This work, composed for Children's Voices and String Quartet, was commissioned by the Young People's Chorus of New York City. / Quatuor A Cordes

Only The Wind (2006) for Overtone Singer and String Quartet by Søren Nils Eichberg. The Ovetone Singer part part may be performed by the Viola Player from the String Quartet or by a singer alone ad lib. Parts are available: WH31535A

Born in South Africa, but now an Irish citizen, Kevin Volans' musical idiom has been shaped by an unusually diverse range of experiences, including studies with Stockhausen in Cologne, field trips to South Africa to study traditional music, his own involvement with the New Simplicity movement, his collection of contemporary art and African textiles, friendships with composers like Morton Feldman and Gerald Barry, as well as a love of virtuoso piano music which he performs, broadcasts and records. While having an easily recognised, unique voice, Volans' music resists compartmentalisation. He is as comfortable working in conventional genres as embarking on innovative collaborations with artists of other disciplines.String Quartet #1 (White Man Sleeps) was written for the Kronos Quartet and was first performed by them in July 1986, London.The title 'White Man Sleeps' comes from a moment in nyanga Panpipe music where the performers leave off playing their loud pipes for a few cycles and dance only to the sound of their ankle rattles, to let the white landowner sleep - for a minute or two.'In composing this piece I drew from the following sources: the first movement owes something to the style of Basotho concertina music - the second and fourth movements are drawn from traditional Nyungwe music played by Makina Chirenje and his Nyanga panpipe group at Nsava, Tete, Mozambique, recorded and transcribed by Andrew Tracey (to be found in an article entitled 'The nyanga Panpipe dance' in African Music, Vol.5, #1 (1971) - the third movement derives from the San bow music (recorded by Tony Traill of the University of Witwatersrand) and from Basotho lesiba music, transcribed by myself - in the fifth movement I added my own invented folklore. My approach to the original music was anything but purist - it is played in Western tuning, filtered, slowed down by a few 'time-octaves?, cast into non-African metres (like the 13-beat pattern of the first dance) and redistributed between the players in several ways. I also used interlocking techniques where they were absent in the original models and vice versa' - Kevin VolansDuration 24 minutes. Parts available: CH61205. / Quatuor A Cordes (Conducteur)

Commissioned by the Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts Limited with funds provided by the Arts Council of Wales for premiere in August 2012 by the Carducci String Quartet in St. Andrew?s Church Presteigne.Composer's Note'Some years ago I noted down the opening theme of what I anticipated would be a relatively Classical string quartet ?Classical? in the sense of the forms adopted plus perhaps a predominantly lyrical tone of voice. The commission for this work from the Presteigne Festival for their 30th anniversary in 2012 gave me the opportunity of putting into practice this long-held idea. It isdedicated to the Festival and to the Carducci Quartet whose career as much-admired friends and colleagues I have greatly enjoyed.The only break with ?classical? tradition is that there are five movements instead of four with two Scherzi as the second and third though both these are very short and contrasting. I found myself listening to Haydn?s string quartets a lot before and during the composition of this work and I hope the spirit of his delight in writing for this medium is echoed in my own music. The opening movement is in sonata form unusually for me and lyricism is I hope the basis of it though there is a good deal of activity at times. The Scherzo light and marked by frequently-changing rhythms is followed by an equally short but ferocious Perpetuum mobile marked Wild und rasch (one of my favourite German tempo markings). The fourth movement is an intense Adagio in which a single phrase uttered strongly in unison is gradually transformed into gentle diatonic chords before the close intermingled with cadenzas for cello for viola and for the two violins together. The finale (a Rondo) resumes the classical tone of the first movement but apart from one dance-like episode it builds up a fair head of steam towards a final Presto which however ascends slows and quietens towards a gentle summer sky at dusk.'

The Ecstasies Above commissioned from the Robert Baker Commissioning Fund for Sacred Music by Yale Institute of Sacred Music was premièred by Yale Schola Cantorum under the direction of Simon Carrington on 4th March 2007 in Woolsey Hall Yale University. The minimum number of singers required is 16 (two each per chorus part together with the solo voices); however a larger number for the main chorus (16-32 voices for example) is more suitable. The string quartet and the two solo vocal quartets should be placed in front of the chorus. The vocal quartets should be spatially separated from each other. Depending on the venue and the size of the chorus the string quartetmay need to be amplified.

