String Quartet no. 2

in three movements

Completed: April 13, 2006

Dedicated to: the memory of Eileen Petersilia

Duration: 14 minutes

Premiered: April 27, 2006 by Caroline Shaw and Robert Gupta, violins, Alisa Seavey, viola, and Ashley Bathgate, cello


Winner of the 2008 Chamber Music Rochester Young Composer Competition

Audio

Movement I: Fantasy(Caroline Shaw, violin; Robert Gupta, violin; Alisa Seavey, viola; and Ashley Bathgate, cello)

Movement III: Presto(Caroline Shaw, violin; Robert Gupta, violin; Alisa Seavey, viola; and Ashley Bathgate, cello)

Program Note

When writing a string quartet, a modern composer is forced to reconcile his voice with the weight of the ensemble’s tradition. In my first quartet (2002), I tried to avoid this issue, composing whatever music came to mind for these four instruments. In this second quartet (2006), however, I attempt to reconcile my own, modern musical voice with this huge weight of tradition.

The first movement, Fantasy, is a mix between a Rondo and a Theme and Variations. Counter to tradition, however, the Haydn-like theme appears at the very end of the movement. The second movement, Hymn, incorporates the distinct tradition of American hymnody (without literally quoting any existing hymn tunes). Two quite different hymns are presented alone, then in counterpoint with one another. The third movement, Presto, begins with an initial statement of a short motive, then growing into a full fugue. Only a minute or two into this fugue, however, the music suddenly grinds to a halt, and the piece ends introspectively, bringing back elements of the middle movement. In this case, I felt that traditional forms failed to express the spontaneity and emotional variety of day-to-day life, and I ended the piece in the most honest way I could.

This piece is dedicated to the memory of Eileen Petersilia.

Performances (2)

April 27, 2006, 8:00 pm
(premiere)		Caroline Shaw, violin; Robert Gupta, violin; Alisa Seavey, viola; and Ashley Bathgate, cello

Sprague Hall, Yale School of Music, New Haven, CT
November 1, 2009, 7:30 pmJuliana Athayde, violin; David Brickman, violin; Melissa Matson, viola; Stefan Reuss, cello

Hochstein Music School Performance Hall, Rochester, NY