David E. Young, MD
I compose classical music in several traditions, mostly a number of chamber works that follow some of the sense and style of Antonin Dvorak. There are 80 piano rags, written in the style of Scott Joplin. There are two mixed septets and some works for mixed instruments with guitar that follow a genre of easy listening. Lastly, I present several Finale template for various chamber music combinations and a detailed proofreading list for composers, arrangers and other music engravers.
My desire for composing starting in high school at a time when I started writing orchestra music. My goal was to compose and I wrote 3 symphonies and some fragmentary chamber pieces. This was at a time when music manuscripts were made on vellum paper with a special fountain pen. After a period of little to no progress composing commenced again when notation software reached a tenable level. It was in 1993 when I first purchased Finale. I have been a Finale user since and consider myself fairly knowledgeable in optimizing music engraving.
A while after composing my first five string quartets, I developed a greater level of maturity and I consider my music to be of some value. I have never found composing easy, but with sufficient patience to work, I have now written 14 string quartets and hope to compose several more and a number of other chamber works. Expect additions to this webpage
In 1993, when I purchased Finale, I wrote a septet for Flute, Oboe, Bass Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Harp and Piano. This composition has undergone revision once and may require some additional revision. The same goes for a second septet for Oboe, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, Harp and Piano, which was initially composed in 2002.
In 2019, I started writing music for piano trio and at this moment have composed 4. I started work on a piano trio in 2001, left it and then completed it in 2018.
Somewhat as an aside, I starting writing piano rags. My first attempt was in 2001 but I didn’t write in earnest until 2005. At that time, I wrote albums of 8 rags, each rag about 3 & 1/2 minutes in length. I have now written 80, although 8 were in written with students as part of a music theory class.
In 2016 I composed incidental music to a famous Japanese poem; Ame ni mo makezu (Be Not Defeated by the Rain). This music originated in Finale, but was transferred to and revised in Logic Pro. As a consequence there is not sheet music for this composition.
I also have put together a music theory course, when the composing of a classic piano rag is used as a back-drop for learning music theory.
There are pdf files attached to the movement information and piano rag names for your viewing. The paper size for all of the material is 9.5 inches x 12.5 inches.
Scroll down, or click on the following links.
Chamber Music
I have composed 14 string quartets. I consider the first five to be immature works and I am not interested in finding a venue for their performance. The later quartets are of variable difficulty, but generally have a difficulty approaching that of the chamber works of Antonin Dvorak. The style and sensibility of the quartets reflect that of Dvorak, with some acknowledgement of the music of Brahms, Smetana, Borodin and Mendelssohn. I find Dvorak’s modulation techniques unlike the others and very appealing to my sense of music composition.
The string quartets last about 30 minutes, are in four movements and use typical music forms. In Quartets number 6 and 13 I use a modified Sonata Allegro Form. I call it Universal Sonata Form, for it is to be used for all four movements, regardless of tempo and melodic character. In Universal Sonata Form, a theme is laid down with some preparatory and ending material. That section is repeated. Then the first theme is developed with a second theme stated. That section is repeated. Following is a section where both themes are developed, without a repeat. And finally, the first section is repeated with a coda.
