Four Temperaments
Four Temperaments
For String Quartet / (2013 - 2014) / Duration: 33 minutes
Program Note: Four Extraordinary Temperaments is a four-movement piece written for and about the Kleio Quartet. In the year prior to writing this piece I had mainly written large orchestral works or other ensemble pieces without a specific person in mind, but rather a programmatic element. However, the genesis of this piece can be attributed purely to my friendships with the members of the Kleio Quartet, thus making the process innately more personal. As I began to conceive of this piece, I found myself thinking more about the people I was writing for rather than any type of programmatic element. It occurred to me that the people should be the programmatic element.
In light of the four pleasantly eccentric personalities that make up the Kleio Quartet, I decided to write this piece solely about the quartet. Each movement is written with one member’s personality in mind. It is also my belief that it should remain ambiguous regarding which movement corresponds to which person. As the composer, the goal was to create a successful piece using their four personalities as inspiration, not write four separate personal tributes.
Rather than generating material that evokes a certain trait, it is the mood and character of each movement that relates to the person it's based upon. While there is some material that appears only in a single movement, the primary material unfolds throughout the entire piece. The title of the first movement, Lepos, translates to charm, wit, and humor, characteristics I tried to reflect through rhythmic vibrancy contrasting with dark lyricism. Animus Profundus translates to profundity of heart or soul, reflected through brighter lyricism, which contrasts the darker and more sectional nature of the first movement. Intrepidus, translates to courage. While this movement does exhibit traits of a scherzo, which is the prototypical third movement of a string quartet, this movement is crafted with the intention of mixing the lyrical elements of the second movement with the unrelenting rhythmic intensity of the first movement. Peractorum translates to nostalgia. The first part is a calming reflection on the preceding movements before mutating into hazy, aggravated quotations of them. This piece is dedicated to the Kleio Quartet, composed of Christina Bouey, Clare Semes, Isabel Hagen, and Madeline Fayette.
Commisioned By: The Kleio Quartet
Premiere: March 2014 at Morse Hall at the Juilliard School