Program Note

String Quartet No.1 was the end result of my search for new techniques on string instruments in late 2014. I have been experimenting with new extended techniques for many years and have been trying to compile them in one platform. That platform, I decided, would be best as a string quartet. There are five small movements within the quartet. The first movement, Prelude,introduces many gestures in the form of tension and release. The second movement, Chorale, begins with the viola and cello playing the special technique “traveling wood bow.” The first and second violins join the chorale, playing the same technique an octave higher. The chorale reaches its highest point when the violins hit the strings in a resounding fortissimo. The first violin plays a short cadenza leading the movement to a fading finale. Interlude starts with “trilling” glissandos going up and down. This texture continues throughout the movement and plays the role of a transitional figure. This transition leads us to Lamento, where the second violin introduces the main, leading voice. The first violin joins and they converse as a duo. The viola and cello clap as an accompaniment and rhythmical addition to the violins. These roles reverse in the next section. Finale begins with the introduction from the first movement and varies the idea of the main gesture. The main gesture intensifies in all instruments and reaches a climactic final passage. Ali Can Puskulcu