Melody for the C String

I Give You The End Of A Golden String was commissioned in 2013 by the Royal Philharmonic Society/Britten-Pears Foundation to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Benjamin Brittenand the bicentenary of thefoundation of the Royal Philharmonic Society.The piece was first performed on 8th June 2013 by the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth.'My aim when I began this piece was to create a long length ofstring music out of a single strand of melody.While experimenting at the beginning shaping and extending a melody in many possible directions I cameacross William Blake???s lines???I give you the end of a goldenstring;Only wind it into a ball It will lead you in at Heaven???s gate Built in Jerusalem???s wall???and this became my working method winding a single tune around itself so that it gradually formed itselfinto amuch richer more complex texture. The process happens three times producing the equivalent of acontinuous three-movement concerto.The ???first movement??? is engendered by two solo violas (the melody at the beginning alreadyentwined witha slightly alternative version of itself). The ???slow movement??? (a more extended more decorated developmentof the opening tune) is introduced by a solo cello (soon winding itself into a quartet of celli). The fast???finale??? led by two solo violins focuses on decorations within the melody rolling out ribbons of (Britten-like') thirds.' - Judith WeirSuggested minimum strings: 8.6.4.4.2 players

The Black Waters for String Trio was composed by Peter Bruun in 2012. Parts are available: WH31595A Programme note The initial and prevailing theme is from the song 'Det Fagreste Træ' with lyrics by Ursula Andkjær Olsen and music by me. To this song I also owe the title of the piece. The melody in bar 187-217 is quoted from a pearl diver song from Bahrain recorded by the composer and music ethnologist Poul Rovsing-Olsen. Peter Bruun

String Quartet No.3 'Three Miniatures' was composed by Per Nørgård in 1959. Manuscript copy. Programme Note: The spectrum of sound the gesticulation in short the very nature of the strings has always had a central place in my output demonstrated by the numbers of string quartets concertos with string soloist chamber and solo works. The interest dates back to my school years when I was fortunate to be able to compose for a cello-playing schoolmate and to accompany him on the piano. I discovered then the innumerable nuances of sound and playing varieties offered by just one bow four strings and fivefingers... The Three Miniatures for string quartet has a consequent experimental structure that dictates every note in the three extremely short movements. Each member of the quartet thus plays his own little melody a certain (but different) number of times so that the brand new soundscopes constantly appear in spite of the unchanging parts due to their different length. Per Nørgård

Three Little Nocturnes was composed by Hans Abrahamsen in 2005. Commissioned by the Cikada Ensemble with support from NOMUS and written for Frode Haltli and the Cikada String Quartet. Programme Note: In the first nocturne a slow falling music emerges on an irregular pulse filled with high harmonics in the strings. The second nocturne is fast and unrestful music with a lot of passion which in a moment runs into a glimpse of a tango. In this movement the accordion is employed in its traditional fashion using the chord bass with its ?oom-pah-pah? standard chords. The third nocturne is again slow indeed very slow and ithas German tempo and expression markings. The piece ends with a lullaby in the accordion played with an unusual technique imitating the string portato. This is accompanied by high harmonics in the strings while the first violin slowly and softly plays a melody from the second nocturne.Hans Abrahamsen

A selection of folk ballads from England Ireland Scotland and Wales.A ballad is the blending of words the beauty of melody tone rhythm and expression. They reflect the history of a people their legends religion love and work. British ballads are renouned for their verse melodic construction and for the enormous range of expression.1 The Lass of Richmond Hill is a poem by Leonard McNally a barrister about a lass who became his wife in 1787. The music is by James Hook (1746 1827).2 Sally in our Alley. The words are by Henry Carey who also wrote the original music but this was replaced by the tune we now know an English traditionalmelody in 1790.3 Caller Herrin'. The poem is by Lady Nairne (1766 1845). Nathaniel Gow the famous Scottish violinist wrote the music in 1798 as a harpsichord piece combining the traditional Edinburgh fish wives cry Caller Herrin' with the bells of St Andrew's Church Edinburgh.4 Men of Harlech. The music is traditionally Welsh and the ballad probably originated from North Wales where the native princes had ruled the longest.5 David of the White Rock (Dafydd y Garres Wen). Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) wrote the words to this ballad The Dying Bard. David Owen the Welsh bard of the ballad composed the tune on his death-bed on awakening from a trance in which be believed himself to have heard the tune in heaven.6 Oft in the Stilly Night. The words describe an old man's memories of the smiles the tears of boyhood years. The eyes that shone now dimmed and gone and how oft in the stilly night he remembers other days. The ballad is by the Irish poet Thomas Moore (1779 1852) who set the words to a traditional air.7- The Meeting of the Waters. Written by Thomas Moore music Irish traditional.The Meeting of the Waters is the confluence of the rivers Avonmore and Avonberg in a beautiful valley near Avoca County Wicklow.8 Oh! Charlie is my Darlin'. The

Everyone will recognize this famous tango (also known as “The Dove”) and its signature traditional tango rhythms that mix triplets against dotted duple figures. Roberts new arrangement is well designed for stringensemble superblywritten with effective use of pizzicato easy tremolo and melody moments for all sections.

With the melody in all sections, everyone in your ensemble can enjoy the epitome of Baroque string playing. These energetic movements lay well in the hand of the player while making the performers sound virtuosic. Perfectly adapted by Jan Farrar-Royce, Vivaldi's 'Sinfonia for Strings, #1' will delight! (1:45) / Orchestre A Cordes

Chopin's lyrical piano melody translates effectively for strings in this lovely adaptation by veteran string writer and director Robert Longfield. Violin 1 is featured throughout against a blend of rich harmonies. An easy grade 2.