BeatriceFerreira
Briefly formembersoftheTeslastringquartet June2020
ProgramNotes
WhenIwasaskedtowriteastringquartetvariationinresponsetoBeethoven'sOp18No5, AndanteCantabile,Iwasdrawntotwomusicalfeaturesinthemovement'stheme:asimple harmonicprogressionconstructedexclusivelyfromdominant->tonicmotion,andatexture supportedbylongheldtones
AsIbegantosketchanoriginalvariation,Ibecameinterestedintheideaofthickeningthe harmonyviaadensereharmonization,whilemaintainingthetheme'smelodicmaterialatpitchasa typeofcantusfirmusTothickenthetextureinananalogousway,Idecidedtowriteusingan extendedbowtechniquecalledallaghironda,whichallowsplayerstobowthreeandfourstrings simultaneouslyAllaghironda,whichtranslatesto'inthestyleofahurdy-gurdy,'hasitsoriginsin vaudevilleThetechniquewaspopularizedandrecordedbyjazzviolinistJoeVenutiand,most recently,byEvanPriceinhis2017CD,Dialogues
Myrhythmsgrewpartlyfromtheviola'ssyncopatedmaterialintheBeethoventheme,andpartly fromtheearlyswingrecordingsofallaghirondaplayerstowhichIwaslistening
ThevariationiscomposedforthemembersoftheTeslaQuartetaspartoftheircommissioning seriesAlternatingCurrents,inpartnershipwiththeGabrielaLenaFrankAcademyofMusic,June 2020
PerformanceNotes
UpperStrings:toexecuteallaghironda,detachthefrogfromthestickofthebowbyremovingthe screw,thenwrapthebowhairoverthestringsoftheviolinwhilethestickisheldbelowtheviolin’s back.IthelpstoholdthesticksotheRHpinkyrestsjustabovethewinding,andtopresstheloose hair(rightabovetheferrule)againstthewoodwithpressurefromtheindexfinger.Ifdone correctly,youshouldbeabletoplayanyofthesestringcombinationssimultaneously(seeFig.1).
Fig.1.1)I,II,&III
2)II,III,&IV
3)III&IV
4)I,II,III,&IV
Cello:toexecuteaquasighirondatechnique,removethescrewanddetachthefrogfromthebow. Holdthewoodwiththelefthand,whilemanipulatingthefreelydetachedfrogwiththerighthand. Playingthiswaywillallowanycombinationofstringstosound;however,theplayerisrestrictedto openstrings.Forthisreason,itisrecommendedthatthecellobetunedtothescordaturainFig.2 (optionalforfutueliveperformance).
Scoreisinconcertpitch
*Explanationsofadditionaltechniques*
+signsindicatethatthestringsshouldbeplayedontheothersideofthebridge,betweenthebridgeandthewinding.
xnoteheadsindicateghostnotes.Toachieveaghostnote,drawthehairacrossthestringswithnopressureatall,achievingalight, glossysound
forportementiinvlnIandviolaparts,fingers1,2,and3shouldbespaced1/2stepapart(creatingtwoconsecutiveminor6ths)The startingandendingpitchesoftheslide,however,maybeapproximatesmallnoteheadsindicatesuggestedpitches