String Ensemble and Piano
SKU: HL.14023164
Composed by John McCabe.
Music Sales America.
Classical. Set. Music
Sales #NOV120217.
Published by Music Sales
(HL.14023164).
John
McCabe's
Nocturnal For
Piano Quintet
was composed in 1966,
commissioned by the Park
Lane Group, London, and
first performed by the
Lancaster University
Ensemble.
Duration:
Approximately 13
minutes.
Composers
Note:
The
title of this work is a
reference to John Donne's
poem A Nocturnal upon St
Lucie's Day, the mood of
which is reflected in the
quintet. It falls into
several movements, played
without a break:
Introduction (Andante),
setting forth the main
thematic ideas of the
music; Nocturne 1
(Allegro vivo), an
agitated, virtuoso,
scherzo-like section; a
tripartite central part
of the work consisting of
two Cadenzasframing a
brief Interlude, the
first Cadenza being
largely for strings, the
second mainly for piano,
and the Interlude harking
back to the feeling of
the Introduction;
Nocturne 2 (Andante
molto), a slow piece
gradually building to a
unison theme on strings
accompanied by a tolling
piano background. This
dies down to lead to an
Epilogue, ending with a
final reference to the
work's opening
bars.