The last few days I've been working on the first movement of my string quartet. I started with the 3rd and 2nd, and this first movement is the last one I am doing, ironically!

This is a .wav of it taken from Finale, as it is mostly still a sketch as of now (I've been only working on this for a few days). I've been obsessed with fugues lately, so you will hear some of that a good amount in this piece.

This is the basic outline:

Fugue like part, followed by an intermezzo, with a fugue at the end, with a fugue like slow part, which leads into the final fugue.

The viola part is sometimes softer then the other instruments, but this Finale .wav will have to suffice!

I would love to hear some feedback on it, as it is still in the early stages but I know pretty much where I want it to go. I am hopeing to get a real recording if it at school next semester, but for now this is all I have:

http://www.uhaweb.hartford.edu/ttrevisan/Quartet.WAV

I updated the file, should be working now if it wasn't before.

I like the fugue structure at the beginning.

This is in no way a criticism of your work personally, but for me it is uncomfortable to listen too. Is it atonal? This style of music isn't my favorite, but it's certainly very interesting.

Good work!

Yeah, it is not tonal. It is mostly chromatic though, I would not characterize it as completely atonal, as I dabble with some different harmonies but only for color.

It is unstable harmonically, so it makes me uncomfortable at times too, like it is supposed to, but if you notice, sometimes it is very stable- like when perfect fifths line up in certain areas, which is a hidden under-current type thematic idea.

Sounds good to me. Definitely expressionist in terms of style. A lot of the piece's success will depend on how well it fits the instruments. You should try to get some string players to read it.

Also consider articulation as a way of clarifying the themes and textures. (You may have done this already - it's hard to tell in a Finale .wav.

Thanks, I know what you mean by clarifying the themes and textures. Something are hard to hear in this .wav, but hopefully I can get some real instruments soon to record this.

This movement is most definitely a lot more conservative in terms of style and technique in comparison to the other 2 movements, as it is a subtheme of the quartet in general. So I think that it should fit the instruments well for the most part.

Also, you are right on the money when you say it is expressionist in terms of style.

I kinda like it. What about the other movements?

Calin

Calin, I am still revising those, and I think I am going to make this one the third instead of the first.