String Quartet # 2
Martin Halpern
About this work:
The first movement, "Lament," was written in mourning for two persons close to me who had recently died. All its materials are derived from the slow opening motif in the cello. The second movement, in classic Scherzo form, lightens the mood but not without occasional pangs of reminder. The Finale begins with fragments of the central motif of the Lament, which soon give way to a spirited fugal passage, the most cheerful passage in the quartet. But this eventually winds down, and the movement ends with a reprise of the opening measures of the Lament, a brief reprise of the opening of the Scherzo, and a conclusion that recalls the closing measures of the Lament.
Year composed: 2000
Duration: 00:17:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:String Quartet
Instrumentation: 2 Violin, 1 Viola, 1 Cello