5 COMPOSERS 1 THEME (ft. Adam Neely, Nahre Sol, Ben Levin & Tantacrul) 

well obviously i love this, great job everyone!!

this was an absolutely amazing experience! Thanks David!

I like how Ben was like "My instinct is to be ironic, but I decided to take this one seriously and disguise it" Then immediately after, Tantacrul was like "My instinct is to disguise this, but I decided to have fun with this one and be ironic."

"I've been drowning in irony lately. My whole sense of humor has become basically just lying." dude... i felt that

Being part of this video is one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me.

This was a joy and thrill to be a part of!! Thank you for including me David 😊 Bravo to everyone involved.

He really made Adam compose music around the lick. Literally the most qualified man alive for the job

My review: Adam Neely: a moist slap/10 Ben Levin: a moral heartbreak /10 Tentacrul: a gourmet cheese platter /10 Nahre Sol: a gently glistening but deep ocean /10 David Bruce: a granite carving /10

This is the pinnacle of Music RU-vid. Have Rick Beato or 12Tone do a video analyzing these in detail and we can all go home.

The Lick: exists Adam: *laughs*

Adam Neely's composition makes me wanna go on an adventure and save a princess or something.

Tantacrul's is the theme to an artist trying to cope with the stress of the fact that coming up with something original is impossible

Adam Neely: I know how Ben writes 😉 Hits Play... Nevermind 😭

"My whole sense of humour has become basically lying." I can relate my friend.

5:15 - Adam Neely: the licc, but vaguely balkan, or maybe celtic, idk 9:18 - Ben Levin: Memes Underneath Our Pleading Feet 14:05 - Tantacrul: Profound Thematic Meditations, Op. 67 18:15 - Nahre Sol: 4 Composers Piece 21:59 - David Bruce: Elise’s 5th Little Overture

I loved the “Super Expressive, you’re the diva” annotation for the accordion in Ben’s score :D

Everyone in this video: "Oooh, I'm going to steal that." Ah, Musicians!

Such a joy from start to finish. Hard to believe we were both nervously setting up mics this day last week! (How on Earth did you edit this so quickly?)

This is absolutely addictive. I have come back a ton in the past month and still can’t get over how awesome it all is. I’d love to see more content like this.

Please, we need to also hear Chroma's side on how they felt while playing each piece!

adam hears the licc in an odd time signature: *starts aggressively hitting his thigh*

"Why aren't we writing for accordion always?" As an accordion player struggling to find anything interesting to play these days, please write for accordion always!!

i feel guilty getting to watch this for free

Therapist: "Buff clarinet guy is not real, he can't hurt you." Buff Clarinet Guy: •Plays wholesome music• Me: :)

It's not a competition, but my favorites were Adam and Ben and Tantacrul and Nahre and David.

In which David Bruce ignites the youtube accordion revolution

Adam Neely: Clever Ben Levin: Sincere Martin Keary: Irreverent Nahre Sol: Earnest David Bruce: Ardent *Their pieces sound like their personalities.*

Man, I've listened to music all my life and never really got into classical music. Now out of nothing RU-vid throws David's channel at me and I'm hooked. This was amazing.

Ben Levin: "I tried really hard not to make something ironic-" Also Ben: "Memes underneath our pleading feet" Sometimes it really be like that

By god, it’s the crossover we’ve all been waiting for (and I like the reference to 4 producers 1 sample! hehe)

Nahre's reminded me so much of Joe Hisaishi- the way she used the piano with the other instruments made me feel like I was listening to a ghibli soundtrack. I almost cried- and I actually did cry at Ben's haha

Why are you so nice and collaborative?! My own professors at the conservatoire destroyed my own motivation by destroying each other with slander from one lesson to the next. Congrats for this accomplishment and thank you showing a sweeter, kinder side of music and composition to everyone.

i love how everyones reaction is "im gonna steal all of this" -and honestly same-

Sounds like Adam inadvertently made a Legend of Zelda Wind Waker score.

