My string sextet. Trying to marry contemporary-ish music with classical forms.

Hi! I'd like to share my newest completed work, a chamber piece that I started in 2019.

Movements:

0:03 I. Allegro, ma un poco a capriccio – Tempo giusto

7:24 II. Scherzo-blues: Allegro con fuoco

11:21 III. Andantino innocente

17:48 IV. Finale: Allegro vivo

Some words on the music (that you don't need to read LMAO):

This sextet features my usual blend of classical structures with 20th century musical aesthetics, combining high and low art almost indistinctly.

The first movement is laid out in sonata form, and features music of a generally assertive character and with a very strong rhythmic element. After the severity of the opening, there are occasional moments of comic relief, with the final coda actually ending on a decidedly farcical tone.

The second movement (Scherzo-blues) is laid out in ternary “A-B-A” form. The “A” section is in turn in binary form with repeats, with each half following a 8-bar blues and a 12-bar blues respectively. The movement ends with another whimsical coda.

The third movement is laid out in a loose ternary form. It starts as a carefree waltz, but it becomes darker as the music progresses, leading up to a phantasmagorical central section with muted strings.

The last movement is in sonata form. In this movement, the comical element that appeared sporadically in the previous movements finally triumphs, with playful blues melodies and ragtime rhythms appearing almost throughout. In this movement, the “severe” side is in minority, appearing in the secondary theme but being defeated every time. The movement concludes with a busy, climactic coda that draws the whole piece to a frenetic close.

Among other things, the sextet features some *relatively* unconventional textures, such as employing the instruments as percussion, passages almost completely based on natural harmonics, and several onomatopoeias (shrieks, sneezes, wails, and all kinds of "shrwooomps" and "flazzzzzzzzs").

Nice job!  I liked the finale the best with it's upbeat, syncopated (although I guess all of your stuff seems somewhat syncopated) and lyrical melodies.  Also, the passage employing only natural harmonics gave a very eerie effect which I've never heard before.  I find myself humming the melodies from this movement as they're quite catchy but, at least for me, the material from the other movements is more easily forgettable.  Thanks for an enjoyable musical experience!

On 6/15/2021 at 1:02 AM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

Nice job!  I liked the finale the best with it's upbeat, syncopated (although I guess all of your stuff seems somewhat syncopated) and lyrical melodies.  Also, the passage employing only natural harmonics gave a very eerie effect which I've never heard before.  I find myself humming the melodies from this movement as they're quite catchy but, at least for me, the material from the other movements is more easily forgettable.  Thanks for an enjoyable musical experience!

 

Thanks! I feel flattered that you listened the whole piece 😄