I am not saying to return to C major, but to triads, yes! Enough with these auditory tortures.

The user Wagner is advised that according to the regulations, denigrating interventions targeting people or societies are not permitted; in this specific case, it referred to the music of Musicians (with first and last names) programmed in large quantities in prestigious festivals and reviews all over the world.

There are never any problems expressing personal matters of taste; objective evaluations must be at least argued, especially if the goal is to discredit a Person or a Society. (the moderation)

I apologize, I didn't mean to hit anyone, I simply don't like that music. But I don't like censorship either; I believe it recalls the bad pre-war times.