# Sloppy Joe's Prototype for String Quartet



## violadude (May 2, 2011)

So this is my new piece for String Quartet called "Sloppy Joe's Prototype". I named it that because this piece is a little bit experimental for me. I took a "Writing for String Quartet" class this semester and since I am already pretty familiar with writing for a string quartet I took the opportunity to try some ideas that I was a little bit uncomfortable with. So, since this piece is an experiment for me, that means it's not really my best piece technically, just my most daring. It's not nearly as well organized as I would like it to be. It's sort of "sloppy" with how I put it together. And so I'd like to take the ideas from this piece and expand on them in a later and better string quartet. That's why I see this piece as a prototype.

The performance has much to be desired (the 1st half of the piece should have been a lot more steady than it was, for example). But that's just because this is the type of piece that needs more than 2 rehearsals. The players are really great and I'm really grateful for them playing my piece, but they only got two rehearsals and of those two rehearsals, my piece only got 1/9th of the time (there were 9 people in the class). So with those conditions, it would have been hard to get a really good performance regardless of how good the players were.

Anyway, enjoy.

Feedback is much appreciated.

Performance:

__
https://soundcloud.com/roderick-borcherding%2Fsloppy-joes-prototype-for-string-quartet

Score: http://www.scribd.com/doc/220352959/Sloppy-Joe-s-Prototype-For-String-Quartets


----------



## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

Thanks for posting it. I listened twice, once just listening, the second with the score. I enjoyed it (and it was helpful to see what you were doing). A couple of places in particular caught my ear: the early cello pizzicato section (beginning measure 14 in section A, if I'm reading the divisions in your score correctly) and what I would call the Renaissance viol section (section G--I hope I'm hearing that right). All the best.


----------



## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Very cool piece, vd. My favorite part is the one that starts at page 6 (a few bars earlier, actually). The tense and flowing calm interrupted from time to time by violent bursts, reminded me a bit to E.Carter. You use in the viola and second violin the exact device to achieve this tense, steady and flowing calm, which is the combination of triplets with dotted notes (it makes the pulse 'fuzzy' and that's what gives the sense of "smooth and steady flow", like a dense fluid, slowly moving), similar to the opening of Ligeti's Kammerkonzert.

In general, I really loved the atmosphere (reminded me to some kind of second viennese school existential anguish), the effects and techniques, the juxtapositions and rapidly changing textures.


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

aleazk said:


> Very cool piece, vd. My favorite part is the one that starts at page 6 (a few bars earlier, actually). The tense and flowing calm interrupted from time to time by violent bursts, reminded me a bit to E.Carter. You use in the viola and second violin the exact device to achieve this tense, steady and flowing calm, which is the combination of triplets with dotted notes (it makes the pulse 'fuzzy' and that's what gives the sense of "smooth and steady flow", like a dense fluid, slowly moving), similar to the opening of Ligeti's Kammerkonzert.
> 
> In general, I really loved the atmosphere (reminded me to some kind of second Viennese school existential anguish), the effects and techniques, the juxtapositions and rapidly changing textures.


Seconding a lot of this! I give you a reserved _congratulations_ only in accordance with your own thoughts on the piece. What I hear, the quality is very high, the technical adeptness quite there, and most importantly, the _je ne sais quois_ which differentiates those with only the technical skills from those who are technically adept _and whose music seems to communicate something_ -- on the latter you have my unreserved and hearty congratulations 

Your interpolated and juxtaposed materials are very effective, your skill has the tension, dramatic and near 'conversational' interruptions quite successfully working, and though I agree with you the overall piece sounds more like a series of (very well-related) full sketches, I also agree with your idea to more fully develop the piece to perhaps a greater length of overall greater integrity.

What did surprise me a bit, and this has very much to do with my personal taste and preferences, is while I find those events well-framed and strategically situated, they sound very 'solo melodic,' the rest being supportive (very well written) background -- like one singer and an accompaniment (though the 'voice' changes dependent upon which quartet member is 'solo.') As per my taste, and my ear's preference, I feel a want to hear a bit more polyphony and inter-dialectic between those more contrasting and interpolated solo elements, an overlapped 'dialogue' of events. What you have made is inherently dramatic, ergo, I would ask yourself the if of: _why not let your 'main characters' become more inter-connectively involved?_ 

Since this may be a 'work in progress,' I first thank you for presenting it (I think it is 'brave,' even if that sounds a bit silly,) and hope that whatever is said in this thread, that none of it influences you in any way and _that you keep your own compass and continue and do with this piece what and as you will_.

Your craft and instincts are quite fine, to me look and sound both musically and emotionally intelligent: they are yours, so please use, follow and pursue those.

Again, I'm delighted for you, and congratulations!


----------

