SKU: AP.6-415961
ISBN 9780486415963. English.
More than 400 memorable quotes are arranged alphabetically by author, from Fred Allen (When Jack Benny plays the violin, it sounds as if the strings are still back in the cat.) to Friedrich Nietzsche (Is Wagner a human being at all? Is he not rather a disease?) to Florian Zabach (A musical talent is like having six fingers on one hand. You're born with it, you're different because of it, you can't do a thing about it.). [5 3/16 x 8 1/4, 64 pp.].
SKU: BT.EMBZ5665
English-German-Hungarian.
These excerpts from Bach cantatas were chosen not only for the beauty of their musical content, but also because of the pedagogical value they possess. The excerpts embrace two distinct areas of Baroque vocal music: the melodic realms of the aria and recitative. The aria and arioso quotations in the collection, generally presented without accompaniment, are intended for sight-singing. The aria and recitative excerpts with continuo accompaniment also provide students with serious harmonization tasks and are, therefore, principally related to their music theory studies. Volume I contains the easier cantata excerpts, Volume II the more difficult ones.
SKU: BT.EMBZ5666
This collection is a selection of excerpts from Bach cantatas, chosen not only for the beauty of their musical content but because from the pedagogical point of view too they deserve a place in a publication intended for educational purposes. The excerpts embrace two distinct areas of Baroque vocal music, the melodic realms of the aria and the recitative. The aria and arioso quotations in the collection, generally presented without accompaniment, are intended for sight-singing. The aria and recitative excerpts with continuo accompaniment also provide students with serious harmonization tasks and are therefore principally related to their music theory studies. Volume Icontains the easier cantata excerpts, Volume II the more difficult ones.
SKU: BT.EMBZ14430
A Desert March is a protest march and a requiem for European musical culture. This seemingly endless march carries with it subdued or disfigured Western art music quotations (Brahms, Schubert, Beethoven, Bartók, Janácek, Satie). Iconic items such as Beethoven?s Ode to Joy (now the hymn of the European Union) and the United States national anthem appear in numerous, often distorted forms as if molten metal ransacked by the military machine of the relentless march. Yet this monumental work strives for a state of calm and ultimate balance.
SKU: WD.080689206238
UPC: 080689206238.
From the pages of Scripture to the words of our Founding Fathers, our nation has alw. ys been urged to pray for guidance and strength. Prayer for America answers this call in an inspiring 20-minute musical that features four accessible choral arrangements of traditional and contemporary patriotic songs, enhanced by quotations from the Bible, the Declaration of Independence, and beloved American heroes. Veteran arranger Marty Parks has arranged this easy-sing musical for choirs of all sizes, making Prayer for America a perfect addition to any Independence Day, Memorial Day, President’s Day or National Day of Prayer service.
SKU: BT.EMBZ14394
The piece was written in honour of Pierre Boulez's 75th birthday. Besides the title, put together like a mosaic from three Pierre Boulez pieces entitled Dialogue de l'ombre double, Structures, and Pli selon pli, the homage-character of the piece is also indicated by the Reihe used as a base, originating from the composition entitled Structures. The passage-titles of the form made up of seven sections and the character of the musical material of the individual sections all point to pieces by Boulez though they do not contain a single actual quotation from them. The piece is a one-movement chamber concert in which two emphatically polyphonous clarinet parts play aleading role alongside a string quintet. During concert performances, it is an essential element of the piece that the musicians playing the clarinet parts constantly change their position. While the strings remain at the centre of the stage throughout, the two clarinet players, starting out from the left and right side of the stage, finally meet behind them (in the fourth section), then slowly begin to move off stage, one to the left, one to the right. (Tünde Szitha) The performance material can be hired under the catalogue number S-99BMC CD 073Klenyán Csaba, Szabó Bálint, Componensemble, cond. Serei Zsolt.
SKU: MB.22062M
ISBN 9781513460536. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.
