Kevin Volans' String Quartet No. 9: Shiva Dances was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and first performed by the Smith Quartet at the 2004 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.Kevin Volans (the composer) notes on the piece:In the past I have been interested in trying to go beyond historicism (1970s) beyond style(1980s) and beyond form (1990s) in my work. Looking back over the music of the twentiethcentury I was struck by the fact the nearlyall of it is extremely 'busy' almost cluttered. Italmost seemed that composers felt compelled to look industrious. In the new millennium Ithought it would be interesting to try and eliminate content. I also aspired to movingfrommusic (sound as art) to art (art as sound). This of course has already been done by a numberof composers (many from New York Phil Niblock and La Monte Young to name but two) butit was something I had never tried.AlthoughI found it annoying that the label 'minimalist' was given to my African-based work and fearing this would make the label stick I set out to write a piece which reflected my loveof minimal painting and architecture. The Japanesehave a term 'wabi' meaning 'voluntarypoverty' or 'emptiness' to describe their restrained minimal aesthetic an aesthetic which however pays greatest attention to the quality of material and fine detail. I like to think thatthelack of excessive pitch material in this piece reflects a kind of voluntary poverty.When Shiva is portrayed dancing (as Nataraj) He is depicted in a circle of flames crushing asmall figure the ego underfoot.You get theimpression He dances on the spot not movingaround at all. I like that.The piece is dedicated to Pablo Pascual Cilleruelo.

Opp. 127 130-133 135-Beethoven's late String Quartets are universally regarded as supreme transcendent works - among the greatest and most intimate music in chamber literature. Composed in the last years of the master's life - between 1823 and 1827 - these quartets contain astonishing experiments in thematic development and musical form that laid the foundation for innovations in 20th Century string quartet writing especially in the important works of Bartok and Shostakovich.This volume reprinted from the definitive Breitkopf and Hartel edition includes:String Quartet No.12 In E Flat Op.127String Quartet No.13 In B Flat Op.130String Quartet No.14 In C Sharp MinorOp.131String Quartet No.15 In A Minor Op.132String Quartet No.16 In F Op.135 and theGrosse Fuge In B Flat Op.133This convenient affordable volume is the ideal edition for study in the classroom at home or in the concert hall.

This new scholarly-critical edition of String Quartet Op.127 the first of Beethoven’s late quartets follows upon Urtext publications of Opp.18 59 74 and 95.Once more the editor is the renowned Beethoven authority Jonathan Del Mar. All surviving sources have been consulted including sketches to clarify the conflicting readings in the autograph. Not only has Del Mar reconstructed Beethoven’s original beaming phrasing articulation and length of crescendo hairpins he has also corrected wrong notes that have taken hold in editions published over the years and has supplemented missing notes.Urtext edition at the cutting edge ofscholarship with detailed separate Critical Commentary (Eng)Parts ideally laid out for performance purposesParts (BA9029) & study score format 22.5 x 16.5cm (TP929) available for saleAlready published: String Quartets Op.18 BA 9016 parts TP 916 study scoreString Quartets Op.59 BA 9017 parts TP 917 study scoreString Quartets Opp.74 95 BA 9018 parts TP 918 study score

Pour Quator á Cordes-Born in 1947 Laurent Duvillier-Wable trained under pianist Suzanne Joly and studied composition with Michel Puig. The latter a student of Ren? Leibowitz introduced him to the mysteries of Sch?nberg and Webern's twelve-note composition. To create a coherent œuvre Duvillier-Wable drew on the array of possibilities offered by chamber music in his series of six Sonatas composed between 1992 and 2007. Sonata IV For String Quartet was written in 1994 the year his father – painter Ren? Duvillier a friend of Charles Estienne and Andr? Breton – fell gravely ill. Divided into four movements thecomposition contains two beautifully expressive musical references: the Lamento religioso refers to Bach's Passion according to Saint Matthew by quoting the choral 'Was ist die Ursache aller solcher Plagen' (No.19: What is the cause of all this suffering?) when Jesus distressed by his imminent agony asks his disciples to watch over him. The Agitato final borrows the inexorable 'Must it be? It must!' theme from Beethoven's Quartet No.16 in F that crowns this poignant work.

20 Easy to Intermediate Pieces from four Centuries. Par NEUMANN EVA-MARIA (Arr.). Making music in a quartet uniquely nurtures young string players’ musical development, ensemble playing, listening to each other, and intonation. So, what could be more obvious than introducing the scoring of this genre, often referred to as chamber music’s supreme discipline, as early as possible. Indeed, composers have all along advised the classical string quartet’s outstanding compositions, but they are hardly easy to play for beginners. Here, with the present collection, is where Eva-Maria Neumann comes in. The two volumes include A total of 20 easy to intermediate arrangements of pieces from Bach to Bartók, together with specifically composed ones in string-quartet friendly keys - Reading scores and individual parts - additionally, individual part for violin III instead of viola - Tips on warming up, intonation, bowing, fingering, tempos, dynamics, and playing musically - Specific instructions for the individual pieces - Lists of supplementary original literature The pieces are also effective as scored for chorus./ Recueil / Quatuor à Cordes