music for strings chamber ensembles

To view the master list of string music in the Store, go here. Any piano parts ordered from this section can be provided in plastic comb binding or in 3-hole punched pages for use in a 3-ring binder. Also, .pdf’s for reading on an iPad can be provided on request for any score or part in addition to the hard copy at no additional cost. If you would like to hear a complete recording to help consider a piece, write to me at newertunes@hotmail.com.

As instructor of music theory and history and composer-in-residence at the Greenville Fine Arts Center from 1988-2019, I was privileged to work with many fine teachers and student performers in our strings chamber music classes. Many of these pieces were composed for them. These were exceptional students, and I tried simply to write them music that was truly new and interesting, yet within their technical grasp - not "teaching music." Other of the pieces listed below are clearly intended for professional players. The style is variable; sometimes Bartok-ish, sometimes jazzy, sometimes these elements and others in combination. I like to make textures colorful, and special effects are fairly frequent. Though I regard every piece as "serious," I have sometimes enjoyed cloaking serious musical materials with humor. Some of these pieces have programmatic content, but I like to think that the listener can ignore the program without compromising the listening experience.

solo works duos trios piano trios string quartets piano quartets other quartets strings with voice piano quintets other quintets sextets & larger

sonatas & other solo works

Aesop’s Asses (2020)

For ‘cello and narrator/storyteller, advanced level. ass – n[from Latin asinus] 1 : any of several hardy gregarious mammals (genus Equus) that are smaller than the horse, have long ears, and include one domesticated form (E. asinus) used as a beast of burden. Aesop (ca. 620-564 BCE, Greece) - a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop's Fables. This is a set of six short pieces, each telling a fable attributed to Aesop that involves a donkey in one way or another, while the ‘cello provides background & musical commentary; often humorous and always relevant. $15 for two copies of the score and demo recordings. More details & excerpts here. You can watch the wonderful premiere video recording of the entire set here.

Migrant (2015)

For viola & piano, professional level. These 4 movements are loosely based upon the life cycle of the North American Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Once common throughout the US, its populations are in serious distress owing to a variety of pressures – pesticides, habitat degradation, and obstacles along its migratory route – from humans.  $20, including piano score, viola part, and demo disk. More details & excerpts here.

Nocturne (2013)

For ‘cello and piano, professional level. Five movements imagine 3 nocturnal creatures overnight: Dusk – Pipistrelle – Nightjar – Hellbender - Dawn. Being nocturnal, they are largely unnoticed by the general public, but are nonetheless in decline owing in whole or part to human influences.  This relatively unseen world harbors many mysteries, fascinations and beauties, and these movements attempt to capture something of its essence.  $20, including piano score, ‘cello part, and demo disk. More details & excerpts here. Video of the premiere performance is here.

Polka Diabolique (2001, rev. 2008)

For viola & piano, challenging. Rendered with all the kinetic enthusiasm of an ordinary polka, this piece inconspicuously incorporates several humorous quotations (The Rite of Spring, Beer Barrel Polka, Night on Bald Mountain, The Twilight Zone, The Chicken Dance). A couple of sips from a strategically-placed beer stein, before, during or after the performance, will help set the mood. The demo is of the version for clarinet, which is virtually identical. $10, including piano score, viola part, and demo disk. Also exists versions for Clarinet in Bb or Alto Sax in Eb. More details & excerpt here.

Present Affections (2000-2003)

For violin & piano, professional level. Six movements, all deriving their melodic material from the first, played without break. In the Baroque, composers generally restricted a movement of a work to the expression of one state of the human mind, or affection, resulting in the single-mindedness typical of a movement in the Baroque style. Present Affections, loosely modeled on a Baroque solo sonata, takes a similar approach-- evoking, sometimes with a touch of humor, some common contemporary human states that have earned colorful mass-media labels. More details & excerpts here.

An Afternoon in a Striped Balloon (1998)

For violin, viola, or ‘cello,and piano. Designed for 3rd or 4th year players, including the piano part. A dreamy piece in a moderate tempo. Commercially published, available here. More details & excerpt here.

