The rejection emails were always polite. “While we appreciate the creative use of antiphonal cornets, the overall texture lacks idiomatic clarity.” Translation: you have no idea what you’re doing, Martin.

What he got, three days later, was a private message from a user named .

Martin stared at the squiggles. No key signature. No dynamics. Just a skeletal melody. His first instinct was to reach for rules: double the bass an octave down, keep the soprano cornet on the top line, fill the middle with tenor horns.