Cassatt. Composed
by Dan Welcher. Premiere:
Cassatt Quartet,
Northeastern Illinois
University, Chicago, IL.
Contemporary. Full score.
With Standard notation.
Composed 2007. WRT11142.
52 pages. Duration 24
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #164-00272S.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(PR.16400272S).
UPC:
680160588442. 8.5 x 11
inches.
My third
quartet is laid out in a
three-movement structure,
with each movement based
on an early, middle, and
late work of the great
American impressionist
painter Mary Cassatt.
Although the movements
are separate, with
full-stop endings, the
music is connected by a
common scale-form,
derived from the name
MARY CASSATT, and by a
recurring theme that
introduces all three
movements. I see this
theme as Mary's Theme, a
personality that stays
intact while undergoing
gradual change. I
The Bacchante (1876)
[Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania] The
painting shows a young
girl of Italian or
Spanish origin, playing a
small pair of cymbals.
Since Cassatt was trying
very hard to fit in at
the French Academy at the
time, she painted a lot
of these subjects, which
were considered typical
and universal. The style
of the painting doesn't
yet show Cassatt's
originality, except
perhaps for certain
details in the face.
Accordingly the music for
this movement is
Spanish/Italian, in a
similar period-style but
using the musical
signature described
above. The music begins
with Mary's Theme,
ruminative and slow, then
abruptly changes to an
alla Spagnola-type fast
3/4 - 6/8 meter. It
evokes the
Spanish-influenced music
of Ravel and Falla.
Midway through,
there's an accompanied
recitative for the viola,
which figures large in
this particular movement,
then back to a truncated
recapitulation of the
fast music. The overall
feeling is of a
well-made, rather
conventional movement in
a contemporary
Spanish/Italian style.
Cassatt's painting, too,
is rather conventional.
II At the Opera
(1880) [Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston,
Massachusetts]
This painting is one of
Cassatt's most well known
works, and it hangs in
the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston. The painting
shows a woman alone in a
box at the opera house,
completely dressed
(including gloves) and
looking through opera
glasses at someone or
something that is NOT on
the stage. Across the
auditorium from her, but
exactly at eye level, is
a gentleman with opera
glasses intently watching
her - though it is not
him that she's looking
at. It's an intriguing
picture. This
movement is far less
conventional than the
first movement, as the
painting is far less
conventional. The music
begins with a rapid,
Shostakovich-type
mini-overture lasting
less than a minute, based
on Mary's Theme. My
conjecture is that the
woman in the painting has
arrived late to the
opera, busily stumbling
into her box. What
happens next is a kind of
collage, a kind of
surrealistic overlaying
of two different
elements: the foreground
music, at first is a
direct quotation of
Soldier's Chorus from
Gounod's FAUST (an opera
Cassatt would certainly
have heard in the
brand-new Paris Opera
House at that time),
played by Violin II,
Viola, and Cello. This
music is played sul
ponticello in the melody
and col legno in the
marching accompaniment.
On top of this, the first
violin hovers at first on
a high harmonic, then
descends into a slow
melody, completely
separate from the Gounod.
It's as if the woman in
the painting is hearing
the opera onstage but is
not really interested in
it. Then the cello joins
the first violin in a
kind of love-duet (just
the two of them, at
first). This music isn't
at all Gounod-derived;
it's entirely from the
same scale patterns as
the first movement and
derives from Mary's Theme
and its scale. The music
stays in a kind of
dichotomy feeling,
usually
three-against-one, until
the end of the movement,
when another Gounod
melody, Valentin's aria
Avant de quitter ce lieux
reappears in a kind of
coda for all four
players. It ends
atmospherically and
emotionally disconnected,
however. The overall
feeling is a kind of
schizophrenic,
opera-inspired dream.
