CMC: Conceptual Music Competition
This competition is based on the rules of the classic
TOMC (Thematic Original Music Competition).
The CMC (Conceptual Music Competition) is designed so that each participant enters a piece of music based on a set theme. The participants take the theme and interpret it as they will to come up with something that fits. Any style can work, as long as it portrays a sense of what the theme is.
Feel free to be imaginative!
Each successive theme will be chosen by the winner of the previous competition. For example, say the theme of the last competition, CMC 29, was "Demolition" and the winner, Samantha, submitted a piece that knocked the socks off of everyone, so she won. Samantha then gets to decide the theme for CMC 30.
This competition is open to registered members of the forums of
OverClocked ReMix,
VGMix,
VGMusic,
Gaming World,
Young Composers, and
GameDev.
CMC 23: Aqueous Nocturne
"Nocturnes are generally thought of as being tranquil, often expressive and lyrical, and sometimes rather gloomy, but in practice pieces with the name nocturne have conveyed a variety of moods. Do what you want, but your piece should evoke both feelings of night and of water; could be a fountain, or a lake, a river, the ocean, rain, a waterfall, a puddle, a glass of water, whatever." -Ubernym
Results!:
Text results and critiques
There are 13 entries and 2 bonus entry for this round...
"Deep, vast, blue sea;
Ah, how I covet thee.
So close, yet so far,
Your beauty cannot be marred.
Deep, vast, blue sea;
It is you whom I seek.
So close, yet so far,
My desire cannot be barred.
Deep, vast, blue sea;
I know what secrets you keep.
But If only I could traverse...
into thy deep.
So that I may find my eternal sleep...
Deep, vast, blue sea;
My body and soul...
I give to thee.
For my life is but a fickle dream.
And as the dead utter their soundless scream.
I offer my life to thee.
For there is no redemption for me.
Understand, you must. As my soul is tainted.
Deep, vast, blue sea.
It is you whom I seek.
So close, yet so far,
My desire cannot be barred.
Thus...
I implore of you:
Consume my body and soul.
For my life is but a fickle dream..."
"A fountain is pouring with life while the moonlight is shining in the night."
No description given.
"This was inspired by an old myth: a water nymph is accidentally captured by a fisherman who, captivated by her beauty, can't bring himself to let her go. They marry and have children, but she is forever torn by her love of land and sea. I imagine her returning to the shoreline by night to feel the waves on her feet, unaware that her husband is watching, afraid that one night she will be wooed back by the sea and he will lose her forever.
There are three characters in this story: the nymph is represented by the flutes, the fisherman by the reeds, and the sea by the strings. Eventually the sea overwhelms everything and causes the nymph to join its theme, leaving the fisherman alone. But the flute echoes the oboe's last mournful query, suggesting that the story may not be over."
"Hey everyone, I'm back! Here's my piece 'Mesmerized'. It's a surreal waterish piece with a lot of atmosphere. Sit back and prepare to be Mesmerized!"
"This is a minimalistic piece that is will relate well with insomniacs. It's of those rainy nights when you can't sleep, when you hear the water trickling on the windowsill of your room and the ticking of your clock. Though not quite a romantic Nocturne, it definitely is a musical piece dedicated to sleepless rainy nights. I would have liked it longer, but sometimes there just is not enough time... tick tock tick tock."
"'A Ghost's Love Overlooking the Edge' is a beautiful story of two Ghosts who meet each other near the cliffs edge at night, the cliff looks over a vast sea lit only by the moonlight."
"I figure that a conceptual piece regarding water should have a sense of randomness to it, representing patternless fluidity. My goal then was to quickly improvise a majority of the work."
"In the dark blue corners of the Atlantic Ocean, there was a school for fish. When the fish got out of school for the day, they would usually hang out at the park, go home, or cause mischief at the local shopping malls. However, there were a few of the rebellious, young fishies that hung out with the 'big boys' at the Salt Water Rave Club. Those brave souls entered into the jellyfish-infested rave club every Friday night to dance the night away. Every Saturday morning they'd go home after being totally wasted and exhausted while having the biggest smile on their faces."
"The idea behind 'Living Water' is a bit of a story. It takes you on the midnight journey of the water. The beginning takes you on the peaceful journey through the creek as it gradually grows into a quiet river. Suddenly, it drops over a waterfall into the rapids and it struggles on it's way until it eventually quiets itself as it enters the vastness of the great ocean. Thus bringing the water to another quiet place in the journey or life of the water."