Hannah’s Waltz (1996)

For viola, or ‘cello,and piano. A jazz waltz/lullaby for a young soloist with piano accompaniment. Alternates between even 8ths and "swing" 8ths; some pizzicato. Available from Manduca Music Publications; excerpt here.

duos

Three Dagstahs (2021)

For viola duo, winner of the 2021 International Composers Competition sponsored by the Tallā Rouge viola duo. A dagstah is essentially a Persian mode, and these 3 movements are an attempt to combine Persian and Cajun stylistic elements. More details & excerpts here.

Symbionts (2015)

For violin & viola, challenging. A symbiont is any organism involved in a symbiotic relationship. In mutualistic symbioses such as the combination of fungus and algae in lichens, the honeybee and the clover it pollinates, or the clownfish and the anemone, the two organisms have evolved to the point that one can scarcely survive without the special services of the other. Here, the violin and viola sound closely related parts, often imitative and in the same general range, neither complete without the other. The degree of importance of the parts is equal and balanced throughout. There is a symmetry to the whole: movements I. and V. are different takes on the same material, as are movements II. and IV. Movement III. is unique - the one in which the two instruments combine to sound a single voice. $20, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. More details & excerpts here.

Contra-Dances (2002)

For two ‘cellos, challenging. Though not stylized dances, these three movements are vaguely suggestive of dancing in their motoric and somewhat repetitive rhythms; they are “contra” in that the two players frequently exchange roles.  All are rondo-like forms and employ various sorts of ostinati. More details & excerpts here. Commercially available from ISG Publications, here.

Significant Others (1994)

For viola and bass, or, violin and ‘cello. Challenging. In 4 programmatic movements (the violin/viola part is female, the ‘cello/bass part is a male jazz player): Written as a wedding present for friends, the sounds and the content invite the use of appropriate facial expressions and body language in performance. Awarded Honorable Mention in the 1997 International Society of Bassists Composition Contest. $15, including score, parts, recording. More details & excerpts here.

trios

Too Many Notes (2006)

For three ‘cellos, challenging. This is a sonata form with the usual order of exposition events reversed in the recapitulation. In honor of Mozart's 250th birthday and his always elegant treatment of sonata form, which I have tried in my small way to emulate in this piece; the retransition quotes the opening theme of the last movement of his 41st symphony. There are a number of rock-inspired motoric sections and a wide range of textural colors are included; solos for all players. Performed by the Fine Arts Center group for whom it was written at the 2006 Converse College High School Chamber Music Competition, where their performance won 1st place. $20, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

Ménage â Trio (1994)

For standard string trio, or, two violas and ‘cello; challenging. Fast, turbulent, octatonic scales, textures and dynamics extremely varied. Good showpiece for all players. Available from Frank Warren Music Service here. Recording available directly from me. More details & excerpt here.

piano trios

Times in a Place (2014)

These sounds were loosely inspired by (mostly) fond reminiscences of my youth in rural Michigan, with the school year as the time scale. October was one of the most beautiful times, with crisp air and brightly leaved birch, maple, and beech trees, a great time to be outdoors. February brings another sort of beauty, with its cold, white blanket of deep quiet conducive to solitude and flights of fancy;it concludes with a brief quotation of My Funny Valentine. June is spring, which by then feels well earned; it’s more a time of beginning than ending. It begins with a sassy paraphrase of the well-worn Pomp and Circumstance march, and also quotes an ostinato from a piece I wrote for my college rock band. Toward the end is a drifting rendition of Auld Lang Syne. I’d rather not offer more detail than that, and there is little more anyway. I hope listeners will mine their memories and sentiments to find some nice ones from their own Octobers, Februarys, and Junes. $25, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

Nostalgias (1991, rev. 1997)

Commissioned by the Kandinsky Trio. Three programmatic movements: "Cantankerous" about my first car (moderate tempo, motoric, humorous, 4:35); "Cavernous" about an early teenage visit to Carlsbad Caverns (slow, lush and atmospheric, 6:15); and "Calamitous" about the torture of high school generally (turbulent, polyphonic, 9:00). Movements are somewhat interrelated. $20, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

Death, Taxes, and Tristan (1992)

Moderately difficult. A send-up of the famous 1859 Prelude to Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner. The melodic material is derived (i.e., stolen...) from Wagner, and set in jazzy harmonies. Slow, romantic (duh), mostly in 3. Solos for all players, no swing rhythms. Available from Manduca Music Publications here. More details & excerpt here.

string quartets

Pine Knoll Blues (2019)

Challenging, up tempo, about 7 minutes. $15 for score, parts, demo. My farewell piece upon my retirement to the FAC and the excellent Strings Chamber music program with which I collaborated often. Much of it in 12-bar blues structure. More details and link to an excellent video here.

