Sentimental Minuet in A Minor for String Quartet

Hello everyone, 

I upload here the arrangement for String Quartet I made of my "Sentimental Minuet for Piano". It was originally a saxophone quartet but I realized the melody was always played by the top instrument and it felt repetitive. I tried rearranging the saxophone quartet but it became too hard. Since I understand string instruments a little better I turned it into a string quartet to be able to arrange something less repetitive with the melody going through all the different instruments. 

Any feedback about the arrangement or the composition itself is more than welcome!

Thank you and hope you enjoy it!

------- Original Piano Piece -----------

Gorgeous! You use the voices quite well here. I think this piece really shines in the parts that have rests. I think this is mostly because it feels like you are using the instruments the most you can, and if the harmony doesn't need more notes, you leave them out. You create some extraordinary beauty in those moments. I think your rests really allow the feeling of "Sentimentality" rise out. That along with your gorgeous harmony. 

First, thank you so much for sharing this with us. 

Writing for a small an ensemble (a string quartet) is allows you focus harmony and melody and the elements of orchestration: foreground, middle ground, and background.  Thus, that is how I will do review and critique of your piece. 

I appreciate how your passed around the theme between viola and violins: this creates a different timber in the section string. Although it is the foreground, the violins can soar higher than the violas and carry more when the melody becomes more dramatic. 

Maybe, the pizz with the accent is seem a bit odd.... It is too sudden..

If this suppose to be a minute, I would feel, that double and cello create figured bass line, perhaps.