III Young Woman in
Green, Outdoors in the
Sun (1909) [Worcester Art
Museum, Massachusetts]
The painting, one
of Cassatt's last, is
very simple: just a
figure, looking sideways
out of the picture. The
colors are pastel and yet
bold - and the woman is
likewise very
self-assured and not in
the least demure. It is
eight minutes long, and
is all about melody -
three melodies, to be
exact (Young Woman,
Green, and Sunlight). No
angst, no choppy rhythms,
just ever-unfolding
melody and lush
harmonies. I quote one
other French composer
here, too: Debussy's song
Green, from Ariettes
Oubliees. 1909 would have
been Debussy's heyday in
Paris, and it makes
perfect sense musically
as well as visually to do
this. Mary Cassatt
lived her last several
years in near-total
blindness, and as she
lost visual acuity, her
work became less sharply
defined - something akin
to late water lilies of
Monet, who suffered
similar vision loss. My
idea of making this
movement entirely melodic
was compounded by having
each of the three
melodies appear twice,
once in a pure form, and
the second time in a more
diffuse setting. This
makes an interesting two
ways form:
A-B-C-A1-B1-C1.
String Quartet No.3
(Cassatt) is dedicated,
with great affection and
respect, to the Cassatt
String Quartet, whose
members have dedicated
themselves in large
measure to the furthering
of the contemporary
repertoire for
quartet.
String Quartet SKU: HL.14035177 Composed by Kevin Volans. Music Sales Ame...(+)
String Quartet
SKU:
HL.14035177
Composed
by Kevin Volans. Music
Sales America. Classical.
Book [Softcover].
Composed 1999. 32 pages.
Chester Music #CH61341.
Published by Chester
Music (HL.14035177).
ISBN 9780711979406.
8.25x11.75x0.142
inches.
Irish
composer Kevin Volans'
work has gained
international acclaim
over the years. Drawing
on a combination of
European and African
compositional techniques,
his music displays a
unique charm. Volans'
distinctive sound is
heavily in demand, and
since the mid-1980s his
work has been performed
regularly at such venues
as the Pompidou Centre,
the Royal Albert Hall and
the Lincoln Center in New
York. This work for
string quartet was
commissioned by the
Shobana Jeyasingh Dance
Company, and was first
performed on the 16th
December 1990 at the
Almeida Theatre, London,
by the Smith Quartet.
Score. Parts available:
CH61342.
Und Doch... Quatuor à cordes: 2 violons, alto, violoncelle Bote and Bock
Score and Parts String Quartet (Score & Parts) SKU: HL.48025044 String...(+)
Score and Parts String
Quartet (Score & Parts)
SKU: HL.48025044
String Quartet Score
and Parts. Composed
by Iris ter Schiphorst.
Boosey & Hawkes Chamber
Music. Classical.
Softcover. 80 pages.
Duration 520 seconds.
Bote & Bock #M202535967.
Published by Bote & Bock
(HL.48025044).
UPC:
196288021735.
For
its farewell season after
35 years, the Nomos
Quartet from Hanover
created a concert series
in 2019 around the works
by Ludwig van Beethoven,
who had set standards in
the field of string
quartets. For this event,
the ensemble commissioned
a new work from Irister
Schiphorst, in which the
composer at first studied
Beethoven's first
contribution to the
genre. However, her
distance from the
reference piece became
greater than initially
planned, and the question
that moved centre-stage
was: 'How does
Beethoven's music
resonate in me at all? Is
it musical gestures,
themes or moods?' The
tonal result of this
composing
self-exploration is -
rich in contrast, often
noise-like and pushing
the dynamic range to its
limits - the personal
reformulation of
Beethovian 'pathos
formulas',i. e. signs of
passionate experience
embodied in the universal
cultural heritage.
Metal Strings Quatuor à cordes: 2 violons, alto, violoncelle [Conducteur] Chester
Score String Quartet SKU: HL.14032634 For String Quartet Score. Co...(+)
Score String Quartet
SKU: HL.14032634
For String Quartet
Score. Composed by
Karen Tanaka. Music Sales
America. 20th Century.
