# String Quartet 2nd Movement and 3rd Movement



## ScipioAfricanus (Jan 7, 2010)

These are my first attempt in the form
2nd movement
http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/a5b2ddbe5ecfa89f369e16b6a37aa0f18c9249d3

3rd movement
http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/80955e28c098c79492956f0ba3a329e795e94201


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

I like the third movement - particularly the trio!


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## ScipioAfricanus (Jan 7, 2010)

thanks Ramako


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## StevenOBrien (Jun 27, 2011)

*Second movement*
Feels more like an Andante than an Allegretto.

You have some very nice ideas here, but the voice leading isn't fantastic, which is making the music feel pretty incohesive. I'd strongly recommend pursuing studies in harmony/counterpoint/voice leading. The progressions in bar 3 and 7 sound particularly faulty, just for reference.

In bars 1 and 2, any particular reason why you're doubling notes in the second violin that are already being played in the first violin? For the quiet tone of the piece, it seems unnecessary, and you're emphasizing some notes so much here that the melody in the first violin in the second bar just sounds extremely weak. The playback exaggerates this of course, but in real life, there would probably be a noticeable difference too. It's just inconsistent.

In bar 3 "slowly". Perhaps a ritardando, rubato or a fermata would be better here to better clarify what you want exactly?

The variations are quite nice, but again, the voice leading is just ruining them a little, making the chord progressions feel more random than they actually are.

Bar 33, in the cello. More time should probably be given for the cello to swtich from pizz to arco, especially seeing as you start them on a double stop.

Bar 35. You don't need a hairpin and a crescendo marking here. What is going on with the tremolos :S? Just write a whole note with a tremolo marking over it.

Bar 44. You should probably write this fermata for all instruments.

In the variation that starts at bar 53, the voice leading really starts to fall apart. I don't even know what chord we're meant to be in during bar 54/55. It sucks, because the ideas you have going seem pretty interesting.

Bar 65. Gah! I don't understand how the second violinist is meant to play those triple stops? They move far too quickly for comfort. Same in the following bars, the change is way too quick, and it seems a little unnecessary.

Bar 72. This might be too fast for the cello.

Also, you should probably add more dynamic markings throughout the piece.

*Third movement*
This is an allegro, not a presto.

It makes me smile . You have so many good ideas here, but the voice leading is again hindering things a LOT. I'd love to hear this movement performed on real instruments and reworked after voice leading studies, please update us if you manage to organize something!

Bar 8/10, you should slur the grace notes here to the main notes.

Bar 24, in the second violins. I hope you understand that triple stops can only really be played with an arpeggiation of the lowermost note, so this passage would be extremely difficult to execute, and probably wouldn't give you the effect that you want.

26, violas/cellos, you can just write "pizz." here.

Bar 40, did you mean to arco the second violins here?! You can't expect them to play pizzicato at that speed!

The trio is VERY nice, and is very nice in contrast to the scherzo. There are places which you need to tidy up and change multiple rests in empty bars into single wholes rests. Also, at the end of 108, there's an erroneous tie.

Apart from that, I don't really have any other criticism. Just work on your voice leading and everything should be fantastic! Masterful work!


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## ScipioAfricanus (Jan 7, 2010)

thanks for these insights. I appreciate them wholeheartedly. I will tidy up the score over time, as I start working on the first and fourth movements. I am currently going through Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music. I should finish in about a year in part time studies. It will greatly improve my writing.


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

StevenOBrien said:


> Bar 40, did you mean to arco the second violins here?! You can't expect them to play pizzicato at that speed!


I was wondering about that myself. It has a nice effect, a bit like Greek folk music type thing. The effect is in the upper line of this, but isn't exactly the thing I'm thinking about:






Granted it's a different instrument, but I suppose a similar idea may be possible on the violin.


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## ScipioAfricanus (Jan 7, 2010)

I heard Elgar used pizz tremolo in his violin concerto.


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## StevenOBrien (Jun 27, 2011)

Hmm, interesting. I'd still check it out with a violist though, just to be sure.


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