Hi: Kathy here!
Last night, the Sparrow Hills Quartet played at the Britt Institute Donor Reception on the concert grounds.For those who don’t know, the Britt Institute raises money for student scholarships and Britt’s educational programs.
SQA students benefit directly from the Institute’s efforts. As the Sparrow Hill Quartet played last night, faculty members Joanne Mendoza, David Gilham, John McGrosso and Kurt Baldwin offered the following insights on how string quartets learn to work together organically to interpret the music.
Because there's no leader in a quartet, the members learn to work together as a democracy, with the give and take of the music's rhythm.
The Sparrow Hills Quartet played a Haydn Quartet in G Major. Haydn was the “papa” of string quartets; he created the musical form and had great fun exploring all the possible playing combinations. Mathematically, it adds up to 6 duos and 4 trios possible within a single quartet. That’s a lot of talking going on! Which is why, just as with spoken language, inflection and expression are so important to meaning. It’s not just about mastering the notes.
The Arianna String Quartet encourages SQA students to sing the music they’re learning to play. If they think in terms of melody and inflection, it becomes easier to express meaning through the instrumental music. It’s a technique Kurt learned in a master class with Issac Stern, who commanded “Sing the music!”
Just playing the notes accurately is only the first step.
A quartet actually takes the stage as a quintet. Playing as if the composer is present, taking part in the conversation, adds to the music.
The conversational flow and destination are all important. Each musician plays with a mutual path and an arrival in mind.
All types of listeners enjoy string quartet performances!