Built around the life and teachings of master percussionist, Michel Merhej Baklouk, this book has been designed as a biographical tribute, a teaching manual, and a resource guide for anyone wishing to develop a deeper understanding of the role that percussion plays in Near Eastern Arabic music. This book differs from most technique manuals in that it includes historical information about Arabic music as it pertains to the life and work of a single artist, Michel Merhej Baklouk.The book is composed of three parts: Introduction, Lessons, and Reference Information. Each part is written to stand on its own as well as fit with the whole so that readers can approach the book either as individual articles and lessons, or in its entirety, to be read from cover to cover. By presenting Michel's work in this way, we hope to appeal to a wider audience, percussion students at varying skill levels and from varying music disciplines and backgrounds, students of music and Middle Eastern studies, or anyone else interested in twentieth century Arab music and culture.The first part, Introduction, contains several essays about Michel's life, his teaching philosophy, pedagogical practices, musical aesthetics and performance practices. Although these sections may be read independently, they are also designed to help percussion students apply the book's lessons to their own playing and musical interpretations.The technical focus of this book is on the riqq; however, students of Arabic music (beginning through advanced) can adapt the practical exercises to gain mastery of the percussion instrument(s) of their choice.The second part, Lessons, begins with information about how to hold the percussion instrument (case in point: the riqq) and how to practice effectively. It then presents the body of exercises that Michel developed for his students. These exercises have been taken directly from Michel's notated lessons, which he developed into units corresponding to levels of proficiency, or academic years as he taught them at the Conservatory in Beirut; however, for the purposes of this book, the exercises are reorganized to correspond to subject matter and only roughly mirror Michel's conservatory sequence. Unit 1, Technique Building Exercises, is aimed at novice players or anyone who is new to reading music. Units 2 through 5 focus on specific rhythmic structures with increasing complexity. Students should master each unit of exercises before proceeding to the next unit. The third part, Reference Information, includes a notation reference, a list of rhythms, a list of further reading recommendations, and a glossary of Arabic music terms, many of which are used in the text. All Arabic words in this book appear in italics, except proper names, and with the exception of some proper Arab names, the text is essentially written in the standard system of transliteration used by the Library of Congress and most academic literature Throughout the book you will see quotations from Michel offset in the text. These prosaic tidbits may be words of wisdom, interesting anecdotes about Michel's life, or insights into his work and world of music.Each provides a glimpse into the personality of this exceptional musician. As a technical manual for students of Arabic percussion, Classical Riqq Technique provides specific exercises and explores important concepts, some of which are rarely taught, even in private lessons. At the same time, this book strives for a broader goal, to present and preserve classical percussion from the perspective of a master who not only lived in but also influenced the golden age of Arabic music. Includes access to online audio.
SKU: CA.2402910
ISBN 9790007132989. Language: German.
At the time of his death in 1760, Christoph Graupner - a contemporary of Bach who supplied the Landgrave residing in Darmstadt with music for five decades from 1709 onwards - left a vast oeuvre which has hardly been explored to date: innumerable instrumental works and a massive body of more than 1400 sacred cantatas. The first volume of the Thematic Catalog of the sacred works has now been published. It contains the cantatas for the festive cycle of Christmas from the 1st Advent Sunday to the 5th Sunday of Epiphany. Extensive incipits of all the cantata movements fill a large part of the book which also includes indexes for, amongst others, chorale melodies and biblical quotations. Score available separately - see item CA.2402900.
SKU: HL.14046104
ISBN 9788438712696. Spanish.
The Viola First Steps collection, is divided into four volumes and is aimed at young violists who want to start learning the instrument together with musical language and theory. Each book is divided into different teaching sections, every one containing the musical language necessary for exercises and works. Alongside the exercises, this volume contains popular songs, pieces from classical authors in different periods and cultural context - consisting of quotations, anecdotes relating to the Viola and information on the origin of the instrument, composers and curiosities . Beside technique and theory, this book will help violists to develop their rhythm skills,prepare for auditions and more. The MP3 CD is fundamental to the method and will help students to achieve the objectives in each section. Each song is recorded in three different ways. The first track is the complete song accompanied by another instrument with a slow tempo. The second track is the same piece with its real tempo. The third track is only the accompaniment so that the student can play along. Francisco Serra studied Viola and Chamber music at the Conservatory of Oscar Espla in Alicante, Spain. Since 2003 he has been an official professor at the Conservatory of Music of Villena (Alicante).
SKU: GI.G-10049
ISBN 9781622774333.
