Two Pieces for violin and viola Op.4 (1978)c. 8'00"

I. Andante
II. Allegro

First performed on October 25th, 1986 at St. Ignatius Church in New York City by Earl Hough, violin and David Blinn, viola

ABOUT

These two brief pieces date from my student days, when I started studying composition with David Diamond.  They were originally meant as a preliminary exercise towards writing a first string quartet.  Diamond asked me to write a duet for violin and viola for the next week's lesson with the intention of adding a second violin part the following week and a cello part the week after; an exercise meant to gradually dip one's toes into four-part counterpoint before jumping in head-first.  I brought him these two pieces, and Diamond declared them to stand as a work on their own, and that I should “just go ahead and write a string quartet."

The Two Pieces were first performed publicly in New York City at a "Composers Concordance" concert by violinist Earl Hough and violist David Blinn on October 25th, 1986.  Both movements avoid a clear sense of tonality and have constantly changing meters; the first, a morbidly lyrical Andante and the second, a spiky and virtuosic Allegro.

RECORDINGS