Score. Composed 2004. 36
pages. Chester Music
#CH61405. Published by
Chester Music
(HL.14032634).
ISBN
9780711975156. UPC:
888680967635.
Score
d For String Quartet.
Commissioned by the New
Arts String Quartet,
first performed in Tokyo
November 1996. Quoting
Tanaka: The title Metal
Strings suggests speed
metal rock music which I
have been listening to a
lot in recent years. I
find an explosive energy
in its music that people
of today thirst for.
Previously I have
explored solid, speedy
and metallic sound in
pieces such as 'Wave
Mechanics' (1994), 'Wave
Mechanics II' (1994) and
'Metalic Crystal'
(1994-95). This idea has
been extended and
developed in my string
quartet, Metal Strings.
Score only edition,
separate parts are also
available on sale.
String
quartet based on Sonnets
by William Shakespeare
Score and. Composed
by Ludger Vollmer.
Ensemble. Classical.
Softcover. 196 pages.
Duration 1920 seconds.
Schott Music #ED22466.
Published by Schott Music
(HL.49046476).
ISBN
9781705102718. UPC:
840126931679.
My
love is as a fever was
inspired by William
Shakespeare's sonnets.
The work was created for
the Faust Quartet with
the aim of creating a
counterpart to Alban
Berg's Lyrical Suite
using new compositional
techniques, both in terms
of emotional expression
and technical
requirements. It is a
melodic-rhythmic
composition, whose
techniques consist of the
transformation of
non-European music and
the music that was
practiced in Europe a
thousand years ago.
Special Import
titles are specialty
titles that are not
generally offered for
sale by US based
retailers. These items
must be obtained from our
overseas suppliers. When
you order a special
import title, it will be
shipped from our overseas
warehouse. The shipment
time will be slower than
items shipped directly
from our US warehouse and
may be subject to
delays.
Boids again Quatuor à cordes: 2 violons, alto, violoncelle Breitkopf & Härtel
String Quartet (2vl,va,vc) SKU: BR.EB-9384 Composed by Misato Mochizuki. ...(+)
String Quartet
(2vl,va,vc)
SKU:
BR.EB-9384
Composed
by Misato Mochizuki.
Chamber music; stapled.
Edition Breitkopf. New
music (post-2000). Set of
parts. Composed
2019/2020. 36 pages.
Duration 7'. Breitkopf
and Haertel #EB 9384.
Published by Breitkopf
and Haertel (BR.EB-9384).
ISBN 9790004188545. 9
x 12 inches.
Two
years ago in Rome, I
encountered a murmuration
of starlings and I was
amazed with its
overwhelming beauty,
changing shape as it
moved. Moving of a fish
school that you can watch
in an aquarium, has the
same beauty and the
energy. According to the
scientists, their fine
movement in a flock is
based on the following
three simple rules: -
steer to avoid crowding
local flockmates - steer
towards the average
heading of local
flockmates - steer to
move towards the average
position (center of mass)
of local flockmates The
word Boids refers to
bird-like objects
(bird-oids), representing
the beauty of their
movements in a flock
which is a result of
balancing out with each
other, following the
principle of least
effort. I wonder if these
rules can be applied to
the way a string quartet
is shaped. Boids again
has been written as a
sequel to the piece Boids
(2017), a 4 minute study
for string quartet in the
frame of the Kronos
Quartet's educational
project 50 for the
Future. (Misato
Mochizuki)
World
premiere: Osaka,
International Chamber
Music Competition,
February 12, 2021
Commissioned by Osaka
International Chamber
Music Competition and
Festa Commission.
String Quartet No. 4 Quatuor à cordes: 2 violons, alto, violoncelle Boosey and Hawkes
(Study Score). By Bela Bartok (1881-1945). Edited by Peter Bartok. For String Qu...(+)
(Study Score). By Bela
Bartok (1881-1945).
Edited by Peter Bartok.
For String Quartet (Study
Score). Boosey and Hawkes
Scores/Books. Softcover.
