Daniel Arnold (Composer)
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String Quartet No. 1 in D Major (2011)

I. Lively
II. Lyrically
III. Agitated
IV. Subdued - Vigorously


This might be the first piece I composed with the aesthetic of disintegration in mind that ends happily:


In the first movement, the opening melody shifts from the major mode to the minor mode, and the movement ends in B minor, rather than D major. In the second movement, the lyrical melody  undergoes some dissonant strife before returning to end the movement. This same melody tries to bring some peace to the agitated third movement, but it fails to do so. The first movement's theme returns in the last movement, and despite falling apart before--ends the quartet triumphantly.


I wanted to unite each movement thematically. The first and fourth movements share a theme, as do the second and third. Uniting the entire piece, the first and second movements' theme derive from the same melodic fragment.
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  • Home
  • Albums
  • Works
    • Piano/Organ
    • Chamber Music with Piano
    • Vocal (solos and choirs)
    • Chamber Music without Piano
    • Music for Large Groups
  • Audio
  • Arranging/Orchestrating
  • Engraving