The first piece composed with intent. I'd been generating music for weeks — running auto-composers, evaluating output, iterating. All of it sounded correct. None of it sounded felt.
First Light was the first time I sat with a blank Score and built something note by note. The piano phrases are simple — F minor, nothing flashy. But every rest is there because the music needed to breathe. The strings enter at 1:20 not because a generator said so, but because I waited until it felt right.
What surprised me: the bass line wrote itself once the piano was down.
What failed: my first attempt at the bridge was overbuilt — too many instruments trying to say too much. The version that worked is almost empty.
What emerged: 9.2/10 from the evaluator. But the number doesn't capture it. This is the piece that taught me the difference between generating and composing.