Page Title
String Catalog
String Quartet
Beethoven, Ludwig van
Bellou, Sotiria
Britell Nicholas,
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Brubeck, Dave
Calloway, Cab
Chordettes
Cello
Octet
Gabrielli, Giovanni
Gottschalk, Louis Moreau
Viola
Octet
Gottschalk, Louis Moreau
Mozart, Wolfgang
Hendricks, Jon
Richards, Keith- Jagger, Mick
Quartet
Scheidt, Samuel
Scott, Raymond
Gabrielli, Giovanni
Gottschalk, Louis Moreau
Hadjidakis, Manos
Knopfler, Mark
Mozart, Franz Xaver
Scheidt, Samuel
Schumann, Clara (Weick)
Scott, Raymond
Theodorakis, Mikis
Youmans/Eliscu/Kahn
Canzon Prima - La Spiritata
Giovanni Gabrieli
String Quartet
$9.99
Minnie The Moocher
Irving Mills, Cab Calloway
String Quartet
$24.99
Mister Sandman
The Chordettes
String Quartet
$14.99
This classic music from 1608 Venice is adapted for string quartet. The somber beginning picks up intensity, with an exiting flourish at the end. To imitate style of the period, follow the dynamics carefully and individually. Only at major cadences will they line up! You may want to experiment with non-vibrato, and soft attacks, sounding more like a viol. Backstory: As a brass player, I played a lot of music from this period.I have found that people enjoy this short work very much.
This classic made famous by Cab Calloway features all in the string quartet. Included are the "words" for the audience call and respond, scatting away!
The Sandmen is a mashup of two different versions of the Sandman- Brahms meets the Chordettes! Brahms begins the piece with his Sandmännchen, followed after solo clapping in the cello part, by the Chordettes Mister Sandman. The Brahms theme then returns in the viola over the Chordettes, finishing with a Count Basie bon-bon.
Powerhouse
Raymond Scott
String Quartet
$14.99
Once Upon A Time...Storybook Love
Mark Knopfler
String Quartet
$14.99
Unsquare Dance
Dave Brubeck
String Quartet
$19.99
This is a string quartet arrangement of the classic Raymond Scott composition. Backstory: I loved it as a child watching cartoons. Sure to be recognized by most everyone!
This arrangement from the Princess Bride features the Viola and Cello, building to a big tutti in the middle, finishing with a quiet ending. Entertaining to listen to, and perfect for a wedding! Backstory: When the kids were little, we had Princess Bride on a lot! I heard this tune once or twice.
This is an advanced arrangement of the classic Dave Brubeck piece. In usual Brubeck style, it is in odd meter (7/4), includes clapping "percussion" parts, and each instrument is featured. There are 2 "improv" solos for Violin 1 and Cello. These are written out, but the changes are provided for the adventurous. A real toe-tapper! Maybe get audience participation?? Backstory: Growing up Greek, I was used to hearing music in odd meter like 7/8. I gravitated to Brubeck's music. I wonder if his kids felt that 4/4 was odd?
Theme From "Zorba The Greek"
Mikis Theodorakis/Herb Alpert
String Quartet
$19.99
This is a string quartet rendition of the famous dance from the movie Zorba the Greek. Get your pizzicato fingers ready- you are all now bouzoukis! Every instrument is featured- even the cello as a "bass bouzouki"! This well known piece is a delight to any performance. Backstory: OPAA!!
Four Brothers
Jon Hendricks
Cello Octet
$24.99
This is the famous jazz standard written by Jimmy Giuffre in 1947 for the Woody Herman band. In this arrangement it features eight celli (8 brothers?), each with a solo moment. The chord changes are provided, for the adventurous who want to break away from the written solos. This is an advanced arrangement, highlighting the extended range of the cello.
Paint It Black
Keith Richards, Mick Jagger
Cello Octet
$24.99
This classic Rolling Stones piece is for Cello Octet, inspired by the Wednesday Adams rendition. An advanced arrangement, note that the Cello 8 tunes the bottom strings (scordatura) to B-F#.
Powerhouse
Raymond Scott
Cello Octet
$19.99
Sonata Pian e Forte
Giovanni Gabrieli
Cello Octet
$19.99
The Banjo - Grotesque Fantasie
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Cello Octet
$24.99
This cello octet arrangement of the classic Raymond Scott composition is sure to be recognized by most everyone! Every part has the melody and solos with special effects from the whole group.