Edigitudes (2005)

Advanced; about 11 minutes. Three Hollywood Stereotypes for String Quartet and Synthesized Sounds. I frequently complain about the effect that typical movie scores have had on much of the audience, conditioning them to react in a practically Pavlovian manner to hackneyed combinations of sounds. It seemed a good way to mock this whole state of affairs by indulging in exactly this sort of stereotyping, with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Requires an on-stage stereo system to play a CD of electronic sounds with which the group plays along; 2nd movement requires a large rain stick. Package includes performance CD, rehearsal CD, parts, and full score with set-up instructions. $30 for the package. More details & excerpt here.

Scherzophrenia (2002)

Challenging; about 5 minutes. This piece is generally turbulent, with frequent and sudden variations in texture, color, and mood. There are no literal repeats of any portion, though the melodic material adheres to a strict diet of minor 2nds and major and minor 3rds throughout. $10, including score, parts, and demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

A Skeleton in the Closet (1999)

Moderate difficulty; about 4 minutes. A comical Halloween-ish piece, with lots of special effects and stage antics. Halloween dressing-up is encouraged. Commercially available here. Recording available from me; more details & excerpt here.

September Blue (1999)

Moderate difficulty; about 3.5 minutes. A bluesy piece in moderate tempo, designed for younger players. Some swing rhythms. $10, including piano score, parts, optional bass part, and demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

Quartet #3, The Automotive (1998)

Professional; about 30 minutes. Five sometimes ironic character pieces, describing automobiles (and one bulldozer) named after animals: I. Impala (fast, 7:18), II. Caterpillar (slow and ponderous, 3:00), III. Beetle (waltz, 4:06), IV. Jaguar (slow and lyrical, 8:37), and V. Mustang (fast, 6:06). There are some stage antics involving stomping feet, balloons, and a set of wrenches. $25, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. Professional recording by the Ceruti Quartet available, $10 (includes quartets 1-3). More details & excerpt here.

Quartet #2, The Nautical (1991, rev. 1995)

Challenging; about 15 minutes. Three character pieces: Outer movements exploit ostinati and humor. The 2nd movement, slow and atmospheric, includes use of an unusual percussion instrument - played intermittently by the 2nd violin - called a Waterphone, or, alternately, using a kitchen pot partially filled with water (cheap, but less cool). ‘Cellist also occasionally plays a simple egg shaker (about $2.50) in this movement. $20, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. Professional recording by the Ceruti Quartet available, $10 (includes quartets 1-3). More details & excerpt here.

Holiday Jazz (1989)

Moderate difficulty; individual pieces are 3-4 minutes. 11 traditional Yuletide melodies in jazz. The collection covers a wide variety of jazz and related styles. Titles include "We Wish You a Merry Tango," "Yeah, Joy," "Somebody Jingled My Bells" (includes a sleigh bells part for 2nd violin), "We Three Kings in 3 Be We," "Fiddlin' on the Housetop" (bluegrass), "Auld Lang Syne," and so on. Very suitable for December gigs. Some of these will also work with larger groups. Commercially available here. More details & excerpts here.

Quartet #1, Brieflets (1989)

Intermediate; about 12 minutes. This is a set of 4 character pieces: “Fidgeting,” about an audience member trying to get comfortable and stay awake; “Mourning,” about a child who loses a beloved pet; “Badgering,” about a nagging wife and her insensitive husband; and “Panicking,” about a young musician waiting for an audition. Not computer notation, but very neatly manuscripted. $10, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. Professional recording by the Ceruti Quartet available, $10 (includes quartets 1-3). More details & excerpt here.

piano quartets

Outbursts (2019)

Professional level. These four movements each imagine some sort of verbal disharmony - i.e., various ways of losing it. All constructed from a synthetic 8-note scale. $40, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

Locriana (2007-2008, rev. 2011)

Professional level. A set of 4 highly contrasting studies on the Locrian mode, both exploiting and tempering its inherent qualities. Premiered by the Kandinsky Trio, with guest violist Hilary Herndon. The 4th movement was revised in 2011 to refine and condense its form. $40, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

other quartets

Hard Times, Overcoming (2020)

