String Quartet No 2

Abstract

"The second string quartet is subtitled 'Thirteen Concert Studies', which indicates the structure and progression of the work: 1. Unisons/Octaves (allegro ritmico) 3. Harmonics (slow) 5. Pizzicato (allegro amiabile) 7. Col Legno (allegrissimo) 9. Trills/Tremolos (moderato) 11. Bowings (andante con moto) 13. Collage (allegro) No matter how interesting a 'succession of unrelated coloristic essays' might be in itself, Sitskys compositional style demands a device which links and unifies the various studies. Study No. 1 (Unisons/Octaves) provides the thematic/melodic material from which the movements that follow are derived, while the harmonic elements used throughout the work spring ultimately from the second study (Chords). The final movement, 'Collage', which quotes directly from the first study, acts as a suedo-recapitulation. The String Quartet No.2 won the 1981 Spivakovsky Prize for Composition, and was premiered at the 1984 Adelaide Festival of the Arts, along with the second string quartet of Richard Meale." -- Peter Campbell Show more