Barnyard in A Flat Major

Reason has pretty good sound banks (they're reasonable, at any rate, within reason), but in my 2nd variation the cello sounds like a cow and the viola sounds like a duck. I call it "Barnyard in A Flat Major." I've only got two variations so far, but you can check them out on my music page. Quartets are manageable for me, what with only having one problematic C clef, but I like massive blocks of sound that require rather more than four instruments.

I've been trying to work on a choral piece for a competition, but I've got my heart set on a particular text and unfortunately it always goes to a certain tune in my head... but I'm not liking how the tune turns out, it's too melismatic. You know, not mellifluous enough. It ought to be more behonied.