Published in 1597, this Gabrieli compostion is among the first musical pieces specifying loud and soft dynamics in print. Usually performed by brass ensembles, it lends itself well to the celli. The Octet is divied into two Choirs of 4, separated left and right for the antiphonal effect. Detailed performance dynamics are provided to encourage individual lines, and the Choir 1-Cello 1 has two written parts to choose - either tenor or treble clef.
Originally for piano, Gottschalk gives a ring-side seat to a minstrel show. A crackling American commercial best, the piece reminisces the strumming banjo. Just as it is on the verge of being too repetitious, it goes into a quote recalling Camptown Races, followed by a prestissimo flashy finish. Fasten your seatbelts! Backstory: I had the honor of having its first performance by the Indianapolis Symphony cello section. Fabulous players knocked it out of the park.
Souvenir De La Havane
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Cello Octet
$24.99
Never on Sunday
Manos Hadjidakis
String Quartet
$14.99
Canzon a 4
Samuel Scheidt
String Quartet
$14.99
This 1859 Gottschalk piano composition was inspired by a tour to Havana, Cuba. Louis Moreau Gottschalk was like the "Elvis" of the 19th Century! A fantastic pianist, flamboyant performer and composer, he wrote many pieces from his touring. It begins with a doleful section, followed by a contrasting happy dancelike melody. In this cello octet version, each instrument gets to show off their technical virtuosity.
"Never on Sunday" is also known by its original Greek title "Ta Pediá tou Pireá" ("Τα Παιδιά του Πειραιά", The Children of Piraeus). Written by Manos Hatzidakis, it was sung by Melina Mercouri in the film "Never on Sunday". This arrangement for string quartet emulates the sound of the bouzouki (Greek stringed instrument - like a large mandolin) using pizzicato and tremolo effects. Backstory: I heard this in the house as a child more than any famous pop tune! And again Yia Yiá (Grandma) sang it frequently.
The original composition for 4 cornettos (a predecessor to the modern trumpet- basically a recorder with a trumpet like mouthpiece) was first published in 1621. Commonly played by brass ensembles, it lends itself well to a string group to add a nice "apertif" to a concert or reception. Backstory: As a brass player, we did a lot of this style of music. I was petrified that I would make a wrong entrance, throwing the whole piece off.
The Banjo - Grotesque Fantasie
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Viola Octet
$24.99
Originally for piano, Gottschalk gives a ring-side seat to a minstrel show. A crackling American commercial best, the piece reminisces the strumming banjo. Just as it is on the verge of being too repetitious, it goes into a quote recalling Camptown Races, followed by a prestissimo flashy finish. Fasten your seatbelts, violas!
Canzon a4
Samuel Scheidt
Viola Quartet
$14.99
The Canzon a 4 was taken from Scheidt’s Ludi Musici (1621). Although labeled Canzon Cornetto in some modern editions, it was likely composed for viola da gamba. This arrangement for viola da braccio (sorry-I couldn’t help myself…) shows the mixture of styles of the late Renaissance and the new virtuosity of the Italians.
Variations on "ah! Vou-dirai-je, maman" Wolfgang A .Mozart
Viola Octet
$19.99
This famous set of Mozart's piano variations on what we know as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is transcribed for Viola Octet. Most string players started by playing Twinkle as beginners, but this version takes it to a much more advanced level. There are 12 variations after the Theme showing virtuosic playing in every part. The audio sample is snippets from the Theme, each variation and the end. Backstory: I studied viola for a year as an adult. I may have been able to play the Theme, but the rest..??
7 Variations on "God Save the King"
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet
$19.99
Written in 1803 for piano, Beethoven liked this melody enough to make these variations, showing his sense of humor. He has been quoted as commenting that he wanted to "show the English what a blessing they have with that tune". This piece lends itself well to the string quartet, with features for each voice. It would be appropriate as My Country Tis of Thee for an American patriotic number as well!
The Banjo - Grotesque Fantasie
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
String Quartet
$24.99
Souvenir de Porto Rico-Marche des Gibaros
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
String Quartet
$19.99
Originally for piano, Gottschalk gives a ring-side seat to a minstrel show. A crackling American commercial best, the piece reminisces the strumming banjo. Just as it is on the verge of being too repetitious, it goes into a quote recalling Camptown Races, followed by a prestissimo flashy finish. Fasten your seatbelts!
