Dempsey and Firpo for string quartet CARL SCHIMMEL
Dempsey and Firpo for string quartet
CARL SCHIMMEL PROGRAM NOTES George Bellows is probably most famous for his series of boxing paintings, of which Dempsey and Firpo is one of his last. It depicts the 1923 fight between Jack Dempsey (the “Manassa Mauler”) and the Argentinian Luis Firpo (the “Wild Bull of the Pampas”), a battle which has often been called the most brutal and exciting boxing championship match ever. Within four minutes, there were 11 knockdowns; Bellows’ work captures the most thrilling moment of the match, when Firpo sent the champion Dempsey through the ropes and onto the press table at the end of the first round. Bellows’ style toward the end of his career embraced the principles of “Dynamic Symmetry,” an aesthetic stance which favored precisely arranged geometrical forms according to naturally occurring ratios. Dempsey and Firpo features a “root five rectangle,” which can be drawn in a series of steps using only a compass and straightedge. I used this process in selecting a group of chords and rhythms from which the movement is constructed. The five main sections of the piece are also in a corresponding ratio; the two “B” sections depict the fight itself (which was over in less than two rounds) while the “A” material portrays the excitement of the crowd. Dempsey and Firpo is approximately five and a half minutes in duration.
PERFORMANCE NOTES Dynamics and other performance indications should be followed carefully, but notice that there is not an abundance of such markings; this is to allow for the musician to bring his or her own musicality to the performance. If a phrase is simply marked piano, this does not indicate that the phrase should be played at a constant volume but rather with musical dynamic shading at an approximate piano dynamic level.
Dempsey and Firpo
Allegro ( ca. 96) (
)
(
(
)
)
1
Violin I
1
Violin II
1
Viola
1
Violoncello ( )
( )
A 7
(shape phrases) 5
7
5
5
5
subito 6
7
6
6
7
5
5
5
6
6
6
5
crescendo 6
subito
5
6
crescendo
5
5
6
6
6
crescendo 6
crescendo 5
3
3
feroce
5
3 3 10
3
3
3 5
10
5
5
5
6
6
6
5
5
5
6
6
6
5
6
6
crescendo
5
6
6
6
diminuendo
5 10
5
3
crescendo
diminuendo
crescendo 10
5
3
crescendo 3
5
3
3
3
3 3
13
B subito
6
6
crescendo poco a poco
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
13
subito
5 5
crescendo poco a poco
5 5
5 5
5
5 5
5
5 5
13
crescendo 13
crescendo
16
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
16
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
16
16
5
5
6
6
5
5
6
5
5
3
3
3
6
3
C 20
(shape phrases) 20
5
20
6
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
diminuendo 6
diminuendo 20
feroce
5
diminuendo 6
diminuendo
3 3 23
3
3
3 23
5
5
23
6
6
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
crescendo
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
subito
6
crescendo
3
5
5
3
3
D
! 6 5
26
5
5
5
5
!
26
6
6
6
6
!
3
26
5
!
3
6
subito
23
26
5
subito
subito
3
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
3
6
E 30
"
#
"
30
"
$
#
"
$ 5
30
"
#
"
30
3
"
$
$
$
#
"
F
3 3
36
3 36
36
36
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
5
G 40
pizz.
"
3
40
pizz.
pizz.
%
arco
"
3 40
%
arco
$
%
arco
"
3 3
$
$
%
40
"
3
*Vn. II gliss C to E 45
45
5
$ 5
45
5
5
5
5
5
5
sul pont. 5
6
6
6
6
6
sul pont.
$
6
6
sul pont. 5
ord.
sul pont.
ord.
sul pont.
3
6
crescendo
sul pont.
subito
ord.
crescendo
subito 45
5
*
subito 6
5
crescendo
49
6
6 49
ord.
5
(ord.)
ord.
6
ord.
49
(ord.)
6
6
6
5
5
5
5 49
6
6
6
6
5
5
5
6
5
5
6
(ord.)
5
5
5
6
3
5
5
5
3
3
6
H 53
Presto ( ca. 132)
&
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53
53
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53
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pizz.
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pizz.
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pizz.
58
58
58
pizz.
pizz.
)
pizz.
arco
, subito 63
,
pizz.
arco
arco
* ** *
+ ++ +
+arco+ + +
pizz.
sul pont.
pizz.
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*
+
"
ord.
+ +
+
sul pont.
* +
-
" sul pont.
* +
ord.
!
ord.
*
"
+
pizz.
pizz.
ord.
+
arco
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pizz.
arco
,
(pizz.)
arco
sul pont.
