Thursday, March 15, 2018

I Wrote a Second Movement for the String Quartet

I had written a movement of a string quartet, but they usually have at least three movements, so I was honor bound to write follow-up movements.
I had initially decided to write a sort of standard Haydn-like movement, because I was trying very hard to write a conventional piece, rather than an off-the-wall Archie-type curiosity.  But this tune came into my head, and I went with it.  Hope you like it!!
[Added later again: the movement has been lengthened further; I'm a little bashful to detail what all has been done, but if you've heard the earlier versions, you would identify the additions.]

String Quartet, 2. Andante
In case some landmarks might be helpful:
The main theme is played by the second violin,  accompanied by just the cello and viola.  Then the second violin is silent while the first violin plays the theme.  (Only the accompaniment is varied.)
The viola then gets the lead melody, but it is a countermelody, sharing the same rhythm as the theme.
[An episode in a major key comes here, played by the First Violin.]
Then the Cello plays yet another melodic variation,  this time traveling as far afield as F Minor, before coming to settle in B minor.
At this point,  I tried several different things until I decided to resume with the First Violin playing just 4 bars of the main theme in B minor, but then there is a bridge to the main theme in the original key of E minor,  which ends the movement.

String Quartet, Orchestrated, 2. Andante
Just to see what it would sound like, I orchestrated it.
The main theme is first played by the flute,  accompanied by Clarinet and Bassoon and strings.  Then it is played by the oboe.  (Only the accompaniment is varied.)
[New episode goes here, played by Clarinet.  In the orchestral version, it sounds like a dreamy waltz.]
The bassoon and the horn then get the countermelody.   Then the cellos play the other melodic variation which passes through F Minor before arriving in B minor.
After four bars of the original theme in B minor, the abrupt bridge reintroduces the theme with the violins doubled at the octave by the flute, which brings the movement to an end.

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