Set of Parts for Kevin Volans 'White Man Sleeps' for string quartet. (Violin I Violin II Viola Cello). Written for the Kronos Quartet in 1986. Duration 24 minutes. Score available: CH61123

This string quartet is in five movements, of which the second and fifth are by far the most elaborate. The remaining three movements are rather short, like brief vignettes.The second movement draws its inspiration from Schubert, albeit indirectly- the middle instruments in the quartet (violin 2, viola) play an accompaniment with a motif of two slurred notes, almost always in sixths.In spirit and style, the fifth movement is akin to Masques for violin and cello: a rather introspective piece, a simple compositional approach using few notes, obsessively repeated melodies, the absence of tonality, no modulation in the proper sense of the word, repetitive structures and hypnotic sequences.The movements may be played individually.Commissioned by the Spanish Center for the dissemination of Contemporary Music, 2009.Premiered on April, 27. 2009, at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid (Spain), by the Capuçon Quartet. No direct sales to individuals: consult your music shop.2015 recommended retail prices excluding VAT.Works on hire: contact our Hire Department directly. / Quatuor A Cordes

Set of parts ( Violin I II; Viola; Cello; Bass)As the name suggests the ???Missa Popularis??? has its musical roots in folk music.This becomes clear in the very first bars of the Kyrie where the Violin plays amelody in the style of a Swedish folk tune above a Bass Ostinato. The musical charm of the Mass derives from the combination of Choir [SSA(TB)] and String Quartet.The Choral parts enable performances by female choir or mixed choir. In the latter case the String Quartet is reinforced by a Double Bass.The version for female choir was premi?red in Poznan on 25 April 2015 with Alicja Szeluga conducting the Skowroniki GirlsChoir.also available for sale full score (BA7420) and vocal score (BA7420-90)

'Diacritical Marks was written for the Chiara Quartet in 2011 and is in eight short movements. I have a huge anxiety about string quartets; they are normally meant to be giant expressions of a composer’s emotional life. Here I focused on details: a tiny dot above a letter a tiny swivel of the bow. The first and last movements are energetic and driving and the middle movements are more lyrical rhapsodic and/or floating. The quartet is bound together by a piece of drone music found in movements 3 5 and 7 in which the second violin and the viola play an interlocking repeating pattern ad infinitum while the cello and first violin spin very long outrageous lines on top. The piece lasts just under 20 minutes.' —Nico Muhly

The set of parts for Bartok's Sixth String Quartet from 1939 arranged for 2 Violin's Viola and Cello.