I came for Adam, knowing he’d do something interesting. But I knew a bit about Ben from adam’s videos and was like oh boy, this should be funny! Then he absolutely knocked it out of the park with beautiful sincerity. Everyone did a great job but holy moly did Ben really exceed expectations and find a way to be clever about it. Where everyone else was purposely being derivative (per the challenge) he somehow made something that really stood on it’s own and didn’t feel like just a flex on the themes. I don’t know man, Ben just really mad something gorgeous.

I love all of them, but I can't stop saying ''DAAAAYYUUMMM'' during David's arrangement

"You can get some fat grooves in there." Ben Levin, 2019

"My whole sense of humor has become basically lying." "I'm gonna make something sincere and beautiful" *_names song Memes Underneath Our Pleading Feet..._* _I see what you did there_

0:19 "and the idea occurred to me that in the tradition of all the best artists I should steal from him as well" 20:40 "man, I'm gonna be stealing so many of these textures from all of these people" 24:05 "violin writing is just bloody brilliant and I'm gonna um.. take and um... steal it quite frankly" 25:19 "this very complete groove even when there's no drums, it's something I'm taking away from this" man, you can tell these are some mighty composers right there

Hey! Master's student of the Bulgarian wedding music here. Cool project, and a lot of fun solutions! Great to see that I'm not THAT much of a lunatic, and that there are other people in the world sharing my humour. The first idea about the clarinet+accordion=Balkan is a cool way of thinking it, but I also notice the very typical Western approach to it, and I would prefer if the musicians and/or the composer had dug much more into the stylistic choices of the music. A 5/8 on the Balkans is always 2+3, called a "paydushko" (pajdusko/пайдушко), and the ornaments were far out, making it still sound like western musicians. Which is fine, I guess. But one should be aware of these things when writing for musicians that might be very unfamiliar with the styles of the music. I think this is a general idea, no matter the style. Get a classical musician to play any type of folk music, and it will sound weird and awkward to a folk musician who knows the music. Same way, get a folk musician to play NY jazz, and you get something even more strange. I have my background from Norwegian folk music, Nordic jazz and the Balkan folk music, and I've played in projects where the approach is from a more western classical point of view, and that became very awkward for all of us, I think. Same the other way. Notation of folk music (or jazz) is something that I find interesting, and close to impossible if one want ANY musician that is trained in one tradition to do something else, with only reading the scores. How detailed would it have to be, and when does it become too detailed, where it becomes unclear? ANYWAY, cool project, would love to make something with you guys, even though I'm not Paul McCartney, Mozart or Charlie Parker.

The phrase "Memes Underneath our Pleading Feet" is embedded in my heart now.

David: here's a bunch of music memes Composers: *makes beautiful art*

I loved all of these unique arrangements and Adam's arrangement was amazeballs, but Ben's (had never heard of him til now) took me on a whole journey and left me gently right back on my bed. That shit really spoke to me lol amazing job.

Ben Levin’s composition was sooo beautiful, holy shit!

COMPOSITIONS 05:15 - Adam Neely 09:17 - Ben Levin 14:05 - Tantacrul (Martin Keary) 18:15 - Nahre Sol 21:59 - David Bruce REACTIONS 06:33 - Adam Neely 10:40 - Ben Levin 15:10 - Tantacrul (Martin Keary) 19:17 - Nahre Sol 23:26 - David Bruce This was awesome. Thanks so much for doing this, to everyone involved - composers and performers!

this could be an amazing series! Please do more! :)

The ending just made me want to see more of the bands reactions to the different pieces. What an awesome video. And brilliant musicians!!

The licc: *exists* Adam Neely: *laughs in 11/8* Yay one like

How tf did Ben make something so beautiful

I love Ben's instruction for the accordion in the sheet music: "Super Expressive, you're the diva". Definitely nailed it!

This is great! When I was in the NATO band we always talked about a project like this, but never found the time. Awesome.

love the generous spirit of this interaction

New video, Sibelius crashed.

