# Redid My Arrangement of Greensleeves for String Quartet--Opinions?



## arturo (Apr 15, 2012)

It's supposed to be gig music. I'm an amateur arranger/composer. I would appreciate feedback!

http://musescore.com/arturo_hernandez/greensleeves-quartet-2


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## wogandmush (Nov 28, 2012)

Some criticism: 

Why is the opening three-bars long? The effect here is poor. A four bar opening (including an upbeat at the start) would be more effective.

The constant root-third-fifth ostinato ('cello in the opening, then taken up by second violin in A section etc) could be made more effective by use of inversions etc to make it smoother and more even. As it is, the effect is of poor voice progression and unevenness of sonority.

I would repeat this first section. This would give the succeeding section a greater feeling of contrast.

Perhaps you might drop that 8th note ostinato from the 'slower' section to give more contrast with the previous section. As it is the piece is quite mono textural. 

The same section cadences poorly. Give it a good strong cadence (perhaps a semicadence?) Also there are some bits in the melody which are simply no good, particularly that 'b' in on the 6th beat of bar 14 (which stands out because it is a non chord tone which is lept from) and the 'f' and 'g' in bar 18, second dotted crotchet, which might be improved by changing the chord to an E major and changing the melody to harmonic minor (i.e. f#-g#). (Obviously to make this a half cadence the melody here must change completely.)

In the last section, the first violin is way too high for way too long (not to mention the repeat). No matter how potent your musical virility, no piece of music can climax for 3/5ths of its length.

The 'c' in the second violin, bar 31 is simply wrong and should be changed to a 'b'.

The use of a first inversion dominant in the penultimate bar detracts from the feeling of finality. Change this to a perfect authentic cadence.


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