String Quartet No. 1 "Love Boat Quartet" - Robert Paterson (Perusal Score)

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Program Notes

My original intent with this work was to write a set of four independent miniatures. After writing the first maximally-sized one, I decided to change course: these four “miniatures” are now my String Quartet No. 1.

Although these four movements are designed to be independent, small amounts of material are used interchangeably between each movement. Most notably, material from the first two movements is used in the third, and material from the third movement is used in the fourth.

The most prominent aural feature of the first movement, Fast and Sprightly, is the recurring “clarion” motive. This motive evolves into various thematic gestures and also reappears in the next two movements. Another prominent feature of the first movement is the use of jazz references. The string quartet is required to “swing,” a style of playing usually only utilized by jazz musicians and big bands.

The second movement, Logy, begins by parodying North American, southern-style country waltzes. While composing this movement, I had visions of my mother interrupting “Three good ol’ boys fiddlin’ on a porch in Rabun Gap, GA,” quipping at them to stop. The quipping is represented by the first violinist interjecting the “Rob–ert” theme. This strange, surrealistic daydream probably originates from memories of my mother calling my name from the other side of the bedroom door when I was a boy.

A section called “Andrew Lloyd Webber Disease” occurs in the middle of the second movement. This section is a schizophrenic alternation of a sick, dissonant, violin duo with an Andrew Lloyd Webber-sounding viola and cello duo. By the end of the movement, my mother joins the “Good ol’ boys” for a final song, after they have all become sick from eating too many boiled peanuts.

The third movement, Sad, Luscious Adagio, uses material from the first and second movements, but at a much slower tempo. Each player has a featured solo in this movement: the cellist plays a solo in double-stops and the violinist plays one made up of almost entirely artificial harmonics. The second violin and viola solos are intended to highlight the instruments’ singing qualities and the performers’ lyrical abilities. As with Logy, I use material recycled from previous movements.

Although the fourth movement, Energetic Polka, is not a strict polka, it has a polka-like beginning. It also contains a few short “quotes,” the most notable one being the appropriation of the melodic line from the theme song from the television show The Love Boat

Material from other movements is also used in Energetic Polka, particularly by the cello. The cellist never has a chance to play the “Pseudo-fugato” theme in Logy, so the cellist “aggressively” reintroduces it in this movement. Energetic Polka ends with a section entitled “Hyperfast shimmy and shake.”

General

( – long fermata

& – short fermata

, – brief pause

n – niente

Explanation of Notation

/ – subito (when placed before a dynamic, i.e. / f )

´ – short staccato (staccatissimo)

^ – hard accent

Ÿ~ – indicates regular trills (a whole step or smaller) and wide trills (i.e. “trill tremolos”)

I – Let note ring/vibrate indefinitely until the sound dies out naturally—do not dampen

π – dampen all strings

$ – raise a note 1/4 step

ı – lower a note 1/4 step

( ) – all markings in parenthesis (senza vibrato), ( f ) etc… are courtesy/cautionary markings.

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• All grace notes (including beamed grace notes) are to be played immediately before the beat they proceed. They are to be played very close to the beat, as fast as possible.

• All accidentals last for the entire measure, unless they are canceled out by another accidental (such as a natural sign). Acciden tals are good only for the line or space they are on.

Any other non-standard notation is explained in the score and the parts.

World Premiere

Cornell Contemporary Chamber Players, Cornell University, Barnes Hall, October 26, 1997

World Premiere Recording

The Indianapolis Quartet: Robert Patetrson – String Quartets 1-3, American Modern Recordings (2022), AMR1054

Duration of String Quartet No 1: ca. 22’00”

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& B B

& & B B

& B ?

& & B B

& & B ?

II. Logy (lo'ge) – –

& & B ?

& & B ?

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*) Changes in tempo from here until m. 63 should be very abrupt, like quickly changing the channel on an old television, so if possible, there should be no pauses betwen the tempo changes. **) = fingernail pizzicato: pluck string with a fingernail, in this case a fingernail of the left hand.

1This schizophrenic psychosis is initially marked by a craving for trite, shallow music; this is then followed by an intense, often violent desire to hear or play anything substantial and/or dissonant.

80 R œ ‰ . 3 Œ J œ i > Œ 6

pizz. f ƒ gl. Œ J œ œ ^

Œ J œ b . ^ Œ J œ i ^ ‰ œ b . v œ . > œ b . > œ n . > R œ n > ‰ . Œ J œ b i ^ ‰ J œ œ . ‰ J œ œ . ‰ J œ œ . ‰ naturale ƒ gl.

R œ ‰ . pizz. arco pizz. f

STRING QUARTET NO. 1 16 PERUSAL

Ó Œ 3

œ ¨ œ ˘ œ ˘ œ 0 > œ b Œ 3 Œ J œ b ¨ Ó J œ œ . ‰ J œ œ . ‰ J œ œ . ‰ J œ œ . ‰ œ # 3 œ ‰ Œ 3

arco f ƒ

Œ J œ œ ^

œ ^ œ œ œ œ œ b Œ 3 Œ J œ b œ i œ i œ i œ i J œ œ ‰ J œ œ ‰ J œ œ ‰ J œ œ ‰ œ # 3 œ ‰ Œ 3

Œ J œ œ ^

pizz. arco ƒ III arco II III II F f ƒ gl.