Came for Nahre Sol's music, stayed for David's humour, leaving with 4 new heros. I aspire to your league of human-ness.

I think this is about my 10th time watching this

This was a lot of fun ☺️

"These are a bunch of pimps, and players, and they are my god" lol

David: Accordion should be in orchestra Me: WHAT? NO. Me minutes later: omg yes bb

I love getting to hear it twice. One initial reaction and then again while being broken down and deepening the experience. Also having professionals put words to the sense that the piece gives you is a treat. So glad to have found this channel. Such beautiful work.

Ben Levin's submission might very well be one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. Knowing some of his other work I did not expect him to take it in this direction and I think Adam Neely's reaction sort of illustrates that. Absolutely breathtaking.

This was the original intention of Anton Diabelli: take a simple melody (which he happened to have composed) and ask a whole lot of composers-some great, renowned composers (Beethoven topping the charts,) some teachers (Czerny, Hummel, Kalkbrenner,) and even some fledglings (a ten-year-old youngster by the name of Franz Liszt)-all of Austro-Hungarian background-and publish the crazy array of ideas, fifty-one of them, that could come forth from all these brilliant minds. Beethoven, of course, decided to write thirty-three variations, instead of the requested one, on his own, which became his Op. 120, and that set is the most famous of the project; but it’s fantastic to hear the other approaches that come from the best of the best of the era, as well. Watching this video, where some really talented composers critique each other’s creations based on a common theme, just hearkens back to the 1820s when fifty composers were kicking back, and playing/listening to each other’s ideas on a common theme.

Absolutely blown away by Ben's piece.. shivers all over. That vulnerable theme... shit. Amazing

You can really feel Ben’s love for music, it’s basically bursting from him and it’s really inspiring.

This was too good, I've watched it several times. There MUST be a part 2 to come in the near future!

Next time: 8bit music theory, rick beato, aimee nolte, OrchesterationOnline, 12tone, and Samuel Andreyev! Edit: and Sideways.

Marvel: Our film is the greatest crossover in history This video: ...

This video has made me realize that being away from fellow musicians has left a huge gap in my life. It’s nice to experience this collaboration, thank you!

We need these songs on spotify or something

Can't wait for you guys to try this using the Marble Machine X ;)

Wow. Talk about A+ content. I am floored by how good this is, as a RU-vid video, as a community piece, as a collection of new compositions, as a completion of an ambitious idea. The amount of work that has gone in to this and the number of talented people involved is incredible. If music and videos are meant to make people happy, then you have succeeded. Bravo one and all.

RU-vid should have an "I'm amazed" button, those melodies were a caress for the soul. What a beautiful group of pieces. ¡Que maravillosas melodías!

I got goosebumps exactly when Nahre did. Am I special, or is that just a goosebump-inducing sound in general?

Well this is without a doubt the most ambitious anime crossover in history.

Forgive any pretentiousness, but as I was listening I wrote down some of what these pieces made me think about. Thanks for making this. Chroma: The versatility and sensitivity of these musicians are astonishing. Heroes. Adam: Technical, playful, confident. Utterly assured as to where it's going. Ben: Lovely, creative, intense, with an underlying melancholy. As with everything he does it touches the numinous. Tantacrul: Witty, folky, and unafraid. I never heard of him before I watched the video but he's damn good. Subbing. Nahre: Pensive, contemplative, the soundtrack to a restless but solitary evening listening to the rain. David: Joyous, earthy, sensuous. His humanism (and humanity) add depth and wisdom to every note. This is one of the most inspiring things I've seen on RU-vid, and an example of what you can do with this medium that you can't do with anything else.

As a (very) amatuer composer, I found this powerful, insightful, exciting and, if I may say, entertaining. A couple of the compositions almost brought me to tears because they were so beautiful and moving. ALL of the compositions were fantastic and, yes, I would love to see more of this kind of video. 'Full marks' to all the composers and performers!

These are beautiful , especially Nahre's piece , i found it moving in a special way . I really wish there was a way to listen to these scores individually .

