Three Rags For String Quartet by William Bolcom String Quartet - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.1710215

William Bolcom (born 1938) is an American composer of great range and versatility. His musical style encompasses everything from popular song to electronic and serial music, and he has produced operas, symphonies, concerti, chamber music, choral music, songs, piano pieces and organ works, among much else.

A particular focus of Bolcom's compositions has been to integrate popular American musical idiom into works in the classical music tradition. He played an important role in the revival of ragtime that began in the 1960s, both as a performer of “classic” piano rags by Scott Joplin, James Scott, Joseph Lamb and others, and as a composer of original rags, very much in the spirit of the traditional ones, but with more intricate rhythm and advanced harmony, including unexpected modulations and occasional spicy dissonance.

This set of arrangements for string quartet contains three of the best-known of the more than 25 piano rags he has written. Graceful Ghost, written in 1970, Tabby Cat Walk (1968) and Epithalamium (1993) all are full of the imaginative details that mark Bolcom’s rags. Because of the rhythmic challenges they present, and the double stopping sometimes needed to complete the harmony, some study of the string parts can help produce satisfying performances.

CYPRESS PUBLISHING is pleased to be the imprint for arrangements for string ensemble by Stephen Levintow. He is a free lance professional violist and violinist specializing in chamber music, who began making string quartet and trio arrangements for wedding, party and corporate events, to expand the repertory or to improve on existing versions. Selections include unusual pieces by both familiar and lesser-known composers, plus standard classical and popular favorites.

The goal is to produce high-quality, musically satisfying arrangements faithful to the composer’s original material, yet sight-readable in most cases by working professionals or intermediate to advanced students. The full range of normal string technique is employed, while avoiding unnecessary technical complexity. Melodic material is distributed throughout the four voices where appropriate, to maintain listener and performer interest. All parts and scores are set in Sibelius© software format, with careful attention to legibility and page turns.