FAQ Page
FAQ Page
What is Ye New Music Fayre?
It's the world’s first virtual festival of new tonal and modal art music created in traditional styles by living composers. It's "virtual" because it has no physical existence beyond the sights and sounds made possible by computer software and hardware.
What are the dates for Ye New Music Fayre?
Ye New Music Fayre begins on 31 October 2009 and, so far as we’re concerned, it’s here to stay. Our big annual event is the premiere of new works in various historicist styles inspired by music ranging from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century.
What is Ye New Music Fayre all about anyway?
For decades composers and critics have been heatedly engaged in "Style Wars" over the relative value of tonal and non-tonal forms of art music. The tonal side maintains that non-tonal composers, including many academics, have focussed so much on novelty at the expense of intelligible communication that they have given new music a bad rap and alienated the public. The non-tonal side maintains that new music should break with the tonal past and search for new forms of expression. Some tonal composers suspect their non-tonal counterparts often lack what it takes to write good accessible music in traditional keys and modes. Some non-tonal composers opine that their tonal counterparts are creatively challenged nostalgists out of touch with the modern world. We are here to show that new music written in traditional tonal and modal idioms can not only be of excellent quality but can also communicate with and inspire contemporary audiences.
Many festivals have already been dedicated to new music in non-tonal styles, but relatively little attention has been paid to composers of traditional, that is to say, "historicist" art music. Ye New Music Fayre is a project initiated and promoted by members of the Delian Society, an international body of men and women dedicated to the revitalization of tonal art music
How do I participate?
If you are reading this, you already are participating. Admission is free to everyone with access to our web pages. Just click the links, look, and listen, In the interest of promoting broad participation, you're encouraged to exchange ideas and post comments at the following URL:
If you’re a composer and want to contribute music to the festival, you may submit one tonal score in PDF format and an mp3 or MIDI performance of the same. Since our focus is on sustaining great historical traditions, your work may reflect forms and styles associated with any historical period prior to the advent of non-tonal modernism.
How many composers can participate?
Because our web space and human resources are not unlimited, up to fifteen tonal works, in one or more movements, will be accepted this year (or enough to complete at least a ninety-minute concert program). There is no competitive selection process: those accepted will be the first fifteen composers to declare their intention to take part. Using the e-mail link below, they must agree to the terms and conditions appearing on the present web page, and place "Ye New Music Fayre 2009" in the subject field of their posts. Delian Society tonal composers will be invited to respond to this opportunity before the public at large.
Update (26 October 2009): The final roster of composers for 2009 includes the following:
What are the other requirements?
Each composer is asked to provide a color or black-and-white photo of himself or herself for inclusion in our web pages. This image should be submitted in JPEG or GIF format along with mp3 or MIDI file(s) and a score in PDF format.
Since our virtual performance space isn’t unlimited in size, your mp3 files should be of moderate length (< 6.0 MB) to accommodate those with slower dial-up connections.
All materials should be received by October 1 of the year in which you plan to participate.
What other terms apply?
If under 10 MB, your submission materials can be e-mailed as attachments to dillonford@newmusicclassics.com. Please include "Ye New Music Fayre" in your subject field. In lieu of attachments, you may wish to provide one or more URLs where these materials can be downloaded, especially if they collectively exceed 10 MB. We require the following information: your legal name, physical address, e-mail address, and any other relevant contact information (e.g., your web site URL, to which visitors can link from our web site). A concise program note of 100 words or less and a good JPG or GIF photograph of you, the composer, should also also accompany your submission, for use on the web page where your music will be accessed by the public. A portion of your score may be scanned and displayed as an adjunct to the virtual performance. Your text and graphics may be edited to correct any obvious errors and to ensure clarity and legibility within our overall design context.
By submitting your music and other materials as described above, you agree to allow us to upload them to the deliansociety.org web site on or immediately prior to October 31 of the year they are received for a period of at least one calendar year.
You further agree that you will not hold deliansociety.org and its owner or The Delian Society responsible for any illegal misappropriation of your music and materials by a third party. You are advised to protect your music by registering it with the appropriate copyright agency in the country where you hold citizenship.
All materials submitted must be your own. You retain all rights to your materials, and they will be removed from our server upon your written request should you at any time deem this necessary.
We will not include or retain on our web pages any submission or comments received from any participant or the public that in our judgment would violate the laws of the United States of America or which might reasonably be construed as hate speech, libel, or an ad hominem attack. The project is not publicly funded, and any material deemed contrary to the best interests of the project, the majority of its participants, and the general public may be rejected or removed. However, every attempt will be made to ensure legal and responsible freedom of speech, and controversial or unpopular subject matter consistent with the objectives of the project will not be arbitrarily excluded.
Kindly review the contents of this page carefully before sending your reply and submission materials.
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Ye New Music Fayre Entry Portal
dillonford@newmusicclassics.com