Concord String Quartet; Mark Sokol, violin; Andrew Jennings, violin; John Kochanowski, viola; Norman Fischer, cello
Betsy Jolas writes:
"After Quatuor I for strings (1958) and Quatuor II for coloratura and string trio (1964), here is again a true quartet for strings.
"I have attempted in this work to present a contemporary view of some characteristic elements of string technique in the form of nine etudes, each of which, following Debussy’s example, deals with one particular aspect of this technique: pizzicato, harmonics, aleatory (No. 7 is in memory of Purcell’s Fancy on one note), vibrato, etc. Several of the movements are played without pause. Commissioned by the Kindler Foundation, Quatuor III was completed in September 1973. The first performance was given at the Textile Museum in Washington, January 7, 1974, by the Concord Quartet, to whom the work is dedicated.”
Lejaren Hiller has commented as follows:
"String Quartet No. 6 is a commentary on environmental soundscapes, both pleasant and offensive. The technique I used for composing it was rather unusual, at least for me. I spent much of the summer and early fall of 1972 jotting down sketches and notes about sound patterns I frequently hear; I also recorded many of them on tape whenever convenient. Eventually I accumulated quite a variety of materials, the most interesting of which I then sorted into three basic categories: 1) sounds that originate in racket and noise such as one endures in commercial and industrial areas and to which one eventually responds with rage and exasperation; 2) sounds that originate under relatively peaceful circumstances such as, for example, sounds that drift through an open window on a summer afternoon, and 3) sounds that are relatively cheerful, if not always necessarily lofty, such as the droning that drifts up from the downstairs TV set when children tune into Saturday morning cartoon shows...
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Full liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Betsy Jolas & Lejaren Hiller: String Quartets
| MP3/320 | $14.00 | |
| FLAC | $14.00 | |
| WAV | $14.00 | |
| CD-R | $14.00 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
|
Quatuor III "9 Etudes": I. Bowing
Betsy Jolas
|
Buy
|
|
|
Quatuor III "9 Etudes": II. Vibrato
Betsy Jolas
|
Buy
|
|
|
Quatuor III "9 Etudes": III. Aleatory Structures
Betsy Jolas
|
Buy
|
|
|
Quatuor III "9 Etudes": IV. Trills and Bowed Tremolo
Betsy Jolas
|
Buy
|
|
|
Quatuor III "9 Etudes": V. Harmonics
Betsy Jolas
|
Buy
|
|
|
Quatuor III "9 Etudes": VI. Multiple Stops
Betsy Jolas
|
Buy
|
|
|
Quatuor III "9 Etudes": VII. Aleatory Structures Around a Held C
Betsy Jolas
|
Buy
|
|
|
Quatuor III "9 Etudes": VII. Pizzicati
Betsy Jolas
|
Buy
|
|
|
Quatuor III "9 Etudes": IX. Summing Up
Betsy Jolas
|
Buy
|
|
|
Quartet No. 6 for Strings: I. Arrabiato
Lejaren Hiller
|
Buy
|
|
|
Quartet No. 6 for Strings: II. Tranquillo
Lejaren Hiller
|
Buy
|
|
|
Quartet No. 6 for Strings: III. Vivace
Lejaren Hiller
|
Buy
|