I love how the overall sentiment is just "Ah! I love how they did xyz and blended it with abc. I'M GONNA STEAL IT."

This has enriched my existence. I can't think of a better compliment.

That moment in Nahre’s piece where the whole ensemble’s playing the licc is so Steve Reich it hurts. Love love love it.

I loved all of them, but thought that Adam's was the most intriguing.

"There was an idea, to bring together a group of remarkable composers, see if they could become something more." Okay, this was amazing, loved the diversity of the pieces and the great musical ideas overall. Now, I know that is way more difficult to set up than "4 producers 1 sample", but I'd really love if it became a series! Anyway, keep up the good work you all!

Ben Levin is a precious human being and we have to protect him.

12:10 After her reaction, It made Adam Neely’s reaction sound sarcastic. Lol.

Hi David, you are so right about placing basic restrictions to work within which frame and encourage creativity. The final compositions/ arrangements are up with the best in modern composing. Each of the chosen musicians has a thorough grasp of theory and practice. Bella Bartoc and Stravinsky influences are what I here in some of these arrangement.

The way everyone pronounced "Nachtmusik" made it sound like "Nacktmusik" which translates to "nude music" I laughed way too hard at that^^ Super cool video kudos to everyone!

Adam neely 5:15 ben levin 9:15 tantacrul14:05 nahre sol 18:15 david bruce 22:00

I loved every one of their pieces, but there was just something with Ben Levin’s that was *especially* brilliant. The double bass lines of all of the famous melodies worked soooo well with this wonderful heart-filled melody and harmony with everyone else. Clarinet and accordion especially have an amazing part in that one. Again, all 5 of the pieces were written with such attention to detail with the way they used the melodies, and I love them all. Keep up the great work!

Each piece starting: Adam Neely 5:15 Ben Levin 9:18 Tantacrul 14:04 Nahre Sol 18:13 David Bruce 21:58

Like how everyone uses oddest meters and bruce just pulls of a straight 4/4 and IT WORKS!

Adam's piece sounds like a jig from Zelda on jet boosters. Briliant. Every single one of them. B. R. I. L. L. I. A. N. T.

I work in a small bookshop which I love and people from everywhere come visit. Whenever I'm there I pay special attention to what music is being played, so the readers already start their mind journey even before they started reading. Every once in a while there's a Ben Levin or an Adam Neely tune playing. But if there was enough videos of you guys out there, I wouldn't even throw anything else in my make playlists anymore.

WOW..... Being just an amateur some 3577+++ points below all these guys... They truly inspired me!!! SOOO well done!!! Thanks all of you so much!!!

I loved David's version. The counterpoint, the chromaticism, the repurposing of those cliches into something new and very much itself - it's just wonderful.

Ahh, post-modern quotation is alive and well and done to such delightful effect. Who knew that part of a composer's modern skill set includes arranging other composers.? The instrument selection seems characteristically David. Be great to move this more towards a Composers' Cooperative, and have each one choose an instrument and a theme to throw into the mix. Though Nahre already took that opportunity. Look forward to this Composers Co-op getting commissioned to do a piece for the Proms.

I really appreciate the clarinetist's outfit :P my reactions: David: swoon Adam: so fun! Nahre: ahh yis. Ben: I can hear so many influences. so cool Tantacrul: sorry, Papa Haydn? lol

Nahre's sounds like it would be in breath of the wild

You know what NOT to do here, right? A poll as to what version "is the best one"/"I like the most". Just loop this video again and again and revel in what the 21st century has bestowed upon us: musicians working with one another in what is basically no time. Well, to us viewers, at least. This video is in my personal pantheon of what RU-vid can be about. Thank you Mr Bruce, and please forward my thanks to your "accomplices". This is simply stunning.

PDFs and MP3s of all the pieces are available on my patreon: www.patreon.com/davidbruce

There is still beauty in the world.

throw a groovy bass and hip hop drums under nahre's keyboard, loop it and you got a sick hip hop instrumental.