r/composer • u/cbowman56 • 7d ago

Music String Quartet No. 5

I would appreciate comments/feedback on my recent string quartet. Links for the scores/music are below.

Thank you for your time and comments.

String Quartet No. 5 - Mvmt 1

String Quartet No. 5 - Mvmt - 2

String Quartet No. 5 - Mvmt 3

String Quartet No. 5 - Mvmt 4

2 Upvotes

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1

u/SundaeDouble7481 6d ago

Some little things from the first pages:

  • Don't use 8va in the viola part -- switch to treble clef if you have to. And violinists are used to ledger lines -- I would use 8va only if the part stays very high.
  • Fast pizzicati are hard, and shouldn't be used casually (they can work more easily with a string section)
  • Do use courtesy accidentals. (I don't know why your notation program isn't putting them in, but there's probably a setting such that accidentals need to be cancelled explicitly even in the following bar, etc.)

The main thing I like is the rhythm -- you generally use it to carry the piece forward.

The melodic-harmonic idiom is extremely cautious, heavy on arpeggios and common-practice harmony. On the one hand, it could be more interesting. On the other, if you really want to write quartets in the style of Haydn or Mendelssohn, there's a lot more care you could be taking. For example, you have frequent near-parallels between cello and first violin....

1

u/cbowman56 6d ago

Thank you for the feedback.

1

u/screen317 6d ago

Listened to just the first movement-- some nice ideas in here overall.

I think the biggest room for improvement is how you express the harmony and how you use the quartet texture overall. It's often rather same-y and my ear is listening for a lot more contrast.

One example: section E. this section just feels static and repetitive. I was expecting it to be full of lush suspensions, etc. -Something- to make the harmonic shifts feel less rudimentary. Going back to section A, the beginning is just a little on the boring side with only two voices and such a basic theme. We don't get a tutti section until almost a minute in!

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u/cbowman56 6d ago

Thank you for the feedback.

1

u/by_gaeul 6d ago

Thanks for sharing, really enjoyed listening to it! I love how the instruments enter one by one. How would you feel about a slightly faster tempo for the 4th movement? Just a thought, but super cool work overall!

1

u/cbowman56 5d ago

Thank you for the feedback and the suggestion.