Binweasel - "Broken"
"Day by day, the sun fades away
Consternations grow faces grey
Constellations glow, shining bright
As night by night, we sail out of sight
Dark rain falls, the men's spirits pall
'Neath the drenching might of the squall
Teeth are clenching tight while we wait
Dark seas rise to try to take the bait
Break, break, break, break
Break the ship upon the rocks
Break, break, break away
She races down the dock
Hold on tight, and don't try to fight
The master's tossed our lot in with the night
The masts are lost, we've got no hope now
The Lady smiles or else we go down
Break, break, break, break
Break her spirit and her pride
Break, break, break of day;
The sun begins to rise"
"The ship is drifting peacefully across a tranquil sea. Night is coming on, and the stars are peeping out their celestial lights."
"You're walking down the dark and quiet old boardwalk along the sea as it starts to rain. Suddenly it feels like the rain is dancing around you. With every drop striking a unique way, you feel as though he is singing to you. All of a sudden you feel another presence of overwhelming darkness that slowly creeps over you with great power. You continue strolling the boardwalk as the two play and dance across the stage that is the boardwalk."
"Though the hearth be naught but embers
My marrow like ice within me
Frozen by the air around me and my own core
I stare into the night's black
Her rain upon the pane of glass
A reminder
There is precious little between her and I
A pane of glass between Life and Death"
quia - "Vast Ocean" (bonus entry)
"A sailor is alone at sea in the night. First he is sleeping in his ship and then wakes up and discovers that there seems to be a storm coming. He is trying to prepare but it does not help. His ship sinks. He is alone at sea without a ship but after a while comes another ship that saves him."
Voting Rules!:
Voters will be allowed to pick a first place (3 points) and any number of honorary mentions (1 point). Only one set of votes from any one voter will be accepted and a person cannot vote for any one piece more than once. Corrections to votes, from the original voter only, will be accepted, but corrections will void the previous votes. Basically, a voter can vote and correct the vote, but only the final form of that vote will be counted. Send all votes to Abadoss by PM. Please include any and all constructive critiques (not to be confused with bashing) about them with your votes as well, so that there's always a sense of growth in the artform. If you wish to remain anonymous, just state so in your PM. Thanks.
The voting period will last from the moment the entries are posted in the thread to the Saturday of that week. The voting period for this round ends November 8, so be sure to spend some time really listening to the pieces.
Any participant in the competition can vote, but not for their own pieces. However, in an effort to encourage voting among participants, any participant who votes will have 2 points added to his/her voting score (unless the participant chooses to be anonymous).
Official Rules!:
[1] Each piece must be originally composed for this competition. Arrangements and remixes will not be accepted. (Pieces composed by the participant prior to the competition will not be accepted.)
[2] Each piece must be 2:00 or longer and match the competition theme.
[3] Only one entry per person. Collaborations will be allowed, but each collaborator may not submit any other pieces. (This also means that a person cannot collaborate on two or more different pieces at the same time.)
[4] A link to the entry piece must be e-mailed or PMed to Abadoss prior to the deadline set for each competition. DO NOT POST THE LINK IN THE THREAD!
[5] Important: Each file must be labeled accordingly: Composer_Name_-_Composition_Title_CMC#.mp3
(For example, if Lisa Gaspar submits a piece called "Bull in the Shoptalk" to CMC 34, then his filename would be: Lisa_Gaspar_-_Bull_in_the_Shoptalk_CMC34.mp3)
[6] MP3 file format is required. Know that even OGG will need to be converted into MP3. (If someone is unable to do so themselves, Abadoss would be willing and able to do it for them.)
[7] Entries should be accompanied by a description and/or story to help listeners understand what the piece is about. (Not required, though.)
[8] All entries must be submitted by Saturday, November 1, 2008 at 11:59 PM - PST, GMT-8.
You can find the competition threads for each forum listed below:
OverClocked ReMix: http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18821
VGMix: http://www.vgmix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1409
VGMusic: http://www.vgmusic.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=11296
Gaming World: http://www.gamingw.net/forums/index.php?topic=75457.0
Young Composers: http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/conceptual-music-competition-23-aqueous-nocturne-16809.html
GameDev: http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=510995
Good luck and have fun! :D
Previous CMCs: http://www.abadoss.net/CMC.htm
[Edited by - Abadoss on November 16, 2008 3:19:00 AM]