3 R œ ≈ ≈ ‰ Œ Œ 3

gl. & & B ?

œ . ^ œ . > œ . > œ 0 > œ b Œ 3 Œ J œ b ¨ Ó J œ œ b . ‰ J œ œ . ‰ J œ œ . ‰ J œ œ . ‰ œ b 3 œ ‰ Œ 3

ƒ

Œ J œ œ n ^

pizz. f ƒ gl.

R œ # ‰ . 3 Œ J œ b ¨ Œ œ b ^ œ . v œ . > œ # fl œ . > œr fl ‰ . Œ œ n v J œ œ b . ‰ J œ œ . ‰ J œ œ . ‰ œ œ > œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b 3 œ ‰ Œ 3

˙ œ œ b > ˙ œ œ > œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ . œ œ > ˙ b œ œ ^

Œ J œ œ n ^

pizz. arco arco f ƒ

F f F f gl. F f gl. F f gl.

& & B ?

STRING QUARTET NO. 1 19

œ œ œ h j œ I ‰ œ b I ‰ j œ j œ I ‰ 113 . ˙ ˙ . ˙ # . . œ œ œ h œ œ œ h œ œ œ œ œ œ h œ œ œ . . œ œ œ h œ œ œ

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œ œ œ œ b œ œ # ^ œ œ n œ n œ # œ œ œ œ . > œ # v œ œ œ œ œ b b h œ œ œ h ‰ J œ œ œ h J œ œ œ h ‰ œ œ œ h 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3

b œ œ > œ œ # œ œ # ≈ œ A > œ œ œ ƒ ƒ

*) A guitar pick may be used (felt or thin plastic suggested).

ƒ obtrusive

œ œ l œ œ œ h ‰ ñ ñ ƒ

f ƒ f

115 . . œ œ œ œ > œ œ œ œ r œœ b ≈ ‰ Œ œœ fl œœ œœ ≈ 3

œ œ œ h > œ œ œ l œ œ œ h ‰ J œ œ œ h œ œ œ . . œ œ œ h œ œ œ œ # i >

. œ b œ > œ ≈ œ > œ œ ‰ J œ œ œ b b h J œ œ œ h ‰ œ œ œ h œ œ . J œ œ ≈ œ # > œ œ œ . J œ ≈ ‰ œœ b fl œœ . . œ œ œ h œ œ œ h œ œ œ œ œ œ h œ œ œ . . œ œ œ h œ œ œ œ # I >

œ # > œ N œ œ # œ # œ Œ œœ b b fl œœ . œœ . ≈ Œ . . œ œ œ h œ œ œ h œ œ œ œ œ œ b h œ œ œ . . œ œ œ n h œ œ œ I > œ

ƒ f

&

B ?

III. Sad, Luscious Adagio

& & B ?

& & B ?

*) = fingernail pizzicato: pluck string with a fingernail, in this case a fingernail of the left hand.

& & B ?

F F F

œ # œ œ # œ n œ b œ œ # œ œ œ N b œ œ œ œ > œ œ œ œ #

œ œ œ . œ . œ ¨ œ > œ # œ ä œ . œ . œ # œ n > œ b >œ œ œ œ # œ ˘ œ œ œ ‰ J œ œ N b œ œ œ œ > œ œ œ œ # >

π F π F π F p f p

œ b Œ œœ ˘ œœ ˘ ‰ œ # >

œ b Œ œœ ˘ œœ ˘ ‰ œ b >

œ b > œ œ œ Œ œ ˘ œ ˘ ‰ œ > ‰ œœ ˘ œœ ˘ œœ ˘ œœ

& B B

& & B B

IV. Energetic Polka

& B ?

F f F f ƒ

Œ Œ ‰ œ fl œ . œ œ b œ b œ b œ J œ ‰ œ < œ < r œ b I ‰ . Œ Œ

F light senza sordino F P p F

Idea stolen from Bartok's 4th String Quartet, mvt.

V,

mm.

162-164,

œ b œ > œ œ œ N Œ Œ ‰ R œ b ˘ ≈

STRING QUARTET NO. 1 38 *)

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P p

P ñ senza sordino p F

œ < Œ ˙

œ b . œ . œ b . œ . œ b œ œ œ œ œ b œ b œ . œœ œ . ‰ J œ > ∑

violoncello.

p F p

. ˙ œ b œ b œ œ b œ b œ œ œ œ . œ . œ . œ . Œ ˙

90 œ œ b > œ œ A œ œ b œ b œ œ œ b R œ œ œ b N I i . I ‰ . Œ Œ . ˙

85 œ b œ œ œ œ ‰ œr fl ≈ ‰ J œ b ^ œ œ œ ¯ œ 86 ∑ R œ ≈ ‰ ‰ J œ b ¨ œ œ b ˘ œ n œ b œ . œœ œ ˘ ‰ J œ b ^ œ b œ Ó Œ ‰ j œ N v

f f f f

œ œ b œ b œ œ b > œ œ œ ∑ . ˙

& B ?

& B ?

& & B ?

& B ?

& & B ?

& & B ?

arco f

f

œœ b b > œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ . ≈

œœ # # ^ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