Dean Burry

String Quartet No. 1 (2021)

String Quartet No. 1 was commissioned and composed during the 250th anniversary year of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven - a towering influence on the development of Western art music. Certainly, countless composer have written music inspired by the work of Beethoven, frequently taking the actual music as source material. This work is primarily inspired by the well-known fact that during a significant portion of his life, the composer was almost completely deaf - a remarkable thing to consider given his incredible musical output. Of course, it is also well known that deaf and hard of hearing people can still hear some types of music and also feel musical vibrations. While many of us consider music an audio art form, it remains a poignant and meaningful form of expression for deaf people as well.

In preparation for the composing the quartet, I employed a practice frequently used by deaf people at concerts...holding a balloon. The vibrations of the music transfer through the acoustic space created by the balloon and open a whole new world of music appreciation. On a number of occasions I had the opportunity to sit on the floor directly in front of a string quartet while holding a ballon (admittedly a different approach to music research for me!). The findings were illuminating:

• Low notes (frequencies) register more than high notes
• Thick textures resonates more than thin or solo textures
• Dissonance resonates more than consonance
• Loud and percussive gestures are very effective
• Larger melodic intervals are more perceptible than smaller intervals

Using these guidelines the quartet was composed with a focus, at various moments, on the low registers of the instruments, wide leaps of pitch, strongly accented percussive sections, additive textures which transform from less resonate (single voice/consonant) to more resonate (all instruments/dissonant) and back again. The vibrations of the quartet were considered as much as the actual notes. Additionally, the quartet is inspired by three moods which represent Beethoven to me: passionate rage, soaring lyricism and quirky playfulness.

Duration: 15m

Dean Burry May 31, 2020