String Quartet No. 1, B flat major, 1980
Movement 1, 4/4, B flat major, Poco Allegro, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 3/4, G major, Molto Vivace, Scherzo & trio
Movement 3, 4/4, G minor, Poco Adagio et al, Theme & variations
Movement 4, 3/4, B flat major, Allegro Vivace, Rondo
String Quartet No. 2, G major, 1983
Movement 1, 4/4, G major, Allegro, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 3/4, A minor, Adagio, Modified Sonata Allegro
Movement 3, 3/4, C major, Tempo di Minuet, Minuet
Movement 4, 4/4, G major, Allegro con spirito, Modified Sonata Allegro
String Quartet No. 3, E flat major, 1984
Movement 1, 3/4, E flat major, Allegro, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 2/4 & 3/8, G minor, Vivace & Allegretto, Scherzo & trio
Movement 3, 3/4 & 3/8, G flat major, Poco Adagio & Presto, ABA
Movement 4, 2/4, E flat major, Allegro con spirit, Rondo
String Quartet No. 4, D minor, 1985
Movement 1, 4/4, D minor, Allegro, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 3/4 G minor, Poco Adagio, ABAB
Movement 3, 2/4 & 3/4, D minor, Vivace & Allegretto, Scherzo & trio
Movement 4, 6/8, D minor, Molto Allegro, Modified Sonata Allegro
String Quartet No. 5, D major, 1987
Movement 1, 4/4, D major, Allegro, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 6/8 & 3/4, F sharp minor, Adagio & Poco Vivace, Dumka
Movement 3, 3/4, F major, Tempo di minuet, Minuet
Movement 4, 2/4, D major, Allegro Vivace, Rondo
String Quartet No. 6, A major, 2009
Movement 1, 4/4, A major, Allegro, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 3/4, D major, Andante, Theme & variations
Movement 3, 3/4, G minor, Vivace, Scherzo & trio
Movement 4, 2/4, A major, Molto Allegro, Rondo
String Quartet No. 7, B flat major, 2010
Movement 1, 3/4, B flat major, Allegro, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 2, 4/4, F minor, Adagio, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 3, 3/8, E flat major, Molto Vivace, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 4, 6/4, B flat major, Allegro con spirito, Universal Sonata Form
String Quartet No. 8, F major, 2010
Movement 1, 4/4, F major, Allegro vivo, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 2/4 & 3/8, E flat major, Adagio, Poco Allegretto, Lento, ABCA
Movement 3, 3/4 & 2/4, B flat minor, Vivace & Allegretto, Scherzo & trio
Movement 4, 2/4, F major, Molto Allegro, Rondo
String Quartet No. 9, D major, 2013
Movement 1, 4/4, D major, Allegro, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 3/4, E minor / E major, Andante, Theme & variations
Movement 3, 3/4, G major, Tempo di minuet, Minuet
Movement 4, 2/4, D major, Allegro vivo, Rondo
String Quartet No. 10, C minor, 2017
Movement 1, 4/4, C minor, Allegro, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 3/4, B flat major, Vivace & Allegretto, Scherzo & trio
Movement 4, 3/4, C minor, Molto Allegro, Modified Sonata Allegro
String Quartet No. 11, E minor, 2017
Movement 1, 2/2, E minor, Allegro appassionato & Allegretto grazioso, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 9/8, C major, Andante con moto, ABAB
Movement 3, 3/8, G minor, Molto Vivace, Scherzo
Movement 4, 2/4, E minor, Molto Allegro, Rondo
String Quartet No. 12, A flat major, 2019
Movement 1, 3/4, A flat major, Allegro, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 2/4, 6/8 & 3/8, C minor, Tempo di Polka, Poco Adagio, Largo, ABCAB
Movement 3, 3/4, E major, Vivace, Scherzo
Movement 4, 2/4, A flat Major, Allegro con spirito, Modified Sonata Allegro
String Quartet No. 13, E flat major, 2021
Movement 1, 4/4, E flat major, Allegro, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 2, 6/8 F major, Adagio, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 3, 3/4, G minor, Molto Vivace, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 4, 2/4, E flat Major, Allegro assai, Universal Sonata Form
String Quartet No. 14, G minor, 2022
Movement 1, 4/4, G minor, Allegro, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 3/4 & 6/8, D minor, Andante con moto & Poco piu mosso, ABA
Movement 3, 3/4, E flat major, Allegretto & Vivace, Modified Scherzo & trio
Movement 4, 2/4, G minor, Molto Allegro, Modified Sonata Allegro
String Quartet No. 15, G major, 2023
Movement 1, 4/4, G major, Allegro ma non troppo, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 2, 3/4, B flat major, Poco Andante, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 3, 9/8, A minor, Allegretto, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 4, 2/4, G major, Allegro assai, Universal Sonata Form
String Quartet No. 16, B flat major, 2024
Movement 1, 3/4, B flat major, Allegro con spirito, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 2, 4/4, D minor, Andante, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 3, 3/4, C major, Vivace, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 4, 6/8, B flat major, Allegro vivo, Universal Sonata Form
String Quartet No. 17, F sharp minor, 2024
Movement 1, 3/4, F sharp minor, Allegro ma non troppo, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 4/4, E major, Andantino, Theme and variations
Movement 3, 3/4, D major, Molto Vivace, Scherzo and Trio
Movement 4, 2/4, F sharp minor, Molto Allegro, Rondo
The characteristics of my piano quartets are similar to my string quartets. For piano quartets numbers 1, 2 and 3, I made an attempt to make the string parts to be rather easy. The piano part, however, demands a seasoned player. For the 4th piano quartet, the string parts are difficult at times. The piano trio also has some difficult string parts.
