Joel Eric Suben

Four Cellos

Composer's Note:

The creation of G4 was inspired by cellist Gabriel Faur's presentation of a series of innovative online performances utilizing audio-video techniques whereby he performs each of the four parts of a quartet of Cellos and creates remarkable ensemble performances.

The composition itself is a kind of perpetuum mobile in which the initial motive (the pitches G and F) sounds throughout the work. A long and flowing tune (grazioso) makes its way among many percussive pizzicato notes.
As the power struggle between the grazioso tune and the invasive jabbing tones gives way to the domination of the initial G-F motive, a "play within a play" begins: a waltz-like arioso section involves a truce between grazioso and percussive jabbing. After a brief recollection of the very beginning of the work, a Coda summarizes the main elements before ending with an explosive pair of measures followed by an eerily quiet farewell.

The score of G4 makes use of key signatures throughout. As in music of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this work employs occasional chromatic "enrichment", often to the extent of obliteration of the basic tonal function. The play of musical pitch names (G and F in English and German) on the name of the dedicatee applies without regard to key signature. (e.g., GF or G-flat/F-flat or G-sharp/F-sharp)

This work may be performed in the traditional manner by four players and is available for sale from the publisher as a performance set with score and four individual parts. G4 was composed in October 2020 and is dedicated in friendship and admiration to Mr. Faur.