Sydney Hodkinson

String Quartet No. 2

The Second and Third Quartets were conceived at the same time; indeed; their composition intermingled; over half of No. 3 being sketched before No. 2 was completed. Accordingly; they share similar material but; like the intertwining blood of cousins; their natures differ: No. 2 being somewhat acerbic and declamatory; No. 3 more lyric and gentler. An annunicatory ‘leaping motive' (derived from a motto generated by my name) opens Quartet No. 2 and inhabits the course of the piece as a cyclical binding-force. A five-note motive; usually very deliberate; also keeps recurring like an insistent caller. All three movements are based on tonal centers (I on B and E; II on D; III on C) and the harmonic ‘grammar' spoken tends to recall the jazz world of my youth. To hopefully achieve a certain classical ambience was one of the goals of this piece; and all three movements have traditional forms. The first movement is a modified Sonata-Allegro design; with a severely-truncated recapitulation balanced by a lengthy; and decaying Coda. The second movement is a set of strophic variants and an epilogue interspersed with both solo ritornelli and first-movement material (the motto and the five-note motive) in the nature of a fantasia-like ‘call-and-response.' It is dedicated to the memory of the American mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani. The third movement is a modified Rondo (ABACBA) which evolves out of the opening motto. All three movements make much use of canonic stretti; similar gestures; and repetition. For example; the climax of movement III's Rondo throws the first movement back at us again; as if the players were reluctant to let it go; so that the entire piece could perhaps be viewed as a single large; extended; Sonata movement; with introduction and Coda. - Sydney Hodkinson