Music teachers know their students don’t just learn to play music, they are also exposed to universal life skills along the way. But that’s just part of the story. Currently, most students are largely left to learn these universal skills—like problem-solving, patience, focus, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication—on their own and often not very effectively. The Transposed Musician is a practical guide to teaching these universal skills within the context of a traditional music lesson. The results not only empower students to better confront the challenges of the twenty-first century, they significantly improve musicianship—a double benefit. Author Dylan Savage spent two decades refining his approach to teaching universal skills through music, and he shares them in this book. Each of the eight chapters of The Transposed Musician focuses on a specific universal skill (problem-solving, focus, patience, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, improvisation, and creativity) and shows how students can apply that skill to music. He then shows how teachers can guide those students to “transpose†that skill to life and back again to music with far deeper understanding and musicianship. With practical examples and clear writing, this book is for music educators wishing to help their students become both better musicians and also better-equipped citizens of the world. Students truly become “transposed musicians†for life and for music. Dylan Savage is Associate Professor of Piano at the University of North Carolina–Charlotte. He is also a Bösendorfer Concert Artist, a Capstone Records Recording Artist, and a winner of the Rome Festival Orchestra Competition. https://thetransposedmusician.com/ This book is priceless and contains a wealth of music teaching information that every teacher should apply to their studio. Dylan Savage’s use of universal skills transforms music teaching into a viable and essential part of education in the twenty-first-century. This teaching approach of using universal skills can revolutionize teaching music in both the private studio and college level and will give teachers a greater sense of purpose and satisfaction in their work. This book challenges many preconceived ideas about teaching music and mastering performance. Bravo for shaking up the status quo. —Randall Hartsell   Composer, Clinician, Teacher This book asks and explores fascinating questions about what it means to study music in a changing world. Are there skills we can learn in our music lessons which can enrich our lives in other non-musical areas, and then can we bring those expanded skills back into our study of music itself? Too often our conservatories are dead-ends, stuck with outdated, one-dimensional approaches which can lead to stunted personal development. This book suggests ways in which we can break down doors, for students and teachers alike, and celebrate music as something life-affirming, in and out of the studio. —Stephen Hough   Pianist, Composer, Writer Dylan Savage has given us a fresh and creative pedagogy to guide our music students toward life as twenty-first-century musicians. His career as pianist and teacher, and his firsthand experience in the marketplace of business and industry, allow him to forge a systematic approach to teaching universal skills in the music lesson. In each of the eight chapters, skills such as problem-solving, focus, critical thinking, collaboration, and improvisation are defined and applied to musical skills. These in turn are “transposed†to non-musical applications. We observe the music lessons and the active “transposition†or transfer of universal skills exemplified through descriptions of particular lessons. The anxieties, confusions, and ultimate comfort and understanding of students are guided by the questions of the teacher. The book is beautifully organized and is enriched by quotations of artists, musicians and philosophers, and suggested readings and references. I really think this is an important and helpful book with a point of view that is much needed. The empathy and knowledge of the author steer the reader toward the realities of today’s musical world, a world that requires skilled musicians to have universal skills that benefit their lives, regardless of their ultimate career paths. —Phyllis Alpert Lehrer   Professor Emerita, Westminster Choir College of Rider University   Artist Faculty, Westminster Conservatory In The Transposed Musician, Dylan Savage combines a visionary’s deep understanding of the challenges music students and teachers face with an eminently practical way to meet those challenges. Using a master teacher’s insight, Savage “transposes†eight potential stumbling blocks into eight universal skills that can be acquired through a beautifully organized, step-by-step approach. In turn, he shows how these skills can be applied to other areas in our rapidly changing world, helping us lead more satisfying, meaningful, and fulfilling lives, not only as musicians, but as human beings. For students and teachers alike, an inspired and inspiring book. —Barbara Lister-Sink, Ed.D.   Producer, Freeing the Caged Bird The Transposed Musician is an important contribution to our literature on teaching essential life skills including problem-solving, patience, focus, critical thinking, and creativity within the traditional music lesson. Teachers and students both can benefit from the study and application of these skills. Applications are made both to the traditional lesson as well as to non-music applications. —Jane Magrath   Pianist, Author, Teacher   University of Oklahoma Twenty-five hundred years ago Plato recommended music first in his ideal curriculum for potential leaders of Athens—before sport, mathematics, and moral philosophy. None of his candidates, one may assume, aspired to become a professional musician. Nevertheless, throughout centuries, otherwise people have acknowledged that the study and practice of music generates collateral benefits essential to human fulfillment. In his new book The Transposed Musician, Professor Dylan Savage of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte identifies eight of these benefits—Problem Solving, Focus, Patience, Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Improvisation, and Creativity—and calls them “universal skills†which may be developed consciously and systematically within the context of traditional music lessons. Doing so takes what has been implicit all along and makes it explicit. Music is good for us! Music teachers, even at the highest conservatory level, learn from Professor Savage that they are not so much professional trainers as guides to a happier, more successful life. —Dr. Joseph Robinson   Principal Oboe, New York Philharmonic (1978–2005)   Successful author, teacher, producer, and arts advocate Savage's excellent book couldn't be more timely, unique, clear, full of wisdom, and exactly what we need. As he points out, music teachers have known for generations—in a rather generalized way—that musical skills can strengthen life skills in many ways. Dylan Savage is the first to address this 'transposition' intentionally, with specific exercises in the transferrable skills. What better gift could there be for music students facing an ever-changing world? —William Westney   Award-winning concert pianist (Geneva Competition) and teacher   Author of The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self.