Gottschalk wrote the Marche Des Gibaros in 1857. It is a "patrol" march in that it is based on repetition of thematic material, starting softly, building to a big climax with a change of key, and subsiding softly into the sunset. Gibaros are Puerto Rican peasants, and this melody with its complex rhythms is an original folk song. Backstory: I first heard this on a classical radio station in around 1985 while driving on I-90. I loved it immediately!
Clara Schumann – née Wieck (1819-1896) was a child prodigy on the piano. She was taught and promoted by her father, a noted (and perhaps domineering?) teacher. At 14 she premiered her piano concerto, and by 18 was a leading virtuoso in Europe. These Caprices were written when she was 13. Originally for piano, they lend themselves well to a string quartet. A flowing style using rubato in the tempo is called for here, creating a charm to the movements. The Nine Caprices are suitable individually, selected as a suite, or all played in their entirety. They would lend themselves well at a formal occasion. Backstory- I was always fascinated with music of this period, with its elegance, tempo changes, and dynamics. I tried to notate suggestions for capturing this style. Once one gets comfortable, the music will flow and undulate naturally!
This Greek folk song is about a girl whose mother disapproves of her boyfriend, from the girl’s point of view. It is in odd meter- 7/8 – with the traditional “Long-Short-Short” rhythmic beat found in Greek dance. This string quartet has the violins imitating the Greek bouzouki sound, and features in the middle a cello solo playing an ornamented variation. After a quick change of key, the melody returns with a soaring viola counter melody accompaniment. Backstory: Growing up, I remember my grandmother (ΥιάYiά) playing this on her records and singing along. I never feared odd meters!
This string quartet arrangement of I Always Wanted a Brother from Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King composed by Nicholas Britell and Lin-Manuel Miranda captures the joy and dramatic intensity of the lion cub’s new relationship as brothers. An advanced intermediate rendition, it features all the voices of the ensemble. The cubs are portrayed at the beginning by the viola followed by the violins in the middle. The cello provides the strong rhythmic pulse and has a solo moment as the character Chigaru. Thematic material is shared across the ensemble at the end, rising to an intense climax. Care has been taken to recreate the story line and style making it like a short tone poem. This is a welcomed addition to a string quartet’s repertoire for a pops concert setting, or for a children’s concert.
Columbia is based on a song called, "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night" by Stephen Foster which was composed in 1853. Gottschalk (1829-1869) composed this caprice for piano in 1859. True to its definition, this rendition is quite lively and virtuosic for all members of the quartet. The opening clips along with quick afterbeats under the melody, which is traded around the group. A small transition goes into a new idea by the viola and cello, leading to a wild flourish that repeats in between new sections of the piece. The original melody returns, accelerates with variations to a fanfare finish.
Carioca comes from a 1933 popular song, music composed by Vincent Youmans and lyrics by Edward Eliscu and Gus Kahn. It was featured in the 1933 film "Flying Down to Rio" and danced by the famous Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. This arrangement for string quartet begins in the traditional Latin jazz style (featuring an extended cello solo), with a sudden transition to swing that includes solo breaks for each member of the ensemble, followed by a shout chorus. The Latin style returns with a flourish to the finish. The chord changes are included on the solos allowing for improvisation. The solos could also be opened up. Backstory: My mother grew up with and LOVED movies from the ‘30s and ‘40s! She could look at a chorus line of dancers and point out who many were, what other movies they were in, who they married, and any juicy scandal she read in the gossip magazines! Although she said she really preferred Gene Kelley, she did appreciate the elegance of Astair/Rogers.
Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (26 July 1791 – 29 July 1844) was born in Vienna, some four months before his father's death. Although he was baptized Franz Xaver Mozart, he was always called Wolfgang by his family. His mother Constanze put a lot of effort into his musical education having him study with Antonio Salieri, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger and Sigismund von Neukomm. He learned to play both the piano and violin. Like his father, he started to compose at an early age. His style was of the late Classical period leading to early Romanticism. 4 Melancholy Polonaises Opus 22: (Quatre Polonaises mélancoliques) were written for piano between 1815–1818. It was suggested that the sad mood reflected his personality. This transcription translates well to the string quartet and would be a welcomed addition to a recital program.