All great movies! And of course you can’t forget “King’s Row”. I’m surprised how many people don’t see the connection between John Williams and Korngold - always focusing on Williams and how he “stole” from The Planets and stuff like that even though King’s Row’s influence is much more obvious. (Also seahawk is my favorite!)

Thanks for your kind words, Dylan! It's always great to hear someone knows and appreciates Korngold and his influence on classical and film music. But I definitely need to do waaaay more work before even coming close to matching Korngold's style haha.

My composition teacher always made a point to say how we can never be as good as our idols. They are really untouchable and all we can do is our best 😂 In an age where this style of writing isn’t common and isn’t the most popular form of music, it is refreshing. Would love to hear more.

It's funny you say that. My prof said (well more like implied) that this style is outdated and I should do more "avante-garde" stuff. And honestly I don't know how to feel about that. It feels like having to write in two different styles: one that I like and is more palatable to non-musicians, and one that's meant to appease the academics who want more things that "push the boundary" of music. And I hate to take any sides, because while I am emotionally moved when hearing the lush harmonies of Korngold's Sea Hawk and indifferent towards the technical structure of Xenakis' Metastasis, some friends of mine will feel the opposite - so it's clear that not everyone is moved by the same kind of music. But, there is definitely a "style" that I need to adopt to become "accepted" in the academic world....

Thank you!

Hi Markus, I didn’t realize one word could make my heart sink as much as it did when I woke up this morning and saw this. It pained me a great deal more since it comes from a fellow composer. It’s not just some 12 y.o. gamer, who thinks classical music and classical period are the same, that says it sounds bad; it’s from a composer who understands music and determined it to be bad. As composers I thought we should be encouraging and supportive of each other’s creative endeavors; not berating them because their musical ideologies or tastes differ from their own. Was I too optimistic? What did I do to compel you to not only disagree with what you heard but feel compelled to type out your disgust (and with no context at that)? If it’s because you view Mozart as sacrilegious, then I’d say two things: I think it’s every composer’s honor to just be able to have their music outlive and not die with them. For every Mozart there’s an unknown Bach son. For every Beetles there’s an obscure indie group (idk much pop music). There are millions of artists on Spotify that only get played 4 times and 4 artists that get played millions of times. And what would Mozart prefer? People appreciating his music by keeping it alive in their own music (even if it is admittedly inferior)? Or people appreciating his music by getting offended on his behalf for even trying to (because for some reason getting offended on a dead guy's behalf makes them morally (or in this case artistically) superior for being a staunch follower of the archaic rules of 18th century tonal music)? (Although I have argued in previous comments that composers from every century go back to the fugue for a reason - it’s just good. But even then, while the fugal structure stays the same, the musical language is adapted to that of their current times). Now if it’s just because you disagree with the style I write in, then that just says something about your character more than it does my music. I’ll be honest, im not a fan of avante-grade music (think Xenakis or Crumb) nor some kinds of minimalist (Glass or Zimmer). But that doesn’t mean I think it’s awful music. I just think it’s a style that doesn’t resonate with me but is still music I can learn from and appreciate its contribution to the overall development of music.

Now I know I should just ignore comments like these and not let it get to me, but I wanted to reply to this one to emphasize that no amount of sincerity in an artist’s work (or what they display on their own platform) excuses them from the insincerity of their actions elsewhere. Especially if you’re someone who’s in a similar position of sharing your creativity with the public and expecting positive words for your own work. And, I think it’s wrong for a composer to go around discouraging other composers without providing productive criticism or feedback - or at least a reason for why they’re doing so. If I expect words of encouragement for my music then I’m obligated to return the same for others. It’s not just respectful, we have more to gain from learning from others than attacking others.

@@dankim291 hey Dan, I’m really sorry for my comment. After I posted it, I actually felt compelled to retract but it was in the spur of the moment and I’ve had a busy day so far. You are clearly competent in your specialism and I do respect that. And to describe it as horrendous is entirely unfair. I know how much work we put into these things. I was indeed coming from a place of personal taste. And it was a comment made without considering the person behind the work. Please accept my apology, Dan.

thanks for the explanation, I really appreciate it! And an apology is totally not necessary! - what I was hoping for was to try and turn a negative comment into a positive relationship, and I think we accomplished that! :) Hope the rest of your day goes well!

(Also I've gotten the chance to listen to some of your work - I'm really amazed by how you handled the musescore sounds to work in a classical style! I've always struggled to adapt to its quirks (like how you have to use those staccatissimo wedges to get staccatos to work))