Four Strings
for string quartet
completed January 1996
duration: approx. 16 minutes
premiered July 1996 in Toronto
by members of
Composers' Orchestra
conducted by Gary Kulesha
Click on the music (right) to
download the first half of the
score in .ETF (Finale) format.
Listen to the 4th movement in RealAudio.
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While it would be overstating the case
to declare that the number four
forms the basis of all the material in Four Strings, this number
does play an
important role in the structure of the work beyond its obvious
relation to the
number of instruments playing and the number of strings on each
instrument.
The work is in fact divided into four contiguous movements but
more
importantly is based on four short motives which are exposed in
the subject
of the highly fugal opening movement. Much of the accompanying
material
in this movement involves repetition of these motives, foreshadowing
the use
of "minimal" or "pattern" techniques in the third movement.
The second
movement is slower and treats each instrumentalist in turn as a
soloist while
the others accompany. Each of these four "cadenzas" develops
one of the
four prime motives of the work. The third movement as mentioned
involves
numerous repetitions of the prime motives. It transforms
the primary
material of the work through a process that involves deconstructing,
combining and re-ordering individual motives while displacing their
rhythms.
The result is the organic creation of four new motive forms which
are used to
create the subject and counter-subject for the once again highly
fugal fourth
movement.
To request a score, parts, or more information send me an e-mail.
If you do not see a frame at the left, click here.
