Quartetti Classici

[vkioulaphides]

Oh, how I wish I were there, Robert... Still, I am delighted that the piece was liked. And, as you say, Quartetto Classico Nº 2 is less demanding, technically at least; musically, of course, the crucial issue is getting all the "impressions", all the chiming and tolling of the imaginary bells across to the listener.

Cheers,

Victor

[Mandolius]

Jonathan,

I've been meaning to get in touch with BMQ for some time to let you know what a pleasure it is to listen to Grandmother's Ghost, and I'll take this opportunity to recommend that anyone that hasn't heard it yet buy it and listen to it again and again. #Your technique and expressive use of the tremolo makes your playing extremely musical, and your arrangements and original pieces are beautiful, as well - I'd like to think that hearing MAQ may have helped in some small way! #

Joy Caney, mandolist and librarian for SMO (also mandolist in my father, Albert's, original Seattle quartet and my first quintet) was lucky enough to hear you play at one of the CMSA conventions and came back raving about you! #I had been looking forward to hearing you for myself ever since. #

Thank you for your nice words about me and ECMQ - one small correction, however. #It was my father who revived the MAQ tradition here in Seattle. #I've just tried to honor him and his colleagues by continuing what they started, hoping to keep them and all they did from falling into obscurity. #I know they would've liked BMQ very much.

-Alan

[David Westwick]

Victor,

Thank-you for a lovely quartet. As Bob Margo noted earlier, the last two movements were performed in the student recital at AMGuSS. We read through the entire work a couple of times, but had to limit our performance, both due to the length of the student recital, and due to a lack of practice time (especially since this was an "extra curricular" activity that had to be fitted into an already hectic schedule). I very much enjoyed playing through the quartet, and then polishing the final two movements -- if only we had had time to work up the other two. As a 'cellist I can't thank you enough for the Basse Bourdone of movement 3! I look forward to seeing the sequels, and hope that I can have the pleasure of playing them with such a talented group of musicians.

David Westwick.

[vkioulaphides]

Thank you, David!

Yes, the Basso Bordone third movement of Quartetto Nº 1 is a prime example of what I was talking about earlier: these quartets are written expressly for plucked instruments and would be adaptable only with considerable difficulty to bowed ones—#the exact opposite predicament facing usually all quartetti classici! # What would you, for example, play pizzicato, what arco? And how on earth would you get a truly harpsichord-like sonority in the second movement, "La Couperin", without the brilliance inherent in the stopping of the string against a metal fret?

We pickers, on the other hand, have the absolutely, perfectly, uniformly beautiful sonority of the plucked string to work with! We are a fortunate bunch indeed, if also underserved...

I am glad the piece worked out well and I am MIGHTILY impressed that you could put the last movement together in such little time! As mentioned above, I have already sent out parts to my Nº 2. My hope is to complete Nº 3 in early fall and, with a little luck, have the entire set complete by spring 2006.

Cheers to one and all!

[Daymando]

As I am writing these words, I have the great pleasure of listening to a CD by The Emerald City Mandolin Quartet— a Quartetto Classico! #

They are truly wonderful! With such players on the scene, I am even more thrilled to have embarked on this project.

I've enjoyed this CD immensely -- so much so that I bought two discs. # #(As much as I'm partial to my friends, this recent second copy stays with me!

-Allen.

[Daymando]

Well, folks, as I threatened...

As of two minutes ago, my Quartetto Classico Nº 2 is finished! [...]

All the "usual suspects" on my list will receive parts as soon as those are ready. # Others are equally welcome; please just drop me a note of request.

Victor, I had the distinct pleasure to hear Q1: Mvt 3 & 4 this past Saturday while at AMGuSS, and a cursory look at the M1 and MC parts in passing. I'm looking forward to jumping into the entire work -- once I get the score out of the hands of my guitarist! (She picked up mail for me while I was in RI, and wasn't at rehearsal this evening for me to snag it from her.)

Of course, I'll also raise the hand for Q2, as the mail load permits. #

-Allen.

[Daymando]

Daymando, we also play 'The Hunt' and, of course, it's great in it's original quartet form, but I'm sure adding a soft shoe part will be a nice visual bonus!

Ah, a kindred Hunt spirit! We're working Hunt in the original quartet form, in addition to Wolfie's Serenade in G and (starting next month) Sonata in F (K332).

However, if I might pick your brain a moment, Alan (or anyone, naturally) - have you a fingering preference for playing the 16ths run in ca mm 173-176? I've been working this section in third position, yet continuously wrangling with cleanliness and efficiency of motion; E-string shifts (for this linear section) aren't functional for me at tempo. Any suggestions?