, subito
63
arco
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arco
63
63
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arco
58
I
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+
ord.
!
+ +
! pizz.
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+ ++ +
arco
!
68
68
68
J
! *
!
gliss. E to C#
* +
!
gliss. G to D#
>
.
.
.
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! " "
sul tasto
( 68
73
!
arco
*
73
73
.
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*
*
subito
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*
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! )
"
K
* 73
+
+ + + + + + +
pizz.
!
+
+
+
**** ++++
!
!
subito
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* *
**** ++++
****
!
++++ ! !
subito
subito
77
!
%
*
subito 77
77
77
! !
%
pizz.
+ ++ + + ++++ + %
pizz.
* ** * * **** *
+
!
+
arco
pizz.
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*
arco
pizz.
arco
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arco
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*
+ ++ + +
+
+
%
* * ********
+
* +
* ********
subito
! ! ! !
L sul pont. 81
81
81
81
! ! ! !
*
3
ord. gliss.
subito
+(
3
ord.
sul pont.
gliss.
5 gliss.
subito
5
(
(
(
(
(
(
5
+
%
5
ord.
sul pont.
* +
+ +
ord.
sul pont.
6
gliss.
+
%
6
5
+
+
( (
(
( (
(
+ +
% %
M Tempo I 85
+
%
.
. crescendo
85
85
85
% % %
.
*
/)
poco ritardando
/) crescendo
poco ritardando
(sul C, G)
* subito
/)
crescendo poco a poco
poco ritardando
/)
*
crescendo poco a poco
poco ritardando
3
(
)
(
)
(
)
/!)
91
*
3
/!)
91
*
3 91
5
5
5
6
6
6
subito 91
( )
( ) subito
/!) /!)
N 96
96
96
96
/!) /!)
3
3
/)
*
6
3
5
3
* 5
/!)
5
5
5
5:3
/)
"
/)
/) 6
! /)
6
/) 6
6
101
/)
6
3
/) 5
101
/)
* +
3
101
/)
6
5
" 101
6
3 3
/) /) /)
* sf
"
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
6
6
molto
"
5
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
5 6
3
105
5
5
5 6
6
5
5
5
5
+
3
3
3
105
3
3
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
*
6
6
*
a tempo
+
poco poco rit. a tempo
5
105
a tempo
+ +
3
poco poco rit.
5
5
+ +
poco poco rit. 6
6
5
5
3
5
105
5
+
gliss.
3
*
*
poco poco rit.
sf
a tempo
O 110
pizz.
arco
.
/) senza crescendo
110
pizz.
arco
.
110
subito arco
pizz.
0
0
0
0
0
5
/) senza crescendo
110
subito
0
0
/)
senza crescendo
0 senza crescendo
subito (arco)
/)
subito
6
5
Tempo II
. . .
P 115
6
subito
crescendo poco a poco
115
5
subito 115
115
pizz.
crescendo poco a poco
arco
pizz. arco 3
sf
** "
**
**
**
**
* *
* "*
**
**
**
**
* *
120
+ +
120
+ + + ++ +
120
* ***
* *
* * crescendo poco a poco
* ***
* *
crescendo poco a poco
* *
+ +
* *
+ ++ +
* *
+ +
* * * * **
120
* *
* ** *
* *
* *
* *
* ** * * *
* * * * * *
Q 125
125
125
+ + + + + +
+
++
+
++
+
++ (
125
+
* **** *
++ ++ ++ +
/!) /!) /!)
+
+ + + + + +
+
! 6
ord.
!
131
5
5
5
!
* *
* ***
!
* ** * ***
/!)
+
sul pont.
crescendo poco a poco
+ +
sul pont.
crescendo poco a poco sul pont.
(
! /)
"*
A Tempo (Tempo II)
+ + + + + + + + +
+
crescendo poco a poco 131
+
5
ord. 131
/!)
+
! + + + /)
6
/!)
+
+
+ + +
ord. 131
+
R As Fast as Possible
3
(quasi una ritardando)
3
(quasi una ritardando)
3
(quasi una ritardando)
.
S Tempo I
3
( 135
)
!
135
)
!
135
135
.
)
!
)
!
)
!
5
5
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
! ! !
()
T 141
!
/!)
!
/!)
!
/!)
!
/!)
!
6 141
!
5
5
6
6
6 141
!
141
!
3 146
146
3
+2 3
+2 3
+2 +3
3
1 +2 3
+2 3
+2 +3
3
1 +2
+2
+2 +3
2
2
+2
* 1
*
! ! 3
146
! 3 3
146
! 3
1