Tim Corpus

String Quartet

Composer's Note:

My fourth string quartet, subtitled As We Return, was composed in May 2021 for Beo String Quartet at the 2021 Charlotte New Music Festival. After a difficult year-and-a-half (including the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic), I wanted to compose something hopeful. I had recently completed composing the music for my album MMXX and I wanted to write about the present moment. People, including myself, had been experiencing many feelings surrounding the United States opening back up after the year-and-a-half long battle with the pandemic.

The piece starts off cloudy, confused, and concerned. Throughout the journey, the main melody finds a brighter path forward, as well as other melodies to converse with. As the piece unfolds there are multiple thematic elements that develop a dialogue with one another. The piece ends with a question mark, but it’s contemplative, optimistic, not depressed.

Performance Note:

The M and S markings indicate Main and Secondary melodies. Inspired by Arnold Schoenberg’s use of the Hauptstimme & Nebenstimme, the M and S markings denote the contrapuntal line of primary and secondary importance within the ensemble.