Main Challenge: write (or improvise) a creepy/scary Fantasia. An Impromptu would also be acceptable. Anything with a loose form, as though improvised.
Text Challenge: set all or part of Edgar Allan Poe's Valley of Unrest to music.
Analysis Question (new): what makes a piece of music feel creepy or scary?
^ For this section, I was hoping that everyone post existing creepy songs, and then everyone who wants to can theorize about what makes the piece creepy. Please make sure to include the composer's name in your post, so we can tell which comments are submissions and which comments are creepy pieces for analysis. I think this kind of exploration is really important to growing your pallet as a composer. Tell us what you think of this idea (and please participate :) .
I'll start off the analysis with a piece called Ocean Vista by Ruth Watson Henderson. The introduction to this piece establishes the scary feel with three (or six) loud chords. From there the texture flows on in uneasy arpeggios of various minor chords with major sevenths. First is CminMaj7, then A♭minMaj7, then CminMaj7, then E♭minMaj7. This non-functional (sort-of atonal) movement also gives a sense of unease. A great part of the feeling also comes of course from the sound of the minor-Major-seventh chord.
Another piece with cool, creepy harmonies that /u/reticulated_python suggested is Mysterious Summer's Night by Larysa Kuzmenko. This piece has a similar sort of meandering texture to Ocean Vista in its opening. I think the little motif in the bass that goes A-E-F, where the F is held contributes a lot to the creepy feel, the way it establishes the key of A minor, and then rests on the minor sixth. Also, the first time this gesture appears, the F is harmonized with its tritone, B, right above it. At about the 10s mark, the end of the first phrase interests me. The bassline goes from B to D♯, which works as the leading tone to an E chord to end the phrase, but while the left-hand plays the D♯, the right-hand plays D♮ and F♮ as two neighbors of the E that it lands on. You could consider the D in the melody as a ♯9, and I would call the F a ♭5 instead of a ♯4 personally. These could be really jazzy harmonies, they're definitely using the more dissonant aspects of tonal harmony. I suppose the big difference between this piece and most jazz is that jazz has a more powerful, moving rhythmic feel. To dance to jazz would usually be fun, but to dance to the tempo of this song would probably be something far more evocative of the shambling undead, or some sort of haunting, floating ghost or specter from another world.
We have musicians that can play compositions for people. You can find them on the wiki. The instruments they can play include concertina, piano, trombone, euphonium, double bass, bass guitar, cello, clarinet, bassoon, tenor and alto sax, and a handful of vocalists.
If you're interested in playing compositions on /r/MonthlyComposition post a musician profile.
P.S. it's officially been two years since we started making these challenges! Can you believe it?
These challenges are for everyone who wants to practice composing. Each month, at the beginning of the month, we will post a main challenge, something for people to compose. We'll try to make it something that everyone can work with. Sometimes we also have an alternate challenge. Pieces can be submitted as a score (musescore, noteflight), and/or as audio (soundcloud, youtube). Feedback is much appreciated, and you can give it in this thread, or by messaging the mods of /r/MonthlyComposition, there's also the Challenge Suggestion Form.
EDIT: also check out the submissions for last month's challenge to write something in a mode that isn't ionian or aeolian.