The style of piano writing is more like Dvorak and Brahms than Beethoven or Schubert.
Piano Quartet No. 1, C major, 2019
Movement 1, 4/4, C major, Allegro ma non troppo, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 6/8, G minor, Lento, Theme & Variations
Movement 3, 3/4, G major, Allegretto & Vivace, Scherzo & trio
Movement 4, 2/4, C major, Allegro con spirito, Rondo
Piano Quartet No. 2, G minor, 2020
Movement 1, 3/4, G minor, Allegro con brio, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 2, 2/4, E flat major, Adagio, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 3, 3/4, F sharp minor, Vivace, Universal Sonata Form
Movement 4, 2/4, G minor, Molto Allegro, Universal Sonata Form
Piano Quartet No. 3, B minor, 2020
Movement 1, 6/8, B minor, Allegro ma non troppo, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 2/4 & 3/8, G major, Molto Vivace & Allegretto, Scherzo & trio
Movement 3, 3/4, G major, Andante con moto & Andante Risoluto, ABABA
Movement 4, 4/4, B minor, Allegro con brio, Modified Rondo
Piano Quartet No. 4, D major
Movement 1, 3/4, D major, Allegro, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 2/4, E minor, Andante, ABCAC
Movement 3, 3/4, F sharp minor, Vivace, Scherzo & trio
Movement 4, 2/2, D major, Molto Allegro, Rondo
Piano Trio No. 1, C sharp minor, 2018
Movement 1, 4/4, C sharp minor, Allegro ma non troppo, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 3/4 & 6/8, D minor, Andante con moto & Poco Andante. ABCA
Mixed Septets
The two mixed septets need some modest revision, at least for working to make the harp part in line with innate harp playing. These pieces have ample instances of nice modulations, but there is less harmonic exploration than in my other chamber works. The second set is made up of six movements, in a quasi-dumka form, similar to the dumka piano trio by Dvorak.
Mixed Septet No. 1, C major, for Flute, Oboe, Bass Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Harp & Piano, 1995
Movement 1, 4/4, C major, Allegro ma non troppo, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 4/4 & 3/4, A major, Andante & Poco Adagio, ABABA
Movement 3, 3/8 & 2/4, G minor, Vivace & Allegretto Scherzando, Scherzo & trio
Movement 4, 4/4, C major, Allegro, Modified Sonata Allegro
Mixed Septet No. 2, G minor, Clarinet, Oboe, Violin, Viola, Cello, Harp & Piano, 2000
Movement 1, 3/4 & 2/4, G minor, Poco Adagio & Vivace, ABAB
Movement 2, 4/4 & 2/4, E flat major, Andante & Allegretto Scherzando, ABAB
Movement 3, 2/4 & 6/8, D minor, Adagio and Allegro vivo, ABAB
Movement 4, 3/4 & 4/4, F sharp minor, Andante & Allegretto, ABAB
Movement 5, 2/4 & 4/4, B flat major, Poco Adagio & Poco Allegretto, ABAB
Movement 6, 4/4 & 3/4, G minor, Andante & Molto Vivace, ABAB
Piano Rags
My piano rags owe a lot to the music of Scott Joplin. From time to time there is a hint of devices found in music of the romantic generation. Most of the rags follow the normal 16-measure themes, with repeats around each theme. But many of the rags have 24-measure themes or other irregularities. The modulations take a variety of form.
Each rag is about 3 and 1/2 minutes in length. Most have tempos of 80 bpm to 100 bpm, but a few are as slow as 70 and a few as fast as 110.
I have tried to write one rag in each key but ended up missing A flat minor. Eight of the piano rags in albums 9 and 10 were composed by students. I gave considerable assistance and took the responsibility to perfectly engrave the piano rags. Their names are listed.