Forgive me if I missed it, but another quintet form you should consider (if you haven't already), that I didn't see mentioned here, is quartet w/bass - essentially a mini-string orchestra of plucked instruments.

Static bassists (around here) are as plentiful as hen's teeth. Serpents are more plentiful (though not so easy to keep in tune...) We've gone through four CBs with DMO since December (scheduling conflicts, primarily; honestly - the parts aren't that tough if even I can play them! ). An excellent idea, to be sure, to have the bass in the quintet; yet at the moment, feasibility isn't within my grasp. (Though ever hopeful, we search onward...for the orchestra's sake, primarily... one bass balances quite well against 25 other pluckers.)

I also highly recommend the Arriaga quartets.

I'm not familiar with Arriaga, though it sounds like something into which I should look. I'm also reviewing some Haydn SQs, though deciding which one(s) to select is not easy! Thank goodness I have Victor's Q1 to distract me. #

-Allen.

[Daymando]

Last Saturday a pick-up quartet consisting of myself on mando #1, Mary Spencer (of Oregon) on mando #2, Mark Rubinstein (of California) and David Westwick (of Calgary) on mandocello played movements #3 and #4 of Victor's Quartet #1 for the student audience at AMGUSS (Marilyn Mair's summer camp, where we were all students as well). #I can't say we hit every note but we did all start and, more importantly, finish at the same time (!). Definitely a crowd pleaser, judging from the comments.

Had we not been pressed for time, I would have demanded an encore - the pickup quartet picked it up very well indeed! As much as I enjoyed AMGuSS (and am looking forward to participating next year), a part of me was eager to rush home and dig into this score - and I'll do that very thing once I track down my holding-mail-hostage guitarist!

-Allen.

[Daymando]

Hopefully, by the time Nº 6 of the set has been completed and disseminated, a certain momentum for this lovely medium/genre will have been generated.

Then, perhaps, other composers will also take it up as a viable and attractive vehicle for contemporary musical expression; then, *spoken in deep, stentorian voice* my work here will have been done. #

I see now that I have my work cut out for me! You present a worthy composer's challenge, Victor, though I don't know if I can match your quality or output -- especially if I'm working on your quartets instead of writing my own! #

May I order another six hours for my already overloaded day somewhere? I'll pay shipping and handling...

-Allen.

[Mandolius]

Ah yes, Allen, that one's a real bugger, ain't it! I've found it workable only in fourth or fifth position and my preference is fifth: In m171 - third finger on the Ab, second finger on the G. Stay there until you've played the final F in m173 with your first finger, then shift to the second finger for the first F in m174 and do the same for the Eb in m175. Playing the first C and following G in m176 with your fourth finger allows you to play the whole phrase on one string (the A, of course), which is preferable in tone to sliding down for the C, thus splitting the phrase between the E and A strings. Since it's helpful to watch your hand, you may want to memorize the entire passage, from m170 or 171.

I would've just scanned my fingered copy for you, but my tired old scanner doesn't seem to want to work, anymore. I plan to get a new one soon, but for now, I hope I made it clear enough and I hope it helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I sympathize with your bassist issues. I especially wanted to include one on our CD for the Mozart, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. Perhaps in the future...

Regarding Haydn SQs, three of my favorites are the last three in Bk 2 of the '30 Celebrated Quartets' volume - Op3 #5 (the 'Serenade'), Op33 #3 (the 'Bird') and #6. Although Op3 #5 has recently been attributed to Romanus Hoffstetter, not Haydn, and has been reviewed, rather obnoxiously, as being "thematically barren", I consider it cute, fun, not too difficult to play and a definite crowd pleaser (the slow mvmt is where the quartet gets it's name and is rather well known). All three are wonderful on mandolins.

I found your post about DMO's first CD in another thread last night and took your advice to buy one for myself and a friend. We look forward to hearing it!

At the risk of becoming a broken record, we appreciate everyone's wonderful comments about our CD. Please don't stop, we love hearing them! The respect of our colleagues is all we've ever wanted. Since our niche is so small, we've never expected to make much money, although that would be nice, too! Which unfortunately reminds me that I need to get up early to make it to my dreary 'day job' on time.

Thanks again everyone, we've felt isolated up here for so long, it's nice to know we're not alone!

-Alan

[vkioulaphides]

[QUOTE]"Of course, I'll also raise the hand for Q2, as the mail load permits."

Well, Allen... you ARE among the "usual suspects"! *ekhm* that is to say: I sent you, too, a set of parts to my Nº 2 last Friday. You should receive them in time, as the USPS routes things along; a day or so later, the Emerald City gents should have them too. Ironically, the parts may have reached the Netherlands earlier than the U.S. Northwest...

