The Diabelli Project - Contrapunctus XVIII by J. Lee Graham

The Diabelli Project is about offering my flash-composition sketches freely to all. Like Antonio Diabelli,'s music these sketches aren't great. But perhaps there's a Beethoven out there who can do great things with them.

Joseph Lee Graham, a composer currently based in Wichita, Kansas has once again taken up the challenge. He had previously used one of my posted themes as the basis for a three-part counterpoint (Contrapunctus XVI by J. Lee Graham). A good portion of his catalog (including some of his Contrapunctus series) has been posted by Graham on Soundcloud.

This time Mr. Graham found inspiration in No. 005: A Two-part invention at the 5th.

Here's my original sketch (click on images to enlarge):

Below is the opening to Contapunctus XVIII by J. Lee Graham. As you can see, there are some major revisions. First, he's turned a two-voice invention into a four-voice composition. He's also extended the opening motif by an additional measure, giving him something more to work with. And although the second voice does enter on the fifth, the turn in the third bar has been modified to make the harmony between the voices work better.

I'm glad that Graham didn't feel constrained to use the sketch as presented. An excerpt further into the composition shows how effectively the melodic elements (both original and from me), work in a contrapuntal setting.

Listen to Contrapunctus XVIII by J. Lee Graham on Soundcloud

I'm glad another one of my sketches inspired a composition. All I can say is that we're really just at the start of the project -- I still have two years' worth of material to upload, and I think it improves over time.

To obtain music for Contrapunctus XVIII, contact the composer, J. Lee Graham at tuthaliash at gmail dot com.