STRING QUARTET No 2: Fargesia
This work is in three movements and takes its name from the fargesia bamboo species which can take up to 150 years to flower. The flowering of millions of fargesia results in a surge in the rodent population, which in turn, can lead to devastation of food crops and famine.
This quartet is not a program piece, yet the story of the fargesia does play a definite role in its pacing/development, particularly in the second and third movements.
The first movement runs approximately six minutes and is rhythmically/harmonically fixated on the descending eighth note - as evidenced in the opening bars - and could loosely be thought of as a tone poem. This opening movement is an attempt to create a colour pallette against which the later movements will be (subconsciously) juxtaposed.
The second movement runs approximately twelve minutes and is both harmonically dense and rhythmically aggressive. The interweaving voices (although not a fugue in the strictest sense, I would be hard pressed to think of it as otherwise) form an unwieldy current that after much churning and thematic interplay is quieted with a sweeping calm. This initiates the process that eventually leads to the long-awaited flowering of the fargesia (played by the first violin and cello) and which ultimately dies and is swallowed up by the return to the original theme.
The third movement runs approximately five minutes and - in contrast to the first - has a human vocal quality.
A short requiem in lieu of the devastation left after the death of the fargesia flower.
Note:
In what proved to be a fairly laborious process, I composed the second movement first followed by the third and lastly the first movement. This was not intentionally planned and was the cause of much frustration seeing as typically - starting with the first - one movement develops from the other. This process made for a sort of inverse development and had a distinct hand in creating this unique quartet.
If you are a quartet that may be considering the performance of this work, please keep in mind (when looking at the score's more technical sections) that the composer is also a cellist and has a solid understanding of string technique.
Thank you.
This quartet is not a program piece, yet the story of the fargesia does play a definite role in its pacing/development, particularly in the second and third movements.
The first movement runs approximately six minutes and is rhythmically/harmonically fixated on the descending eighth note - as evidenced in the opening bars - and could loosely be thought of as a tone poem. This opening movement is an attempt to create a colour pallette against which the later movements will be (subconsciously) juxtaposed.
The second movement runs approximately twelve minutes and is both harmonically dense and rhythmically aggressive. The interweaving voices (although not a fugue in the strictest sense, I would be hard pressed to think of it as otherwise) form an unwieldy current that after much churning and thematic interplay is quieted with a sweeping calm. This initiates the process that eventually leads to the long-awaited flowering of the fargesia (played by the first violin and cello) and which ultimately dies and is swallowed up by the return to the original theme.
The third movement runs approximately five minutes and - in contrast to the first - has a human vocal quality.
A short requiem in lieu of the devastation left after the death of the fargesia flower.
Note:
In what proved to be a fairly laborious process, I composed the second movement first followed by the third and lastly the first movement. This was not intentionally planned and was the cause of much frustration seeing as typically - starting with the first - one movement develops from the other. This process made for a sort of inverse development and had a distinct hand in creating this unique quartet.
If you are a quartet that may be considering the performance of this work, please keep in mind (when looking at the score's more technical sections) that the composer is also a cellist and has a solid understanding of string technique.
Thank you.
string quartet II i (score)
*Please note that this is a midi audio file and its sole purpose is to give the listener a general sense of the piece. It is not an accurate representation of the actual instruments and should not be viewed as the final product.
string quartet II ii (score)
*Please note that this is a midi audio file and its sole purpose is to give the listener a general sense of the piece. It is not an accurate representation of the actual instruments and should not be viewed as the final product.
string quartet II iii (score)
*Please note that this is a midi audio file and its sole purpose is to give the listener a general sense of the piece. It is not an accurate representation of the actual instruments and should not be viewed as the final product.