96 pages. Universal
Edition #UE34311.
Published by Universal
Edition
Irish composer Kevin Volans' work has gained international acclaim over the year...(+)
Irish composer Kevin
Volans' work has gained
international acclaim
over the years. Drawing
on a combination of
European and African
compositional techniques,
his music displays a
unique charm. Volans'
distinctive sound is
heavily in demand, and
since the mid-1980s his
work has been performed
regularly at such venues
as the Pompidou Centre,
the Royal Albert Hall and
the Lincoln Center in New
York. This work for
string quartet was
commissioned by the
Shobana Jeyasingh Dance
Company, and was first
performed on the 16th
December 1990 at the
Almeida Theatre, London,
by the Smith Quartet. Set
of parts. Score
available: CH61341
Boids again Quatuor à cordes: 2 violons, alto, violoncelle [Conducteur] Breitkopf & Härtel
String Quartet (2vl,va,vc) SKU: BR.EB-9383 Composed by Misato Mochizuki. ...(+)
String Quartet
(2vl,va,vc)
SKU:
BR.EB-9383
Composed
by Misato Mochizuki.
Chamber music; stapled.
Edition Breitkopf. New
music (post-2000). Full
score. Composed
2019/2020. 12 pages.
Duration 7'. Breitkopf
and Haertel #EB 9383.
Published by Breitkopf
and Haertel (BR.EB-9383).
ISBN 9790004188538. 9
x 12 inches.
Two
years ago in Rome, I
encountered a murmuration
of starlings and I was
amazed with its
overwhelming beauty,
changing shape as it
moved. Moving of a fish
school that you can watch
in an aquarium, has the
same beauty and the
energy. According to the
scientists, their fine
movement in a flock is
based on the following
three simple rules: -
steer to avoid crowding
local flockmates - steer
towards the average
heading of local
flockmates - steer to
move towards the average
position (center of mass)
of local flockmates The
word Boids refers to
bird-like objects
(bird-oids), representing
the beauty of their
movements in a flock
which is a result of
balancing out with each
other, following the
principle of least
effort. I wonder if these
rules can be applied to
the way a string quartet
is shaped. Boids again
has been written as a
sequel to the piece Boids
(2017), a 4 minute study
for string quartet in the
frame of the Kronos
Quartet's educational
project 50 for the
Future. (Misato
Mochizuki)
World
premiere: Osaka,
International Chamber
Music Competition,
February 12, 2021
Commissioned by Osaka
International Chamber
Music Competition and
Festa Commission.
Chamber Music String Quartet SKU: PR.164002720 Cassatt. Composed b...(+)
Chamber Music String
Quartet
SKU:
PR.164002720
Cassatt. Composed
by Dan Welcher. Spiral
and Saddle. Premiere:
Cassatt Quartet,
Northeastern Illinois
University, Chicago, IL.
Contemporary. Set of
Score and Parts. With
Standard notation.
Composed 2007. WRT11142.
52+16+16+16+16 pages.
Duration 24 minutes.
Theodore Presser Company
#164-00272. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.164002720).
UPC:
680160573042. 8.5 x 11
inches.
My third
quartet is laid out in a
three-movement structure,
with each movement based
on an early, middle, and
late work of the great
American impressionist
painter Mary Cassatt.
Although the movements
are separate, with
full-stop endings, the
music is connected by a
common scale-form,
derived from the name
MARY CASSATT, and by a
recurring theme that
introduces all three
movements. I see this
theme as Mary's Theme, a
personality that stays
intact while undergoing
gradual change. I
The Bacchante (1876)
[Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania] The
painting shows a young
girl of Italian or
Spanish origin, playing a
small pair of cymbals.
Since Cassatt was trying
very hard to fit in at
the French Academy at the
time, she painted a lot
of these subjects, which
were considered typical
and universal. The style
of the painting doesn't
yet show Cassatt's
originality, except
perhaps for certain
details in the face.
