| Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's | 12 movements |
|---|---|
| Composition Year | 1972 ca. |
| Genre Categories | Sextets; For 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos; Scores featuring the violin; |
Contents |
Movement 6
*#886575 - 1.44MB, 12 pp. - (-) - !N/!N/!N - 13×⇩ - Pseudotonal
PDF typeset by composer
Pseudotonal (2023/12/4)
|  |
| Work Title | String Sextet |
|---|---|
| Alternative. Title | |
| Composer | Drehmer, Earl Richard |
| I-Catalogue NumberI-Cat. No. | None [force assignment] |
| Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's | 12 movements |
| Year/Date of CompositionY/D of Comp. | 1972 ca. |
| First Performance. | 2011/07/29 |
| First Publication. | 2011 |
| Composer Time PeriodComp. Period | Modern |
| Piece Style | Modern |
| Instrumentation | 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos |
| Extra Information | only movement 11 has been published |
This String Sextet is the most intellectual and complicated piece I have ever written. Only movement 11 has been published. The other movements are undergoing revision and will be presented when complete.
The 12 movements follow a progressive pattern of length from 34 measures down to 12, by 2. Each is loosely in a key based on the Circle of Fifths. The work as a whole contains a hidden melody, the notes of which spell a hidden message when assigned to letters of the English alphabet. An abundance of canonic techniques is used. The material is wrapped around so that all voices are playing at the same time, as in a round. Usually the canons are 3-voice, with two of the same instruments per voice. The 10th canon is a 4-voice canon and is for string quartet and is the most tonal and traditional of the group. Each of the first 6 movements presents a different fragment of the 6-fragment hidden melody. Each of these fragments is used as a motive for the movement. Then in following movements, 2 or more fragments are used in a movement until in the 12th movement the complete melody is revealed for the first time. The order of voice entry follows a mathematical formula. Some movements quote fragments of other composers' works. In some movements, my goal was to hide the canonic techniques so the listener could not identify it as a canon.
Notes on Movement XI (11): It demonstrates concepts of hocket. Like all the movements, this one is a canon and believe it or not, the material in the final 4 measures is all found in the previous 10 measures! Because of the use of hocket, the last 4 measures reveal a complete piece of music though the individual lines of the 4 voices are broken up between all 6 instruments. The harmony is lush and ultra-romantic.