Album 1, 2005
Shadow Rag, E flat major, Moderate two-step
Sunshine Rag, C major, Moderate two-step
The Philosopher, G minor, Brisk two-step
Brush Oak Rag, F major, Slow two-step
Sarsaparilla Rag, F major, Brisk two-step
Cotton Rag, A flat Major, Moderate two-step
River Boat Rag, E flat Major, Brisk two-step
English Ivy Rag, G major, Slow two-step
Album 2, 2007
Lemon Zest Rag, C major, Moderate two-step
Winter Solstice Rag, D minor, Slow two-step
The Bee Hive, A flat major, Brisk two-step
Sea Breeze Rag, E minor, Moderate two-step
Blue Ribbon Rag, E flat major, Moderately slow two-step
Duke and Duchess Rag, G major, Moderate two-step
Main Street Rag, B flat major, Moderate two-step
The Kangaroo, D major, Brisk two-step
Album 3, 2008
The Picket Fence, B flat major, Moderate two-step
Confectionary Rag, C major, Moderate two-step
Will o’ the Wisp Rag. F minor, Moderate two-step
Top Hat Rag, A flat major, Brisk two-step
Evergreen Rag, G major, Gentle two-step
Perpetual motion Rag, D major, Lively two-step
The Paper Dragon, C minor, Moderate two-step
Liberty Rag, B flat major, Moderate two-step
Album 4, 2008
The Wild Rose, E flat major, Slow two-step
Soliloquy Rag, G major, Moderate two-step
Hiragana Rag, A major, Moderate two-step
Storyteller Rag, A flat major, Slow two-step
Lumberjack Rag, A minor, Brisk two-step
Windmill Rag, F major, Brisk two-step
The Sleigh Bell, C major, Moderate two-step
Postage Stamp Rag, B flat major, Moderate two-step
Album 5, 2010
Magnolia Rag, E flat major, Moderate two-step
Skipping Stone Rag, D major, Lively two-step
The Rusty Weathervane, G major, Moderate two-step
The Jolly Juggler, C major, Brisk two-step
Mistletoe Rag, F major, Slow two-step
State Fair, A flat major, Brisk two-step
Midnight and Moonbeam, B flat minor, Moderate two-step
Roadrunner Rag, E flat major, Brisk two-step
Album 6, 2011
Sand Castle Rag, C major, Moderate two-step
Under the Rowan Tree, A flat major, Lively two-step
Lollipop Rag, B flat major, Moderate two-step
Withermarsh Rag, F major, Slow two-step
Quill and Ink, E major, Brisk two-step
The Glass Slipper, F sharp major, Slow two-step
Red Label Rag, A major, Moderate two-step
The Ragged Dust Jacket, B flat major, Brisk two-step
Album 7, 2012
The Crescent Moon, B flat major, Moderate two-step
Certified Fresh, C major, Moderate two-step
The Dainty Teacup, D major, Moderate two-step
Cobblestone Alley Rag, C major, Brisk two-step
Pioneer’s Rag, A major, Brisk two-step
Dustpelt, E flat major, Slow two-step
The Misty Mountains, B flat minor, Slow two-step
Carousel Rag, D flat major, Lively two-step
Album 8, 2013
Strictly Ragtime, A flat major, Brisk two-step
Celtic Snowflake, C major, Moderate two-step
After the Rain, D flat major, Slow two-step
Heather and Holly, D major, Moderate two-step
Old Charleston, E minor, Brisk two-step
Dulcinea, G flat major, Moderate two-step
The Gentile Reminder, B flat major, Moderate two-step
The Admiral’s Compass, G major, Brisk two-step
Some of the Rags from albums 9 & 10 were collaborations between a music theory student and myself. Credit for the student-composer may be found below.