Cheers to all!

P.S. I happened to hear Boccherini's Europa galante quintet (quartet + second cello) yesterday evening: a lovely piece! Of course, with the shortage of mandocellists, getting TWO of them in the same place, at the same time, may well exceed the limits of even the wildest optimism. This piece, however, may be a good vehicle for the "quartetto classico + bass" experiment. Just a thought...

[Jonathan]

Many thanks for the thumbs-up, Alan. Wouldn't it be great if all of our quartets/quintets could get together for a mini-festival? Each group could give a performance, followed by an enmasse jam/sight-reading session lasting into the wee hours. (One can dream, can't one?)

[Daymando]

Ah yes, Allen, that one's a real bugger, ain't it! [...] I hope I made it clear enough and I hope it helps. #Let me know if you have any other questions.

I'll definitely give this a go this evening. The pattern follows (reasonably close) to the similar section near the opening; clutching my brain for the gear shift to separate the two may be the hurdle. Thanks for the suggestions!

Regarding Haydn SQs, three of my favorites are the last three in Bk 2 of the '30 Celebrated Quartets' volume - Op3 #5 (the 'Serenade'), Op33 #3 (the 'Bird') and #6. #Although Op3 #5 has recently been attributed to Romanus Hoffstetter, not Haydn, and has been reviewed, rather obnoxiously, as being "thematically barren", I consider it cute, fun, not too difficult to play and a definite crowd pleaser (the slow mvmt is where the quartet gets it's name and is rather well known). #All three are wonderful on mandolins.

Excellent! I'll pay particular attention to these. Sometimes that which is tagged to be obnoxious is the most delightful -- perspective is the key.

I found your post about DMO's first CD in another thread last night and took your advice to buy one for myself and a friend. #We look forward to hearing it!

Thank you very much! The CDs went into the mail yesterday, so you should receive them in short order. Hopefully the live recording setting will give you the feeling of being "right there with us" until we're able to coordinate our schedules for an around-the-country in-person tour. #(As Jonathan aptly put it: One can dream, n'est-ce pas?)

-Allen.

[Mandolius]

Happy July 4th, everyone!

Victor's QC2 and DMO's March Madness have both arrived! #Unfortunately, I'll have to wait until tomorrow night to hear QC2, but I'm listening to DMO's CD right now - Well done Allen, especially in such a short time! #Very nice playing and choice of music, too. #Your Chamber Ensemble sounds especially good and Dance of the Lunatics is delightful! #I'm checking to see if we have it in our library and I'm looking forward to hearing the whole CD often.

Jonathan said:
"Wouldn't it be great if all of our quartets/quintets could get together for a mini-festival? #Each group could give a performance, followed by an enmasse jam/sight-reading session lasting into the wee hours. (One can dream, can't one?)

Absolutely, Jonathan!!... but did you have last week's SMO rehearsal bugged? #Be careful what you dream about... I'm already at the beginning stages of trying to set up exactly what you described and the only catch is that it would be here, in Seattle (although I'm confident that our venue and audience will both be good). #Since I shouldn't hijack Victor's thread any more than I already have, anyone interested should please email me #HERE.

Looking forward to reading QC2 tomorrow!
-Alan

[Alex Timmerman]

What a wonderful Topic this is! #

OK then Bob, I will be very brief about Victor´s QC No.2 and speak out that the music is simply wonderful.

It´s exactly what a quartet of this combination needs!


Thanks Victor and many greetings,

Alex

[vkioulaphides]

Thank you, Alex!

Quartet Nº 2 is (I think) a little less demanding, technically speaking, than Nº 1. Part of the idea was that, as some quartets assemble in rather spontaneous manner, there ought to be a piece they can "put together", so to speak, right on the spot.

The first movement is a salute to Haydn, the "father of the (bowed) string quartet" and, quite honestly, of chamber music as we know it; in Haydn-esque fashion, it pokes fun at the anachronistic, "academic" notion(s) of sonata form. The second movement is rather impressionistic, with the quiet yet incessant chiming inside the mechanism of some imaginary clocktower. The third movement, a "nocturn" of sorts, technically a three-phrase, binary aria form, a "song at dusk". The last movement, a jubilant tolling of bells at a wedding: lots and lots of open strings, lots of lascia vibrare, lots of joy and fun (I hope).

Let's see where the winds take this latest creature of mine... As promised, I will continue with the other four quartets in the set once returned from vacation. During said vacation, I hope to write another set of unaccompanied variations (this time on a Basque melody); that piece will eventually appear as a free download on the little corner of webspace the generous Mr. Garber has allotted me.