Accordingly the music for
this movement is
Spanish/Italian, in a
similar period-style but
using the musical
signature described
above. The music begins
with Mary's Theme,
ruminative and slow, then
abruptly changes to an
alla Spagnola-type fast
3/4 - 6/8 meter. It
evokes the
Spanish-influenced music
of Ravel and Falla.
Midway through,
there's an accompanied
recitative for the viola,
which figures large in
this particular movement,
then back to a truncated
recapitulation of the
fast music. The overall
feeling is of a
well-made, rather
conventional movement in
a contemporary
Spanish/Italian style.
Cassatt's painting, too,
is rather conventional.
II At the Opera
(1880) [Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston,
Massachusetts]
This painting is one of
Cassatt's most well known
works, and it hangs in
the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston. The painting
shows a woman alone in a
box at the opera house,
completely dressed
(including gloves) and
looking through opera
glasses at someone or
something that is NOT on
the stage. Across the
auditorium from her, but
exactly at eye level, is
a gentleman with opera
glasses intently watching
her - though it is not
him that she's looking
at. It's an intriguing
picture. This
movement is far less
conventional than the
first movement, as the
painting is far less
conventional. The music
begins with a rapid,
Shostakovich-type
mini-overture lasting
less than a minute, based
on Mary's Theme. My
conjecture is that the
woman in the painting has
arrived late to the
opera, busily stumbling
into her box. What
happens next is a kind of
collage, a kind of
surrealistic overlaying
of two different
elements: the foreground
music, at first is a
direct quotation of
Soldier's Chorus from
Gounod's FAUST (an opera
Cassatt would certainly
have heard in the
brand-new Paris Opera
House at that time),
played by Violin II,
Viola, and Cello. This
music is played sul
ponticello in the melody
and col legno in the
marching accompaniment.
On top of this, the first
violin hovers at first on
a high harmonic, then
descends into a slow
melody, completely
separate from the Gounod.
It's as if the woman in
the painting is hearing
the opera onstage but is
not really interested in
it. Then the cello joins
the first violin in a
kind of love-duet (just
the two of them, at
first). This music isn't
at all Gounod-derived;
it's entirely from the
same scale patterns as
the first movement and
derives from Mary's Theme
and its scale. The music
stays in a kind of
dichotomy feeling,
usually
three-against-one, until
the end of the movement,
when another Gounod
melody, Valentin's aria
Avant de quitter ce lieux
reappears in a kind of
coda for all four
players. It ends
atmospherically and
emotionally disconnected,
however. The overall
feeling is a kind of
schizophrenic,
opera-inspired dream.
III Young Woman in
Green, Outdoors in the
Sun (1909) [Worcester Art
Museum, Massachusetts]
The painting, one
of Cassatt's last, is
very simple: just a
figure, looking sideways
out of the picture. The
colors are pastel and yet
bold - and the woman is
likewise very
self-assured and not in
the least demure. It is
eight minutes long, and
is all about melody -
three melodies, to be
exact (Young Woman,
Green, and Sunlight). No
angst, no choppy rhythms,
just ever-unfolding
melody and lush
harmonies. I quote one
other French composer
here, too: Debussy's song
Green, from Ariettes
Oubliees. 1909 would have
been Debussy's heyday in
Paris, and it makes
perfect sense musically
as well as visually to do
this. Mary Cassatt
lived her last several
years in near-total
blindness, and as she
lost visual acuity, her
work became less sharply
defined - something akin
to late water lilies of
Monet, who suffered
similar vision loss. My
idea of making this
movement entirely melodic
was compounded by having
each of the three
melodies appear twice,
once in a pure form, and
the second time in a more
diffuse setting. This
makes an interesting two
ways form:
A-B-C-A1-B1-C1.
String Quartet No.3
(Cassatt) is dedicated,
with great affection and
respect, to the Cassatt
String Quartet, whose
members have dedicated
themselves in large
measure to the furthering
of the contemporary
repertoire for
quartet.