About the Piece

MOVEMENT TITLES
I.  A New Morning

II. Scattered Footprints

III. Lost Beneath the Tide

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A New Morning consists of two melodic ideas that appear after the harmonic background is introduced. A sound mass of accented tremolandi motivate the music into a sense of constantly increasing energy that climaxes in a loud, rushing arch-like gesture. After a pause, the opening ideas are revisited before a final rush completes the movement. The underlying eighth note pulse in Scattered Footprints is continually accented in different ways. The strings are often working in pairs rhythmically as in the beginning where the scurrying eighth notes of the upper strings are accompanied by the sharp, off the beat accents in the lower strings. The rhythmic coupling of the instruments is contrasted by both forceful rhythmic unity and staggered statements of the same material. As the movement progresses, the rhythmic complexity increases. The third movement opens with a cello solo accompanied by dissonant harmonies. The elements of the solo are eventually integrated throughout the entire quartet; therefore as the music progresses, the cello that is prominent in the beginning, becomes embedded as part of the ensemble, or as I entitled the movement, Lost Beneath the Tide.