Chamber Music String
Quartet
SKU:
PR.14440265S
Composed
by Sydney F. Hodkinson.
Large Score. With
Standard notation.
Duration 25 minutes.
Merion Music #144-40265S.
Published by Merion Music
(PR.14440265S).
UPC:
680160027910.
The
Second and Third Quartets
were conceived at the
same time; indeed, their
composition intermingled,
over half of No. 3 being
sketched before No. 2 was
completed. Accordingly,
they share similar
material but, like the
intertwining blood of
cousins, their natures
differ: No. 2 being
somewhat acerbic and
declamatory, No. 3 more
lyric and gentler. An
annunicatory 'leaping
motive' (derived from a
motto generated by my
name) opens Quartet No. 2
and inhabits the course
of the piece as a
cyclical binding-force. A
five-note motive, usually
very deliberate, also
keeps recurring like an
insistent caller. All
three movements are based
on tonal centers (I on B
and E, II on D, III on C)
and the harmonic
'grammar' spoken tends to
recall the jazz world of
my youth. To hopefully
achieve a certain
classical ambience was
one of the goals of this
piece, and all three
movements have
traditional forms. The
first movement is a
modified Sonata-Allegro
design, with a
severely-truncated
recapitulation balanced
by a lengthy, and
decaying Coda. The second
movement is a set of
strophic variants and an
epilogue interspersed
with both solo ritornelli
and first-movement
material (the motto and
the five-note motive) in
the nature of a
fantasia-like
'call-and-response.' It
is dedicated to the
memory of the American
mezzo-soprano Jan
DeGaetani. The third
movement is a modified
Rondo (ABACBA) which
evolves out of the
opening motto. All three
movements make much use
of canonic stretti,
similar gestures, and
repetition. For example,
the climax of movement
III's Rondo throws the
first movement back at us
again, as if the players
were reluctant to let it
go, so that the entire
piece could perhaps be
viewed as a single large,
extended, Sonata
movement, with
introduction and
Coda.
The Second and
Third Quartets were
conceived at the same
time; indeed, their
composition intermingled,
over half of No. 3 being
sketched before No. 2 was
completed.Â
Accordingly, they share
similar material but,
like the intertwining
blood of cousins, their
natures differ: No. 2
being somewhat acerbic
and declamatory, No. 3
more lyric and gentler.An
annunicatory
‘leaping
motive’ (derived
from a motto generated by
my name) opens Quartet
No. 2 and inhabits the
course of the piece as a
cyclical
binding-force. A
five-note motive, usually
very deliberate, also
keeps recurring like an
insistent caller. All
three movements are based
on tonal centers (I on B
and E, II on D, III on C)
and the harmonic
‘grammar’
spoken tends to recall
the jazz world of my
youth.To hopefully
achieve a certain
classical ambience was
one of the goals of this
piece, and all three
movements have
traditional forms.Â
The first movement is a
modified Sonata-Allegro
design, with a
severely-truncated
recapitulation balanced
by a lengthy, and
decaying Coda. The
second movement is a set
of strophic variants and
an epilogue interspersed
with both solo ritornelli
and first-movement
material (the motto and
the five-note motive) in
the nature of a
fantasia-like
‘call-and-response.
’ It is
dedicated to the memory
of the American
mezzo-soprano Jan
DeGaetani. The third
movement is a modified
Rondo (ABACBA) which
evolves out of the
opening motto.All three
movements make much use
of canonic stretti,
similar gestures, and
repetition. For
example, the climax of
movement III’s
Rondo throws the first
movement back at us
again, as if the players
were reluctant to let it
go, so that the entire
piece could perhaps be
viewed as a single large,
extended, Sonata
movement, with
introduction and
Coda.