Pick on!

[Alex Timmerman]

Yes, please do continue writing for this quartet combination.
(It looks like you will write for every combination in the future, so other quartet combinations are likely to follow #.

In the mean while I'll try to make a writing for you, and the others here of course, about what is already originally composed (and arranged) for this instrument combination and the Quartetto Romantico formation in the past.

Perhaps this 2nd Quartetto Classico may look easier at first sight, but once the harmonics in the 2nd- and 4th mouvement come along, I am not so sure about it being less demanding.
Armonics - and there are a lot in here - have to be executed really well on the mandolin (not always easy on every mandolin). Right on the spot so to speak. The difficulty lies imho in placing the finger(s) precisely above the right fret and in the players concentration to do this well.
But than again, for me a composition being easy or difficult is not really an issue as long as it is good music!


Exciting to hear that there is yet another variation set ' boiling' in your head! Can't wait - but that you know by now from me # .


Best and thanks for the background explanation of the QC No 2,

Alex

[vkioulaphides]

OK, then: once returned, I will set the pot back on the fire!

First things first: next week, I will typeset the variations, after the jet-lag has subsided (so that I don't make any particularly idiotic and egregious errors while half asleep).

Then, Quartetto Nº 3!

Cheers,

Victor

[vkioulaphides]

At long last, I put again pencil on paper, beginning the fascinating personal journey of composing my Quartetto Classico Nº 3. This one will be subtitled "Manhattan", the movements bearing the quasi impressionistic subtitles "Times Square", "Central Park", "Tugboat on the Hudson", and "Grand Central"; I trust that those who have been to these various locations will have no difficulty "hearing" them in the music.

I may have to reconsider some things, though... Carlo Aonzo, while making some very kind remarks about the music itself, told me that he and his colleagues have octave-mandolas ONLY in his famed laboratorio in Savona. My Quartet Nº2, especially the "Clocktower Bells" movement, is simply unplayable on anything but the CGDA instrument, due to the harmonics.

So... perhaps I will strive for a third-from-top part that is equally playable on the two varieties of mandola. Still, with all due respect to Carlo and his Italian colleagues, the CGDA instrument fits the "gamut-slice" perfectly; the truly bass capabilities of the octave instrument are superfluous in a texture that also has mandocello.

Much to think about...

[vkioulaphides]

OK, friends:

As of this morning, my Quartetto Classico Nº 3 is fully composed. Naturally, there will have to be the usual stages of editing, proofreading, typesetting; then the extraction of the individual parts, then the mailing to the Usual Suspects.

If you are not yet on the "hit-list" and, ehm... wish to be on it please drop me a note and I will gladly add your name and address to the list of prospective recipients. The price is right: $0.00, miraculously unaffected by the vagaries of currency-exchange.

Obviously, it is far more efficient to make, say, 10 sets of parts at once, than to make ONE set of parts, ten TIMES over on different occasions. After all, I have to be economical with my limited mando-time, as I will need time to devote to my Quartetto Nº 4!

Cheers to one and all!

Victor

[vkioulaphides]

Dear friends:

As of this morning, parts of my Quartetto Classico Nº 3 have gone out to my quartet-specific hit-list. I hope that the recipients will be happy with the music.

First thing tomorrow morning: start thinking about Quartet Nº 4.

Cheers to one and all,

Victor

[Alex Timmerman]

Hello Victor,

Can´t wait to see it!


Thanks in advance and many greetings,

Alex

[vkioulaphides]

... and greetings to you, my friend!

At the very least, I hope you can all hear the tugboat, blowing its horn as it sails down the Hudson River, seen half as a real ship, half as a phantom passing evanescently through the fog. I could not resist an operatic quasi da lontano effect...

As for you in particular, Alex... I am positive that you will immediately "see with my eyes and hear with my ears", as there is no shortage of barges, slipping quietly through the fog, up and down the many, many canals of the picturesque Netherlands.

Cheers,

Victor

[Bob A]

Tugboats? Could this be an opportunity for the dreaded tromba marina?

[vkioulaphides]

Have no fear, Bob! No tromba marina in sight... It's just that in the third movement of my Nº 3, subtitled "Tugboat on the Hudson", the first mandolin momentarily assumes the accompaniment-figure that was previously played by the other three instruments, 3-in-1; while it does so, the other three instruments play a dissonant, low-register chord, tremolo, quasi da lontano (as if from afar), evoking a distant ship, blowing its horn.

And, no, my Nº 4 will definitely NOT be subtitled "Tromba Marina". Not to mention that that might require the rare beast known as the bowed mandolin...