Rosner - String Quartet No. 6, op. 118

ARNOLD ROSNER
STRING QUARTET NO. 6
op. 118 (2004)

Arnold Rosner
String Quartet No. 6
Duration: c. 11 min.
Arnold Rosner (1945–2013)
String Quartet No. 6
Copyright © 2015 The Estate of Arnold Rosner. www.arnoldrosnermusic.com
Music engraved by Jeffrey Grossman in SCORE 4.01
ver. 7 October 2015

There seems to be a strange trend in the careers and major works
of certain American composers whom we think of as primarily traditionalists,
conservatives and so forth. After having completed an
impressive envelope of symphonies in structured, neo-romantic and
melodic style, for their late career they turned to more opaque works of
greater tightness and severity, perhaps indulging in serialism, thicker
harmony than before and puzzling rhythms and sonorities. I would
suggest Vincent Persichetti and William Schuman as examples of this
phenomenon but there are many more. What was their motivation? A
desire to make peace with the style of friends and colleagues in more
atonal styles? (All the more interesting as the listener is unlikely to
find the actual expression peaceful) A sense of having missed certain
of the emotional/spiritual ranges that are natural to those styles? A
sense that they had made their statements in full already, and did not
want to repeat themselves in their own “mainline” idiom? Or “I can
play this game, too?”, or even “Anything you can do I can do better?”
When I learned about serialism I had a mixed reaction, which I
still, half a century later, not fully resolved. “It’s a GAME!” thought
I, and indeed I still think so. Further “If I want to write music, I will
write music; if I want to play a game, I will play bridge!” (And in fact,
so I have, with many tournament championships to my credit). But
12-note melodies get into many of my works, Concerto Grosso No. 2;
the Concerto for Two Trumpets, Timpani, and Strings; and several
others. However, they do not get the serial treatment—the “matrix”
and all the associated baggage.
I composed five string quartets before reaching the age of 30, as well
as a sextet. There were some revisions in the 1990s. I was very pleased
with the quality and variety of these works, but the disadvantage to
that was that for 30 years further, I could not find another quartet in
my imagination. I ultimately decided to use an atmosphere similar
to that of String Quartet No. 4 (the darkest written thus far) and to
make some usage of 12-tone idiom. Let me hasten to point out that
the “row” material is well under 50% of the music (though more than
in any of my other pieces) and I am still basically “Rosner” however
one takes that.

String Quartet No. 6 actually uses two 12-note permutations, presented
at the outset by viola and cello—and either one will return here
are there on any note: upside-down, backwards—the usual suspects.
Of course, that lends certain melodic spin and unity to the work,
one hopes. Other parts, and indeed harmonies, are free, and I think
the real personality of the piece is in those aspects. One fingerprint
in most of my compositions becomes very prominent here—I hope
not to excess. Three instruments play a serious of entirely consonant
harmonies. They neither fit any one tonality on the one hand, or any
pattern of either of the rows on the other. However a fourth instrument
holds a single note (or perhaps two-note chord) almost like a
bagpipe for those few harmonies, and the harmonic progression goes
in and out of consonance and various degrees of dissonance with
that drone. Also there are passages where two instruments move in
identical rhythms (all 16ths, for example) starting on an open fifth
and moving by steps in opposite directions. Thus the alternate notes
will be spaced at the 7th, creating brushing or clouding of the focus.
Strangely I used this kind of texture in 1986 in From the Diaries of
Adam Czerniakow where it has an eerie quality of impending doom,
yet in quartet no. 6, I think almost identical music has a more mellowing
or softening effect.
The piece is in one rather uncompromising 11-minute movement.
As consonant and dissonant sounds are used at will, and perhaps in
combination, absolutely confident intonation is required; I do not
believe that the music, however, is difficult in a “Paganini” sense of
passage work, or even in intricacies of rhythm. When all this is clearly
played, if I have succeeded, each hearer will take from it what he or
she feels to be appropriate—anything from a tragic darkness to a
strangely arresting meditative state.
— Arnold Rosner

6
Violin I
Adagio ( = c. 57)
to Mattias Vanderwerf
String Quartet No. 6
Arnold Rosner
Opus 118 (2004)
Violin II
Viola
poco
Violoncello
5
10
poco
Copyright © 2015 Zimbel Press. Exclusive publishing and administrative agent, www.zimbel.com.

7
14
sul G
3
3
sub.
3
3
sub.
3
sub.
3
18
3 3
3
3
3
22
3
3
3
3
3
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

8
26
3
sub. 3
sub.
sub.
3
(sub.)
3
29
33
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

9
36
sub.
sub.
41
3
3
3
sost.
3
sost.
3
sost.
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

10
45
sub.
3
3
3
3
48
misterioso
misterioso
sul pont.
sul pont.
misterioso
misterioso
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

11
52
3
espr.
ord.
poco
sul pont.
ord., pizz.
55
3
ord.
3 3
espr.
arco
pizz.
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

12
59
3
arco
62
3
3
3
3
65
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

13
68
marcato
marcato 3
marcato
3
marcato
3
71 3
3
3 3
3
3 3
74
3 3
3
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

14
77
!
molto
3 3
3
!
80
3
3 3
3
molto
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

15
83
3
3
3 3
86
3
3
3
89 3 3
3
3
3
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

16
92 melodia
non
melodia
3
3
3
3
97 melodia
sub.
3
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

17
100 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3
pizz.
102
3 3
3 3
3 3
3
pizz.
arco
arco 3 3 3 3
104
3
3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3
3 3
3
3
3 3
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

18
106
3
sul pont.
3 3
sul pont.
3
3 3
pizz., sul D
arco, sul G
108
3 3
3 3
110
3 3
(arco)
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

19
113
ord.
ord.
118
pizz. pesante
122
arco
pizz. pesante
arco
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

20
126
3 3 3
pizz. pesante
arco
130
cantabile
3
cantabile
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
132
cantabile
3
cantabile
3
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6

21
135
139
3
cant.
143
3
pizz.
pizz.
(melodia)
pizz.
pizz
ROSNER: String Quartet No. 6
February 5, 2004