SKU: HL.14028050
ISBN 9788759858387. UPC: 888680630478. 16.5x11.75 inches. International (more than one language).
Work for Solo Percussion dating from 1983. Ruders writes: The extraordinary title is a typical example of Poul Ruder's (b. 1949) peculiar and bizarre sense of humour - Ruders, together with Hans Abrahamsen and Bo Holten, being one of the most important names within new Danish music after the Nørgård-Holmgreen-Nørholm generation. Although Ruders is influenced by Holmgreen's absurd simplicity, he takes up an original place in new Danish music to which he has conveyed humour and liveliness as well as theatre and virtuosity. Quotations, 'found objects', play an important part in Ruders' music, for instance in his chamber work MEDIEVAL VARIATIONS (1974), but the old material is being varied with adequate audacity and liveliness so as to yield new qualities, not unlike Peter Maxwell Davies' 'music on music'. ALARM is 'a short shocker, a kind of film soundtrack without the pictures', based on the horror in victor Hugo's THE BELL RINGER OF NOTRE DAME. To produce the right atmosphere of uneasiness and nervousness Ruders uses, among other things, the Balinese cymbal-machine 'ching-ching' and the snore of the 'didjeridoo' from Australia.
SKU: GI.G-317129
ISBN 9780634053313. UPC: 073999171297.
Teaching Music with Passion is a one-of-a-kind, collective masterpiece of thoughts, ideas and suggestions about the noble profession of music education. Both inspirational and instructional, it will surely change the way you teach (and think) about music. Filled with personal experiences, anecdotes and wonderful quotations, this book is an easy-to-read, essential treasure! One of the most 'real' writings I have read during my 35 years in music education. - Mel Clayton, President, MENC: The National Association for Music Education Click here for a YouTube video on Teaching Music with Passion.
SKU: GI.G-317191
ISBN 9781574631128. UPC: 884088404307.
Written by one of today's most prolific author/educators, Boonshaft's new book is sure to top the charts following the international success of his first two best sellers. Filled with motivational anecdotes, quotations, and ideas on how to improve your teaching, this is a must-read treasure trove for students, music educators, and administrators. Click here for a YouTube video on Teaching Music with Promise.
SKU: GI.G-10449
ISBN 9781622775613.
Creating excellence is not magic, the process known only to a few people with supernatural insights and abilities. . . . Vision, persistence, and strategy are the foremost reasons for the creation of excellence in musical performance and they are characteristics of all notably successful choral and orchestral conductors and their ensembles. — from the Introduction In Creating Excellence in Choirs and Orchestras, noted scholar and conductor Dennis Shrock uncovers the key factors and proven strategies that lead to the achievement of excellence in music ensembles at any level, from youth and volunteer groups to professional ensembles. With the use of numerous historical references and examples, primary source quotations, and music excerpts, Shrock lays out fourteen elements that contribute to an ensemble’s success. The first seven are foundational theoretical concepts: goals, focus, attitudes, structures, procedures, responsibility, and ontology. The subsequent seven elements address practical techniques: study, warm-ups, sound, cohesion, expression, conducting, and repertoire. While the book highlights the choral and orchestral mediums specifically, all concepts can be applied to any type of ensemble, from marching bands and wind ensembles to string quartets and vocal chamber groups. Further, the recommendations herein are not exclusively for the benefit of conductors. Music teachers, church musicians, ensemble members, and administrative staff will glean from these pages as well. According to Shrock, excellence is an attainable goal for anyone with a vision, a persistent commitment to that vision, and creative strategies to facilitate that vision’s realization. With this inspiring premise at its core, this insightful text guides readers as they embark on their own quest for musical excellence. Dennis Shrock is considered one of the top choral scholars in the United States and has received a number of awards for his work. He has conducted numerous choral and orchestral ensembles throughout his career, including the Chorale and Accademia Filarmonica at the University of Oklahoma, the Canterbury Choral Society, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, and Oklahoma City Philharmonic. He is also a noted author, having written three books for Oxford University Press as well as six books for GIA Publications.
