String Quartet No 4 (Score) by Colin Bayliss String Quartet - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.938385

This work was written between January and March 1997. It has thirteen short continuous movements, one for each note of the tone row and a resolution of the row into an adagio movement in C major. The movements are written in a time signature beginning with one beat to a bar and ending in 13 beats to a bar until the final section of the last movement. The number of bars for each movement is in multiples of 13, then 14 and onwards to 25. The harmonic language is dictated by the combinations of notes in the original row combining with a row with its inversions and retrogrades begun from the first note of each new section. The sections may be briefly summarised as follows:- 1. Adagio A basic statement of the row with its inversion and retrograde 2. Con brio A rhythmic miniature scherzo and trio 3. Allegretto Dynamic contrasts using pizzicato and glissando 4. Andante piacevole e mesto Aduet between the violins with accompaniment from the viola and 'cello 5. Agitato An atmospheric spiccato section interrupted by foot-stamping 6. Andante languido A barcarolle-like section with passages of col legno 7. Allegro A rhythmic section contrasted by passages in harmonics 8. Tempo di tango presto The tango is apt to slip into many of the composer's pieces, even where nominally 12-tone, and is never remotely serious! 9. Andante pastorale Another atmospheric section but more relaxed 10. Allegro molto A scherzando section using rhythmic retrogrades 11. Allegretto The music begins to pull into feeling of tonality around C 12. Allegro moderato This process continues with tremolandi and glissandi searching for the way to a diatonic C major 13. Molto adagio - adagietto The last traces of atonality are wiped away and the work ends in an unashamed sense of quiet triumph The Score and Parts are available on this site as separate downloads The sound sample is the second movement - performed by the Lochrian Ensemble The complete 6 string quartets performed by the Lochrian Ensemble are available on itunes: see: https://www.dwsolo.com/colinbayliss/ For this 4th quartet see: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/colin-bayliss-string-quartet/id585288847.