Scored for Clarinet, Violin, Viola, and ‘Cello; challenging, about 4:55. $15 for score, parts, demo; order here. The 2020 stories of the deadly Covid-19 virus and the outpouring of frustration, rage, and calls to action stemming from the spate of tragic killings of African-Americans at the hands of police are now thoroughly entwined.  An unblinking, passionate, and long overdue discussion of ingrained racism in America is taking place in the midst of a dangerous pandemic, with earnest demonstrators of every persuasion and ethnicity risking their health to emphasize the difficult truth that drastic change – in our hearts as well as our institutions – is absolutely necessary. In this piece I have coupled these co-mingled crises with two venerable, quintessentially American tunes that still speak to us in today’s context. Details and excerpt here.

Arbitrary Extractions (2020)

Scored for Alto Flute and String Trio; challenging. These three short movements each derive their pitch content from relationships extracted – somewhat arbitrarily – from the 10 points of the ancient Pythagorean tetractys.   The pitch sets/scales are each produced by manipulations of a sequence of intervals, and the resulting pitches assigned – in a consistent order – to the points on the tetractys.  This approach seems more or less appropriate, as Pythagoras may well have used the ratios suggested by the tetractys – 2:1 (P8), 3:2 (P5) and 4:3 (P4) – to formulate the Pythagorean scales.  Details of the structure are here; excerpts here. Publication by Tetractys Publishing, London, is anticipated.

Some Swingin’ Viola (2020)

A collection for violists who want to try out some jazz styles; moderately difficult. Ensembles vary: I. Some Stopped-up Time (in swing, a duet); II. Bodacious Bratsche Boogie (in 2 with swing 8ths, a trio); and III. Viola Cabaña (latin, a quartet). $10, including scores, parts, demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

Step It Up (2017)

For ‘cello choir, with pre-recorded drum/percussion track on disk to play along with; moderate difficulty. A straight-forward rock tune, with most melodic parts going up in steps. The pre-recorded track can be played on laptop or disk player; will require amplification. Commercially available here. More details & excerpt here.

Nightsongs (2007-2008, rev. 2011)

Three jazzy pieces for cello quartet. Good parts for all; nothing higher than C5 in first 'cello. 3rd cello adds percussive knocks on the body of the cello in “Wadin'“ and does finger snaps in “Walkin'.” $15, including score, parts, and demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (arr. 1998)

“A bench-clearing brawl for 4 violins or 4 violas.” A comedic theater piece that includes various silly quotations. Performers dress like three baseball players and one umpire; foam rubber baseballs are hit with an instrument; the 4th viola is eventually thrown out of the concert for protesting the umpire's call of three wrong notes in a row. Not for anyone who thinks such things should be formal. Commercially available, including here. More details & a link to a terrific video here.

strings with voice

Museum Pieces (2012)

Scored for female voice, alto saxophone or clarinet, and string quartet. 6 youth-friendly songs setting poems inspired by paintings of Helen Dupré Moseley (1887-1984); as the paintings in question are untitled, the song titles are my own, derived from the poetry. In addition to the score and parts, a CD for projection of the images is provided. For more detail, go to the vocal music section here; order here. A live performance in which the paintings serve as a backdrop can be viewed here.

Four Are in the River (2011)

Scored for female voice and string quartet. Professional level, 4 songs totalling about 25 minutes. $25 for score, parts, demo. For more info, go to the Vocal Music section here.

Waka Songs (2005)

Scored for soprano and viola. Professional level, 5 short songs totalling about 14 minutes. For more info, go to the Vocal Music section here.

piano quintets

Yo, Sebastian! (2017)

Challenging. All melody and harmony is derived in various ways from B-A-C-H (Bb-A-C-B natural). I imagine seeing JS Bach at a party across the room and, desperate to meet him, trying to get his attention. $15 includes piano score, parts, demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

Overcoming (2009)

Challenging; about 9 minutes. A semi-programmatic rhapsody on We Shall Overcome, which follows very loosely the arc of the civil rights movement. Begins with the playing of a 1-minute field recording of We Shall Overcome from the March on Selma of 1965. $20, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

other quintets

From Balsam Bells & Leaves (2014)

