Filed under: string quartet
I would like to have a performance of this in my church for Veteran’s day but obviously we can’t have a full orchestra.
It was indeed originally the slow movement of Barber’s 1st String Quartet.
Jan
29
If I’m not mistaken, it was originally written for string quartet.
Google it, or check Wikipedia, quickest way to find out for sure.
Alberich
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It was indeed originally the slow movement of Barber’s 1st String Quartet.
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Yes, the above two answers are correct, it is/was originally a string quartet piece. And in my opinion, it’s MUCH more effective that way — so much more intimate. There’s a fantastic recording of it by the Emerson Quartet.
I’ve never seen the score for either version, but I’d be curious to know if the orchestral bass part is just doubling the cellos an octave lower, or if Barber has done some re-scoring to add the bass (obviously, there’s no bass part in the quartet version). Does anyone know? I only mention it because if the bass part IS more than just an octave-doubled cello part, you might need to do more than just read the top four string parts from your orchestral score…
Good luck!!
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