The String Quartet No. 8 by
Robert Simpson was composed in 1979 in response to a commission by the Brunel Philharmonic Society with funds made available from the Greater London Arts Association. The work is dedicated to Professor Gillett, who was the director of Biological Sciences at
Brunel University
Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...
in 1980, and his wife.
The Quartet was first performed on 21 June 1980 by the Delme String Quartet at Brunel University.
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Movements
The work is composed of four movements:[
# Grave, molto intensivo
# Molto vivace (Eretmapodites gilletti)
# Allegretto grazioso
# Risoluto e concentrato
]
Overview
The quartet opens with an austere melody
A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combina ...
from the first violin which comprises the main subject of the predominantly fugal first movement. In turn, the melody is taken up by all four instruments and then developed by metamorphosis throughout the rest of the movement. This subject also forms an integral part of the rest of the quartet.[ The interval of a perfect fifth in particular plays a vital role of the concentrated construction of the entire work. The intensity of the ]fugue
In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the co ...
is mitigated at times by more reflective material. As the fugue develops, power and energy is gained until a climax is reached with scurrying motion of the viola and cello. Hereafter the music becomes calmer and the movement ends peacefully.[
The second movement is a very short ]scherzo
A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often ...
, illustrating a mosquito (hence the title of the movement, Eretmapodites gilletti, a species discovered by and named after the work’s dedicatee). This scherzo is in A-B-A form.[
The third movement too is muted strings and consisting entirely of elusive half-shades.][ It is cast in a very small-scale ]sonata form
Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...
, and the dynamic seldom rises from a soft pp (a musical term meaning "very soft").
The tumultuous and intense finale balances out the extended opening movement. It is the same length as the opening movement, but the texture is not fugal. Pungency rather than speed creates the intensity, and throughout there is a very deliberate quality to the writing which quite unique.[ Unlike the first movement where the calmer, reserved music prevailed, in the finale the concentrated energy prevails, with scales of all kinds evolving from the texture as the movement closes vigorously.][
A typical performance of this work lasts approximately 30 minutes.
]
Discography
Currently, the only commercially available CD is a Hyperion Records
Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label.
History
Hyperion is an independent British classical label that was established in 1980 with the goal of showcasing recordings of music in all genres and from all time period ...
release which also includes String Quartet No. 7, both performed by the Delme Quartet.
See also
* List of compositions by Robert Simpson
*String quartet
The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...
* Composer
References
External links
The Robert Simpson Collection At The British Library
Wigmore Hall, March 15, 2000
{{Authority control
08
1979 compositions
Commissioned music