SKU: HL.14029708
8.25x11.75x0.183 inches.
The title of this piece is taken from the late astronomer and educator Carl Sagan's book Cosmos (1980). Sagan was a great voice in the pursuit of knowledge and reason, an invaluable force in the struggle against ignorance and superstition. His vast historical knowledge and sensitive ear for the poetic also allowed him to adorn his various texts with short quotations from original folklore through history, quotations which I have used as mental and spiritual appetizers, heading some of the movements in this piece. Serenade also reaches out to other inspirational sources, such as William Shakespeare, Joseph Conrad and British science-writer John Gribbin, another great educator and popularizer. The Darwin quotation heading the second movement was also found in Sagan's book Cosmos (it is originally from Charles Darwin: On The Origin Of Species) and so was the quotation about The Backbone of the Night. The Ku-Fu-quotation can be found in Sagan's last great work THE DEMON-HAUNTED WORLD (1995).
SKU: BT.MUSM570368235
English.
For Teresa was commissioned by Tim Suter for his wife, Helen, as part of William Howard’s Love Songs Project and was first performed privately by William Howard for her 60th birthday in February 2017. He gave the public premiere at Hoxton Hall, London on 26th April 2017. The music is based on the notes T E S (E flat) A of the Christian name of the composer’s wife, Teresa Cahill. The music works towards a quotation of the opening of Beethoven’s Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor, Für Elise (which also uses letters from the name Therese, H being B natural in German nomenclature), a piece which, it is now thought, was originallytitled Für Therese and possibly composed for Theresa Malfatti, to whom Beethoven unsuccessfully proposed marriage in 1810, but recent musicology has suggested other possible dedicatees.
SKU: GI.G-10014
ISBN 9781622774494.
May this book serve to mend with gold our individual lives, and collectively to sing together toward the future. —Makoto Fujimura, from the Foreword Twenty years after the publication of his landmark work The Musician’s Soul, James Jordan returns to themes of musicianship, human connection, and artistry—but with depth and insight only possible with twenty years of additional perspective. Jordan explores our need for humility in music making and the importance of “slow art†for all musicians and teachers in this fast information age. He reflects on the loneliness of musicians and draws on yoga concepts to explore our deepest places. And he advocates, with contributions from Dominic Gregorio and Mark Moliterno, the gift of abundances and learning to breathe “as†another. The Musician’s Being, like its predecessor, is filled with inspiring, thought-provoking quotations, enlightened ideas and insights, and a contagious passion for the art of music making. Jordan has written another profound guide to musicianship and to “being†that miracle of artistry and human experience. James Jordan is Professor and Senior Conductor at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he conducts the acclaimed Westminster Williamson Voices. He is also Artistic Director and Conductor of the professional ensemble The Same Stream Choir (thesamestreamchoir.com), and Co-Director of the Choral Institute at Oxford (rider.edu/Oxford). He has published over 60 books and resources for music educators and conductors that are read around the world. Dominic Gregorio (1977–2019) served as Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Regina in Canada. He collaborated with James Jordan on several notable publications, including Discovering Chant, The Musician's Spirit, and The Musician's Being. Mark Moliterno is an accomplished professional opera singer, voice teacher, yoga teacher, IAYT-certified Yoga Therapist, workshop leader, and author who is known as a specialist in helping people understand and uncover their authentic voices.  Enjoy this discussion of The Musician’s Being featuring Makoto Fujimura, Irene Gregorio, Alec Harris, Mark Moliterno, and Mike Scheibe. The hour is filled with enlightened, thought-provoking ideas and insights, and a contagious passion for the art of music making.
SKU: GI.G-5866
ISBN 9781579991913. English. Text by: James Jordon.