Album 9, compiled 2022
El Pequaño Rag, C major, Brisk two-step1
Forgotten Keystone Rag, B minor, Slow two-step
The Far Fathoms, C major, Brisk two-step2
Wishing Well Rag, B major, Very slow two-step
Kekule’s Dream, F sharp minor, Brisk two-step
The Phosphorescent Ocean, C major, Brisk two-step3
Great Balls of Yarn!, C flat major, Slow two-step
The Kat’s Meow, C major, Slow two-step4
Album 10, compiled 2022
The Pixie Chase, C major, Brisk two-step5
The Skipper Butterfly, C sharp minor, Moderate two-step
Dance of the Tree Fairies, C major, Moderate two-step6
The Eclipse Letterpress, E major, Slow two-step
Hopscotch Rag, G major, Moderate two-step
Chicken Dinner Rag, C major, Brisk two-step7
The Illustrious Guest, C sharp major, Moderate two-step
Rainbow Rag, C major, Brisk two-step8
1Composed by James Salinas with assistance
2Composed by Richard Thomas Parker with assistance
3Composed by Andrew Young with assistance
4Composed by Karla Espino with assistance
5Composed by Patrick McMahon with assistance
6Composed by Aubrey Brink with assistance
7Composed by Calvin Willis with assistance
8Composed by Anthony Cooper with assistance
Symphonies
I wrote three symphonies as an adolescent and young adult. These pieces have nice themes an nice modulations but the harmonic color is very limited. As a result, they need extensive revision. And because they are large pieces, the task of rewriting is daunting and hinders me from finding the energy to start.
Symphony No. 1, D major, 1968
Movement 1, 4/4, D major, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 3/8, B major, Sonata Allegro
Movement 3, 3/8, A major, Scherzo & trio
Movement 4, 2/4, D major, Rondo
Symphony No. 2, E minor, 1970
Movement 1, 4/4, E minor, Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 4/4, A minor, Dumka
Movement 3, 3/4, C major, Minuet & trio
Movement 4, 4/4, E minor, Modified Sonata Allegro
Symphony No. 3, D major, 1971
Movement 1, 3/4, D major, Extended Sonata Allegro
Movement 2, 4/4, B flat major, Extended Sonata Allegro
Movement 3, 3/4, E flat major, Extended Scherzo & trio
Movement 4, 4/4, D major, Extended Sonata Allegro
Incidental Music
I have composed some music that I prepared on Logic, a Digital Audio Interface. Because of this, there are no scores of this music. I do hope to make some revision and put on music paper. The scoring is unusual for me in that there are several guitars, percussion (both pitched an indefinite pitched) and a few unusual instruments. This piece is characterized by less modulation and less harmonic exploration than normal chamber music.
Ame ni mo makezu (Be Not Defeated by the Rain). Incidental music
Not Losing to the Rain
Not Losing to the Wind
Watching, Listening, and Understanding
Not Fettered by Desire
To the East, West, South and North
Shedding Tears of Sympathy
Wandering
Without Praise or Blame
Always Quietly Smiling
Not Losing to the Wind (reprise)
Music Theory Instruction Books
I do not believe that I have fully codified my instruction books for music theory. The project will be a work-in-progress for a long time. However, the program has value already. This course is for absolute beginners. The student is asked to learn, or at least understand, many of the typical harmonic progressions found in classic piano rags. There is a lot of material here and could lead to a more useful theory class.
Primary Study Guide and Appendix
Companion Workbook
Instructors Book
Playback Booklet
Here is the notation for the music that is found on the playback recordings. At this time, I don’t have those recordings available. There are also notation examples of various 16-measure bass-line harmonic progressions to set a rag theme to, as well as some hints of possible rag themes.
Finale Templates and Proofreading Checklists.
Here in this section I am going to include several Finale templates. I have gone over these templates carefully, to make them easy to navigate and make the engraving look professional. Feel free to download and store on your computer. If you do, look over the elements in the template, to make sure your engraving ideals match mine. In particular, look at the fonts for the various expressions and text. Look at the placement of the measure number and look over the running footer. I will also attach two pdfs of a check list (part 1 & part 2) for proofreading. This check list is useful for proofreading chamber music and orchestra music. It is insufficient for proofreading choral music, popular music with percussion, exotic avant gard music and band music. Be aware that a few items on my checklist may represent engraving rules that differ from another composer’s preference. Consult textbooks and websites for other information. Music Engraving Tips on facebook is a good source as the text Behind Bars by Elaine Gould
Finale Templates:
String Quartet