https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA0-Tg4tul8andfeature=youtu.be

?At Last? was composed by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical ?Sun Valley Serenade? in 1941. It was recorded by Glenn Miller and his orchestra, becoming a chart hit in 1942, and in 1960 by Etta James, who was subsequently inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The song is a frequent wedding favourite for quartets.

If you would like to watch a video of a professional quartet playing my arrangement on Youtube, look up my channel by typing Skinny Black Dogs-Capriccio Quartet-At Last.

This version of the song is for a professional/advanced quartet, as the opening is tricky for the first violin. However, most of the double stopping includes open strings for at least one of the notes. I have spread the melody across each member of the quartet so that everyone has their place in the sun! As a cellist myself, I know that my part can sometimes be a bit dull, so the cellist gets a lot of the tune! In the solos I have sometimes tried to approximate the feel of jazz by precisely notating the rhythms, but realistically I think it is better for each player to listen to different versions of the song and to play it,to some extent, by ear in order to feel the syncopation. It needs to have a ?rubato? melody, but with the accompaniment as a rock solid 12/8 beat, albeit with an emphasis on the ?off beat? which I have notated with an accent. I also recommend grace notes and glissandi to enhance the bluesy mood.I think Capriccio Quartet does this beautifully!

As well as this version for Quartet, I also have another arrangement of the song in the same key for String Quartet and Female Singer. You can find it uploaded to Sheet Music Press, and is recorded by Capriccio Quartet with my daughter singing.The accompanying parts are almost identical, but each player has more double stopping in the Quartet version. It is in the same key. Have fun and post me any recordings. I can be found on Facebook very easily.

?Lovely? by Billie Eilish and Khalid was released in April 2018. Written and produced by Finneas O?Connel, brother of Billie Eilish, it was used as the soundtrack to Season Two of ?13 Reasons Why? - a drama on Netflix. The song went Platinum in New Zealand and USA, and reached the top five in the New Zealand and Australian Charts.

I think that it lends itself beautifully to a String Quartet Arrangement and very much enjoyed working on it. At the moment I have only a computer version of the Score but will be recording it with Capriccio Quartet once lockdown restrictions are at an end.

Feel free to change the bowing, especially in the eight-quaver accompaniment bars. These do need to be heard, but very much as a background texture. I envisaged the song as played with a great deal of delicacy and subtlety, though this is hard to achieve with Sibelius software. In this arrangement the cello has less to do than usual, but there are some sudden shifts of position and that deep presence is vital to the overall effectiveness of the song. The double stopping usually includes one open string.

I experimented for a long time with different octaves for the violin to play at Letters C and E. You may like to change the score at this point if it feels easier, or just prefer one or the other. I opted for the high octave at times because the unison with the viola two octaves below seemed to have a lot of emotional power. However one octave apart also sounds good so younger players could easily tackle this song.

My Youtube Channel has many of my arrangements for String Quartet, most recorded by Capriccio Quartet, and all but two available as Sheet Music Plus products. Please visit me there :- Helen Marple-Horvat, Songwriter, Arranger, Composer.

If you're looking for another bland, soul-less transcription of a pop song for strings to collect dust in the back of your gig book while you idle away your hours providing background music behind the potted palm, this is NOT the arrangement you are looking for.

However, if you are looking to liven up your ensemble's repertoire with a hip arrangement of the summer's biggest smash from the world's bubbliest boy band... then look no further: THIS is the tune you need to take your performance to the next level! This spicy new take on the Jonas Brothers' latest jam includes an extendable solo section (in case that wedding party is taking too long to make their appearance at cocktail hour), chopping grooves that will land your quartet securely "in the pocket," a couple slick reharminizations to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, and enough flashy licks to finally prove to all those naysaying guitar players that yes, string players can be real rockstars!!!

That being said, if your ensemble is already forward-thinking enough to have brokered peace with those fret-loving, stick-twirling showboats that we know & love, this arrangement also includes an optional rhythm section lead sheet for performing with additional musicians. So whether you're striking up the band for a showcase, or simply providing the ambience for your next dinner party, reception, or corporate function, this arrangement has everything you need to keep your audience, and your ensemble, entertained.

Performance time - 3:44 without vamping solos, 5:00 if you wanna take another round, or 9:35 if the head table starts yelling "Free Bird"

Questions? Feel free to contact me via my website, www.kylepudenz.com/ or on the 'Insta @theviolinvagabond