...from the author of The Musician’s Soul In The Musician’s Soul, author James Jordan sets readers on a journey beyond the precise techniques of artistry and into a place of selfexploration, where music can be created with new heartfelt honesty and beauty. With The Musician’s Spirit, a companion book to The Musician’s Soul, and The Musician’s Walk, Jordan takes us to the next level of creating a more powerful art form. The Musician’s Spirit focuses not on the self, but on others and the stories each artist is able to share through his or her work. Using thought-provoking quotations, real-life stories, and visual art, Jordan challenges all artists to share themselves with their audience and fellow artists, thereby creating a more personal and beautiful body of work. This book offers practical and inspirational words on courage and vision, the arts of listening and trust, conquering the fear of looking foolish, and the importance of story in teaching. Jordan also includes a Storying Guide to help the reader bring out his or her own story as well as space for personal notes, stories, and reflections. Though written with musicians in mind, this beautiful illustrated book offers tremendous insight for any artist wanting to share his or her vision and story with the world. “Although written for musicians, this stunningly crafted book offers tremendous insight for any artist wanting to share their story and gifts with others.†“Communicating music is not academic, nor is Jordan’s book. The Musician’s Spirit is a guide to help us step out and experience music in the right place.†— Thomas R. Vozzella (Choral Journal, Volume 44, Number 9)  Those of us who have studied with inspiring teachers know how we looked forward to each lesson. The Musician’s Spirit opens such doors again, and reminds us why we are musicians. — Kathleen Thomerson (The American Organist, November 2004).
SKU: HL.14021087
8.25x12.0x0.059 inches.
John McCabe's Pueblo for solo Double Bass. Duration: approx. 7 minutes.
Pueblo is an off-shoot of a series of compositions inspired by desert country, and it was commissioned by Leon Bosch with the aid of funds provided by North West Arts. The piece is continous, falling into several sections, and is largeley based on the high circling motif heard at the start and referred to again in the harmonics at the close. It is prefaced by the following quotation from Scenes in American Deserta by Reyner Banham, published by Thames and Hudson:
'Clouds, high and flat, were now building up in thesky, the wind was settling to silent calm, the weather was very cold, and the stream through the center of the pueblo was almost frozen across, the Indians chipping out ice to melt down for water.'
The aim in writing the piece was to express in musical terms a response to the vivid picture of a scene relating to life in the American desert conveyed by Reyner Banham's text. Although not numbered among other Desert works, this belongs to this family of compositions, along with another Banham setting, written for the King's Singers, Scenes In America Deserta. - John McCabe
SKU: HL.14030988
ISBN 9788759877319.
Alman - String Quartet was composed by Bent Sorensen in 1984. Parts available: WH29837A Programme Note: In Alman, which consists of 3 movements, it is the dynamic waves that are making the form. Constantly something is created, sheltered by these waves, things are hidden or are having their own expression. In this light the first movement can be seen as a big curve, and the second movement as a mosaic. In the manic last movement, the music is whipped against climax. This movement is supported by a quotation of the young Danish poet Michael Strunge. The title of Alman, is the name of a dance (Fitzwilliam Virginal Book), even though this is hardly heard in my quartet. (BentSorensen).
SKU: HL.14031816
8.5x11.75x0.3 inches.
Though conceived as four separate movements, my second string quartet has a single motif which is common to them all. This is the three-note Muss es sein? from Beethoven's last quartet, Op. 135. But whereas Beethoven's theme is notated G E A flat, thus giving it an F minor connotation, I have sued an alternative spelling - G E G sharp - which suggests an ambiguous E minor-major. This ambiguity, in fact, becomes the tonal basis of the whole work, only to be resolved at the end of the final movement. Each movement begins with a variant of the basic motif on the cello. The first has the original form of the theme, while the second has a majorised version which is also expressed as a chord. The third movement, with its scherzoid middle section, reverts to the major-minor ambiguity of the first, and the finale begins with the majorised version as an ostinato accompaniment on pizzicato cello. The slow movement is sub-titled In memoriam DSCH and concludes with a quotation of Shostakovich's motto - D E flat C B - which is basically the same as Beethoven's with the addition of one note. This is not to imply that the work contains no other thematic material. One important theme, a rising fifth and a second, is also common to three of the movements, and is ultimately derived from my first quartet, Op. 1 of 27 years earlier, to which this second contribution to the form is in many ways like a sequel. Like the earlier work, too, this quartet is dedicated to my wife.
