Zydeco Madness (String Quartet)
William Susman
About this work:
Inspired by the tragic events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. Zydeco is Creole based music with origins in Louisiana. The lead instrument of the band is an accordion.
Susman has written four string quartets, each one a summation of his sound and musical philosophy at a given point in his life.
The other three quartets are "Streams" (1984), "Up to the Sky" (1988), "Patterns of Change" (1997).
The first performance of Zydeco Madness will be for the string orchestra version. It is scheduled for the 2008-2009 season of the San Jose Chamber Orchestra on May 17, 2009 with Barbara Day Turner conducting.
Much of Susman's music of the 90s and beyond explore the repetitive rhythms heard in Afro-Cuban music. One such gesture is the montuño a repeated syncopated line or obligato often assigned to the piano which outlines the harmonic structure. Susman also uses medieval rhythmic and counterpuntal devices called hocket and isorhythm.
Version: String Quartet
Year composed: 2006
Duration: 00:11:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:String Quartet
Instrumentation: 2 Violin, 1 Viola, 1 Cello