All In One for 3 String Quartets was composed by Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen in 2013 (String Quartet No.12 13 and 14 played simultaneously). Gudmundsen-Holmgreen has written a collection of three new string quartets: String Quartet no. 12 ‘Each in Each’; String Quartet no. 13 ‘Mutual Ordering’ and String Quartet no. 14 ‘Well-Tuned Sounds’. Each quartet can be played on its own; they can also played simultaneously in any combination. When all three quartets are played together as they are tonight the combined work is titled All in One. About this collection Gudmundsen-Holmgreenwrites: 'Some years ago Kronos and the vocal group Theatre of Voices performed three new pieces which I had written for the two groups: one for Theatre of Voices (Green) and two for Kronos (New Ground and No Ground). They were played and sung by each group independently – but also both groups together concurrently on top of each other as a final gesture. The combined pieces were called New Ground Green and No Ground Green. 'David liked the idea (and the result) of pairs of quartets that could be played both independently and simultaneously and asked me if the vocal quartet could be transformed into a string quartet. It could not. He then asked me to repeat the whole set-up with a new pair of quartets adding also some percussion instruments as was the case with Green for Theatre of Voices. Of course this was tempting. Furthermore David asked me to make one of the two new quartets a little easier to play. 'I began to work. The Kronos part of the pair of quartets turned out to be tough to play as David puts it. Unfortunately the ‘easier’ one was tough to play also! So I had to write one more which was then a little easier still (but still not easy). 'The three new works can be played separately and on top of each other in many different combinations resulting in different kinds of

Sing Out Dear Children-This edition of the work from the early 1600s offers great versatility for the singers. The SSAATTB setting for young choirs and beyond allows the treble parts to be sung by soloists or a smaller mixed choir. Instruments may also be substituted for voices. For a bigger performance you may combine several choirs and add optional strings to the continuo. Available separately: SSAATTB Instrumental Accompaniment (Score and Parts for Strings). Duration: ca. 4:00.

For Clarinet solo with wind quartet and string quartet. Score OnlyFirst performed by Michael Collins Clarinet London Winds and the Endellion String Quartet on 27th January 2011 at the Wigmore Hall London.Scoring:Solo ClarinetFluteOboeBassoonFrench Horn2 ViolinsViolaCelloDuration:circa 13 minutes'During a visit to the exhibition of Francis Bacon at the Tate Gallery in December 2008my eye fell on Figure in a Landscape 1945 which resonated in me powerfully. It is a sceneof devastation and despair and also it seemed to me of latent anger and hostility... butabove it all a serene blue sky beckons. So perhaps even in the darkest moments there is aglimmer of hope - the possibility of change.This idea became the starting point for this work - Towards the Blue - a mini concerto forclarinet who eventually becomes the leader of the group.The work starts without the clarinet and all is desolate yet fiercely argumentative discordant and uncomfortable. Suddenly the offstage clarinet is heard and the players insurprise are quietened. However when the clarinet enters and approaches with a lyricalmusical motif some of the players respond others resist. Gradually the clarinetpersuades the dissident voices to join him in a spirit of co-operation and harmony.A brief memory of the opening desolation casts a momentary shadow which is quicklydispelled by the coda marked Gioioso.'Thea Musgrave (May 13th 2010)Parts available for hire separately

Fragment for String Quartet is an arrangement of an extract from And there was a great calm a Diptych for string orchestra and upper voices.

Edited by Lionel Pike.Anthem for voice choir soloists strings keyboard and instrumental continuo.

This four-movement work represents the composer's desire 'to write a piece of real chamber music intimate and conversational in tone drawing the listener into its worlds'. The result he writes 'is a rather inward-looking reflective work not without a capricious aspect but only occasionally raising its voice.'.

for 2 Violins, Viola and Violoncello. Par SCHUMANN ROBERT. 'The next I'll do is 3 violin quartets' wrote Schumann to Clara Wieck in 1838, stating his reasons in a letter dated 17 March 1838: 'The thought of the quartets gives me pleasure. The piano is getting too narrow for me. In composing now I often hear a lot of things that I can barely suggest. For instance, it is remarkable how I invent almost everything canonically and never discover the imitating voices until afterward, very often in inversions, inverted rhythms.' The new urtext edition is based on the text of the Schumann Complete Edition./ Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes

Par SCHLEE THOMAS DANIEL. For composer Thomas Daniel Schlee, the 'intimate sound possibilities of the string quartet” have the potential 'to formulate an, albeit 'only' individual, solution to the somewhat forlorn condition of new art music within society that we are unfortunately experiencing today.” Schlee's Fourth String Quartet opens with a pure C major sound, out of which he develops a harmonically free band of voices: 'The pure as a source, not pleasing”! After a melodically dominating episode and a continuation of the 'swinging tone-motion from the beginning”, a thematically solidified section follows. It is met by a second, more extensive melodic episode, followed by a 'nightly scene”. Coming full circle, the opening music of the piece finds its continuation, leading into a lament – first articulated by the ensemble, then finally as 'the viola's long, forlorn search for the melody symbolizing a farewell.”/ Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes