Only a Time
2025
String Quartet
13 minutes
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Only a Time was originally started as a series of studies in string writing, but eventually evolved into a short, three-movement quartet that incorporates a variety of playing techniques into its repertoire.
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Shift
Inside Stillness
Hold the Evening Sun
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Only a Time was written as a set of compositional exercises over the course of the Spring 2025 semester, intending to explore idiomatic string writing with a variety of techniques. In writing these études, I was inspired to complete them as a set of short pieces for string quartet, with each movement representing a different way of playing string instruments.
The first movement, Shift, explores different ways the instruments can play arpeggios, particularly across multiple strings. The second, Inside Stillness, is played entirely using harmonics, creating an ethereal and otherworldly sound from the group. The third movement, Hold the Evening Sun, explores a variety of bowing techniques, from rapid bounces to striking the string with the back of the bow (col legno).
Through these experiments, I was able to define what works well for string instruments and, perhaps, what doesn’t; more importantly, I was able to create a set of pieces that, hopefully, can stand in their own right as enjoyable music.
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