The First String Quartet, Opus 12

The First String Quartet

The entire work is about half an hour. I began composing it on the first Sunday of April, 2025. The first movement has the direction: staccato e pesante solenne ma non troppo. The opening tempo I selected is: Grave. First accelerando and rallentando are at mm 21 and 23. After quick pizzicatos, the middle section, a motif takes us into a deliciously delightful cantabile. The second movement is a Fuga. There are reasons why I decided on the German understanding of the term for this form. The dux and comes opens with violin II, and an extremely rich conversational counterpoint follows - as allowed by the subject. One may care for an episode of the television discussion programme 'After Dark' at this point. 1980s. The third movement, as I was writing it, reminded me of the J. R. R. Tolkien epic. Here, in my piece, we only hear three minutes! The fourth movement began life with pen and paper before moving onto Sibelius. As one can see in the diagram, there is a formula. I have also used it as wallpaper for my mobile phone. Furthermore... the next time someone calls me, my default ringtone may just be: The First String Quartet, 4th Movement, MICHAEL BOBB!