Muzak for Four Cellos
- Instrumentation
- Cello Ensemble
- Composed
- 2017
- Duration
- 17'
- Publisher
- Composer (self-published)
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About this piece
A set of five short pieces (Muzak 1–5, about 17 minutes in all) for four or more cellos, written in February 2017 as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to background music. The composer wrote the parts in graded order, with the first part the most demanding and the fourth the easiest, and intends them as ensemble practice for cello sections; any or all parts can be doubled. It was premiered and recorded in March 2019 by a cello quartet including the composer.
Technical overview
The parts move between bass, tenor and treble clef and include sustained double stops in the upper positions, natural and artificial harmonics and glissandi, with staccato, tenuto and accented articulation in 3/8 and 4/4 movements. The parts trade the melody (marked as principal voice) and require close ensemble listening and balance.
Technical focus
- Ensemble Skills
- Double Stops
- Harmonics
- Shifting
- Articulation
- Hairpin Dynamics
- Accidentals
- Slurs
- Dynamics