String Quartets No. 7-12 Parts

Felix Mendelssohn's 7 String Quartets includes the works; Four pieces for String Quartet Op. 81 String Quartet No. 1 in E flat major Op. 12 String Quartet No. 2 in A minor Op. 13 String Quartet No. 3 in D major Op. 44 No. 1 String Quartet No. 4 in E minor Op. 44 No. 2 String Quartet No. 5 in E flat major Op. 44 No. 3 String Quartet No. 6 in F minor Op. 80

The parts for String Quartet to accompany the score for Countertenor 2 Tenors Bass and String Quartet.(Available separately)Tenebrae was commissioned by the Hilliard Ensemble and first performed 7 November2009 by the Hilliard Ensemble and the Arditti Quartet at Wigmore Hall London.

Commissioned by the Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts Limited with funds provided by the Arts Council of Wales for premiere in August 2012 by the Carducci String Quartet in St. Andrew?s Church Presteigne.Composer's Note.'Some years ago I noted down the opening theme of what I anticipated would be a relatively Classical string quartet ?Classical? in the sense of the forms adopted plus perhaps a predominantly lyrical tone of voice. The commission for this work from the Presteigne Festival for their 30th anniversary in 2012 gave me the opportunity of putting into practice this long-held idea. It isdedicated to the Festival and to the Carducci Quartet whose career as much-admired friends and colleagues I have greatly enjoyed.The only break with ?classical? tradition is that there are five movements instead of four with two Scherzi as the second and third though both these are very short and contrasting. I found myself listening to Haydn?s string quartets a lot before and during the composition of this work and I hope the spirit of his delight in writing for this medium is echoed in my own music. The opening movement is in sonata form unusually for me and lyricism is I hope the basis of it though there is a good deal of activity at times. The Scherzo light and marked by frequently-changing rhythms is followed by an equally short but ferocious Perpetuum mobile marked Wild und rasch (one of my favourite German tempo markings). The fourth movement is an intense Adagio in which a single phrase uttered strongly in unison is gradually transformed into gentle diatonic chords before the close intermingled with cadenzas for cello for viola and for the two violins together. The finale (a Rondo) resumes the classical tone of the first movement but apart from one dance-like episode it builds up a fair head of steam towards a final Presto which however ascends slows and quietens towards a gentle summer sky at dusk.'

Set of parts for Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen's No Ground Green for Mixed Choir (SATB) and String Quartet (2012). Score: WH31464 Programme note: New Ground – No Ground – Green In 1986 I wrote Ground for the Kronos Quartet. I used the principle of the baroque ground and created a series of chords – going up and going down symmetrically. The material formed the basis for the quartet. In my next collaboration with Kronos I wrote the darker Last Ground – at the time supposed to be my last composition of the kind. After some years this seemed a bit pathetic and I decided to write a new– lighter ground –New Ground. To disappoint my listeners as much as possible I based this piece on a very old and very well-known ground: Pachelbel’s Canon.  The piece is tonal and that suggested another –atonal – composition – No Ground (based on another string quartet – no. 7 Parted from 1984 first performed by Kronos). I am very fond of the elaborated constructivism of the medieval or early renaissance music so in my view the two new quartets needed to be connected and combined. The two quartets can be performed in combination with the four-part vocal piece Green. The text is from medieval England. The pieces are written for the Kronos Quartet and Theatre of Voices.

Paul Paradise has selected eight of Arcangelo Corelli's twelve Concerti Grossi and combined the concertino parts with the concerto grosso parts, edited the bowings, and added fingerings. Now these masterful works are playable by string orchestra or string quartet. The Concerto Grossi included are: No. 4 in D Major * No. 7 in D Major * No. 10 in C Major * No. 11 in B-flat Major * No. 12 in in F Major * No. 3 in C Minor * No. 8 in G Minor (Christmas) * No. 2 in F Major.