Scored for string quartet with harp. Advanced; about 6.5 minutes. This takes its name from a line penned by John Muir, founder in the late 19th and early 20th centuries of the Sierra Club and America’s first conservationist. The piece incorporates melodies of the Native Americans he encountered in the region of Yosemite, as well as a melody of Muir’s native Scotland. $20, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

Four Are in the River (2011)

Originally scored for female voice and string quartet, this is an alternate mode of performance in which the voice part is performed by an instrumental soloist, for a sort of chamber concerto: parts for instrumental solo performance can be provided for violin and viola, as well as transposed parts for Clarinet in Bb, English Horn in F, aor Alto Sax in Eb. The use of any of these is encouraged.  $25 for score, parts, demo. For more details about this version, go here. For more info about the original vocal version and program details, go to the Vocal Music section here.

Diverse Variations on A-C-P (2009-2010)

Scored for oboe, violin, viola, ‘cello, and piano. Professional level; about 18 minutes. Winner of the first Rapido! Composition Contest sponsored in 2009 by the Atlanta Chamber Players. The three movements are all based on the notes A-C-B, the "B" serving as a stand-in for the letter "P." The "B" is derived by going through the musical alphabet of 7 notes (i.e. letters) two times, plus one more A and B, so that this last B lands on the 16th letter of the English alphabet, P. This little pattern is the essential DNA of the entire work. Virtually all melodic and harmonic material is somehow generated from it, and it makes possible a whole that is at once highly variable and intensely unified. $30, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. More details & excerpt here.

A Stitch in Time (1992)

Scored for string quartet and bass. Moderate level; about 4:20. Requires players to play swing rhythms. A moderate tempo etude employing jazz rhythms and harmony, with numerous special effects, including col legno battuto and some unpitched vocalizing. The 2nd part could be played by violin or viola, and the bottom part by bass and/or 'cello. Also performable by a larger string orchestra. Published by Frank Warren Music Service, available here. $21, including score & parts. More details & excerpt here.

A Moment’s Notice (1990)

Scored for string quartet and bass. Moderate level; about 3:50. Adagio, espressivo, some jazz harmony. Mostly in chorale texture; pensive, reflective. 1st violin carries the most of the melody, with a solo for the 3rd and 4th parts in the middle. Flexible instrumentation: 3rd voice playable by violin and/or viola, 4th voice by viola and/or 'cello, and 5th voice by 'cello and/or bass. Can be performed as a chamber piece or by a larger string orchestra. $5, including score, parts, & demo. More details & excerpt here.

Allegretto Animoso (1985, rev. 1987)

Scored for string quartet and bass (bass required). Moderate level; about 2:55. Can be done as chamber music, or with a larger string orchestra. Brief sonata form, fast, syncopated, loosely tonal, emphasis on perfect intervals and tritones. 1st theme in 1st violin, 2nd in viola and cello. This was published in 1988 by Warner Brothers, but is out of print; as of now you can only get it directly from me. $10, including score, parts, & demo. More details & excerpt here.

sextets & larger

Passacaglia and Gigue (2000/2007)

Scored for two violins, two violas, and two ‘cellos. Advanced; about 11 minutes for both movements. A neoclassical work. The passacaglia is based upon the simple, common 8-7-6-5 minor mode Baroque passacaglia bass ostinato. Mostly polyphonic, with a few coloristic passages; moderate tempo, parts very independent. The gigue is in imitative polyphony and in the typical rounded binary form. Both sections employ very contemporary harmony. Each section can be performed independently if desired. $20, including score, parts, and demo disk. More details and excerpts here; a link to an excellent video here.

The Number of Things (1999)

Scored for alto saxophone or clarinet, marimba, and string quartet. Advanced; about 11 minutes. Along with our natural inclinations to enumerate and categorize, we humans have a way of regarding certain numbers as important milestones of our progress or symbols of our persistence; this piece celebrates our inclination to celebrate. Mostly fast and motoric, with a slower, lyrical section near the end. Includes some 4-mallet playing in marimba. Clarinet substitution for alto sax is very workable. Available also in arrangement for Chamber Orchestra (info here), which adds percussion and bass parts and changes the solo part to clarinet. Dedicated to all who devote their energies to the cause of arts education. $15, including score, parts, and demo disk. More details and excerpts here.