Candey | Moon Dog

R E SC O U SA L PE R for string quartet

by Griffin Candey commissioned by Chamber Brews

PE R U SA L SC O

R E

R E

SC O

Moon Dog

U SA L

for string quartet

Griffin Candey

PE R

2024

Program Note Moon Dog shares a name with a rare atmospheric optical phenomenon: related to halos, moon dogs occur when viewing moonlight through atmospheric ice crystals, especially in cirrus and cirrostratus clouds, which cause two faint moons (or "mock moons") to appear on either side of the moon. This occurs with both the sun and the moon—meaning that, yes, there are also sun dogs!—but moon dogs occur far more infrequently because of how much fainter the moon's light is.

SC O

R E

(Writing this piece also introduced me to a composer, Louis Thomas Hardin, who went by the moniker of "Moondog" during his career in the mid-20th century. Hardin's music was beloved by early minimalists and jazz musicians alike—but he wasn't the root of this piece!)

Instrumentation

PE R

U SA L

String quartet

Duration: 5 minutes

First printing, December 2024

Copyright ©2024 Griffin Candey (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

Program Note Copyright ©2024 Griffin Candey (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved Published by Just a Theory Press | www.justatheorypress.com

MOON DOG for string quartet — commissioned by Chamber Brews

Wide Open  = 52 - 56

 







Viola

Cello

 

 





   

  



    







SC O

Violin II



U SA L

Violin I

R E

loose, semi-improvisatory — except where dotted lines indicate alignment

 



III



Note: harmonics throughout are notated at played pitch, not sounding pitch

4

Vln. II

Vla.





   

pizz.

Vc.



   

 

PE R

Vln. I

 





   

3



 







 



   

  





 



     

3

  3

 

 



 





IV



 







2

     

Vla.



 

Vc.

8

ricochet

  3

      stronger



 

III

PE R





Vln. II

Vla.

         

arco

Vc.



                             

 



   









 

II



     echoing after violin I

III

3

IV

 

 echoing after cello            





U SA L

Vln. II

Vln. I

















R E

Vln. I



SC O

6

MOON DOG

      

   

 







      

 





 3

 

     







  





  

 





MOON DOG

Vla.

Vc.

   

 

IV



    



III

   

13



  



    

    

IV

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.







        

more strictly in tempo



  

 



      

        clean, mechanical, una!ected

  

   senza vib.

 



 



 



   

   



move to s.p.



 

 

ricochet

 



3

  

      

  

             clean, mechanical, una!ected

PE R

Vln. I







rit.

R E

Vln. II



   

   

U SA L

Vln. I



SC O

 

10

3





   

   



                  







MOON DOG

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

   









 

19











Vln. II

   





        

Vla.

Vc.

   

  







 

bridge



PE R

Vln. I

 

s.p.



 







  











U SA L

Vln. I



nat.

    

  

to s.p.

 





SC O





15



 

    

R E

4





 



   





 



                                           

  

     



  





s.p.

  



 



MOON DOG

Vln. II

 

     

       nat.

Vc.





II





             

     



Vla.

Vc.

       

  

 







 

I

 II







 



 









  

3

 

 

  



     

PE R

Vln. II



  

 senza vib.

  

23

Vln. I





U SA L

Vla.



                                   





II







  I



 

R E

Vln. I

  

SC O

 

21

5

    

    

  



 



 



3



  



            

I



 

 

6

MOON DOG

                                       

25

Vc.

R E

Vla.

  

3

         

26

Vln. II

Vla.

        

Vc.

         





   

      3

 

PE R

Vln. I





SC O

Vln. II

                                              

U SA L

Vln. I



I







    II





 







  3



II





 



  I





rit.

     3



   





 







  

 



 

 

MOON DOG

Vln. II

  

Vc.

 



   



          light, quick, non-metric

II







       

30

Vln. I





 3

 

PE R

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

     

 

(simile until notated changes)

  



  

      







  

    

    

 



 

10

 



    I





  



  

 



 

U SA L

Vla.

 

       3  

R E

  

SC O

Vln. I

28

7











  

 

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

 

       

Vla.

     

  



36

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.



 





  









3

 







 





     





  







 



 

I

  

PE R

Vc.



 

   

U SA L

Vln. II





 





  



  



34

Vln. I

  

    

 

R E

  

32

Vln. I

MOON DOG

3

SC O

8

 





 I



 







    







  











3







39

Vc.

 





   







   



cooling down — as smooth and connected as possible

Vln. II

Vla.



 

 



 

 

PE R

Vc.



 



 

9

 



3





 



 



 



 



  



  

 





                                          7

43

Vln. II



9

U SA L



42









3

R E

Vla.

 

9

SC O

Vln. II

MOON DOG

Vla.



Vc.

 



7

6

6

6





  

5

3

10



Vln. II



Vla.





45

 



 

  

  

Vla.



Vc.













SC O



   



PE R

Vln. II

 

 

49

Vln. I



3

 

U SA L

Vc.



3

  



R E

Vln. I

MOON DOG

   harm. glissando sul III +  









  harm. glissando sul IV +



 

leisurely aleatoric l.h. pizz sul IV

harm. trill sul IV + leisurely aleatoric l.h. pizz sul III

 



 

leisurely aleatoric l.h. pizz sul III

(simile)

(simile)





 

 

   

 

 

Vla.

Vc.

 



Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

  

56

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.













III



    



  

  IV

 





ricochet



   



    

























   (simile)

    

    

    

 



   

  (simile)



PE R

Vc.



           

54



SC O

Vln. II

(simile)

U SA L

Vln. I

11

R E



MOON DOG

52







   



3

 



  (simile)



  

    

       3





59

Vla.

Vc.



 



Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

 



 



Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

 



 



(III)







 

 







(IV)



 





PE R

65

 



III







   











 



                    IV                

62

Vln. I



 

 



 













 

















 

3



IV



 









     II

     

 

pizz.

3



        



 











SC O

Vln. II

U SA L

Vln. I

MOON DOG

R E

12





 

R E SC O U SA L PE R

Candey: Moon Dog JAT-148-036-SP

9HTKATE*a iga + www.justatheorypress.com