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Work Overview
Violin quartets are relatively rare creatures, given the
comparative limitations of pitch range and timbral variation
afforded by such an ensemble. When presented with the challenge
of creating one, I decided to revel in these constraints by
composing a work that was as violin-like as possible, rigorously
derived from the instrument's fundamental nature. I aimed to
sculpt a piece that was so tied to the violin that it would not
have worked in any other configuration (with the exception of
viola quartet); however, I later successfully adapted the work
for conventional quartet.
The four instruments are treated almost as a single entity for
the declamatory first half of the work, exploring numerous
manifestations of a single chord equivalent to the open strings
of the instrument: transpositions, inversions, expansions, and
compressions. The gentler second half is comprised of two
ornamented melodic duos at the major ninth (an interval also
present between the violin's open strings), in which all four
instruments share foreground and background roles. A few bars
before the end the first violin finally breaks free with its own
independent line like a peal of bells, but is soon overwhelmed
and subsumed back into the ensemble.
Work Details
Year: 2017
Instrumentation: String quartet
Duration: 6 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Dedication note: Dedicated to Monica Curro
Performances of this work
30 Oct 21: Holy Trinity Church Hall, Fortitude Valley, QLD. Featuring Black Square Quartet.
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