SKU: A0.752634

Pulp's iconic 'Common People'. Written by Jarvis Cocker, this reached No.2 in the UK charts in 1995, and became one of the most iconic songs of the entire Britpop period. With a video homage to 'Eleanor Rigby', this upbeat documentation of class tourism was one of the biggest songs of the 90s, before being given a new lease of life by a Ben Fold's produced cover by William Shatner in 2005. Faithfully arranged by professional cellist and arranger Dury Loveridge, a great piece for wedding groups, parties and school ensembles.

SKU: A0.1473497

This is an ever-green '90's CLASSIC! Common People is often requested at weddings, I am happy to oblige!

SKU: A0.847709

Opus/Catalog Number: Op.6 No.8
Key/Tone: G minor
Movements/Sections: Vivace, 3/4 -- Grave. Arcate, sostenuto e come stà, 4/2
Allegro, common time
Adagio -- Allegro -- Adagio, common time, E-flat major
Vivace, 3/4
Allegro, cut time
Largo. Pastorale ad libitum, 12/8, G major
Year/Date of Composition: 1690~
Difficulty: Grade 4/12 (Intermediate)
Obs.: Commonly known as Christmas Concerto, because it bears the inscription Fatto per la notte di Natale that means Composed for the night of Christmas. This is an arrangement for string quartet (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola and Cello.
Included: Full score and separated parts for each instrument.

SKU: A0.869862

Dmitri Shostakovich wrote 15 string quartets. As a tribute to him and his glorious music, my 15th string quartet is dedicated to his memory.

The first movement takes on a theme that Dmitri Shostakovich has used many times in his music, especially in his String Quartet No. 8 - the DSCH theme.  Bach actually came up with the idea.  In his Art of the Fugue, the letters in his name Bach is translated to the musical notes: Bb, A, C and B-natural.   Dmitri did the same, but in his case the notes are D, Eb, C and B.

My first movement begins with the 2nd violin playing an inversion of the DSCH theme: Eb, D, B and C.   Then the 1st violin enters with the original DSCH, which is eventually followed by the viola playing the same DSCH theme, but submerged in a fog of harmony.  The cello plays a pedal D … for Dimitri.

The idea for the second movement Serenade came from his SQ15, second movement, where the 2nd violin and the viola play a fortissimo quadruple stop pizzicati.  I coopted his 8-note chord but used only 6 of them for the ostinato pattern in my movement.  Incidentally, the publisher forgot to add an alto clef for the viola part …

The third movement in the Nocturne is a Largo in 5/4 that features the cello and the 1st violin.    It has nothing to do with DSCH’s music, except for the title.

The fourth movement is Intermezzo.   Both this title and the previous Nocturne are from his SQ15.  But the motivic idea is actually something I stole from his SQ4, third movement.  In his case it is a repeated C and G in the 2nd violin and viola in 4/4 meter.   I kept the repeated G in the 2nd violin, but I altered the viola part and changed the meter to 3/4.   It doesn’t sound like DSCH at all.

The fifth movement theme is also an idea I grabbed from his SQ4, second movement: A dyad of F and Ab in 3/4, repeated, in an andante movement.   I used the same dyad, F and Ab, but slowed it down to a 6/4 and titled it Trauer-Marsch as DSCH did for the fifth movement of his SQ15.

The idea for my sixth movement is stolen from DSCH’s SQ2, third movement, which is titled Valse.   The 2nd violin and viola play a persistent pah-pah of the usual Oom-pah-pah of a fast waltz.  That is what I used (not an uncommon device in all waltzes), but I altered the top line to something more interesting that  just repeating the same notes.  His waltz begins in Eb minor, but mine is in the relative major of Gb.

The last movement is the Epilogue, as it is in DSCH’s SQ15.  The only thing I borrowed from his epilogue is the opening chord of an Eb minor triad.  The music that follows has nothing to do with DSCH.  Mine is a slow, evolving set of chord progressions that sounds like a dirge: gliding through the waters on a gondola in the canals of Venice on its way to Isola di San Michele.

SKU: A0.1233180

My arrangement for String Quartet of The British Grenadiers is a traditional marching song of British and Commonwealth military units, the tune of which dates from the 17th century. It is the regimental quick march of the Royal Artillery.

SKU: S9.Q6601

German • English.

With the Eight Fragments Bertold Hummel has successfully created a most impressive work. Uncommonly concentrated in the evoking of atmosphere and reflecting the texts strongly, these dark grey songs - to quote Ludwig Hirsch - develop a sadly expressive, almost somnambulant charm. These songs seem to have become Bertold Hummel's completely inwardly turned Winterreise, the epigram of a psychosis, full of concealed suggestion and dark references, but always more full of hope. The sun becomes the constantly invoked bearer of hope. The music is highly expressive, exploiting the various performing and bowing possibilities of the stringed instruments and their capacity for nuances to the limits; occasionally oppressive visions in sound appear. It is music in danger, of a most fragile balance. Nor are subtle musical references missing. With only one note, following the word music, harmony and tonality are conjured up.

SKU: A0.873014

A Thousand Years by Christina Perry has been arranged for a standard string quartet. Suitable for advanced intermediate players. A Thousand Years for String Quartet is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Duration: 4 minutes
Released: 2018 

Perfect for weddings or busking! Arranged by Alexander Lau, an experienced arranger for strings. Any queries or questions? Please send an email to alexanderlau203@gmail.com. I can also arrange other pieces for any ensemble, just contact me via my email above.

SKU: IZ.CMF186

9 x 12 in inches.

The creation of Rustic Serenade was quite different from the majority of my other compositions; it happened quite by accident with absolutely no thought out plan. I always carry manuscript paper with me to jot down melodies and other musical thoughts that pop into my head but never an entire piece of music. The following is how that all changed.

Being an avid hiker, I set out one early autumn day. It was one of those wonderfully crisp, clear days that only New England offers. As I rounded a bend of the forested mountain trail there was a stony promontory that offered an unparalleled view of the valley below with its rolling pastures and farmlands and, still more distant, a waterfall. I followed the narrow ribbon of water with my eye as it twisted and wove its way through the trees and periodic meadows until I found myself gazing down onto a small village. Actually, it was more like a tiny hamlet, a few homes, two or three stone buildings, a small white church, a commons complete with bandstand and gardens and a mill with its waterwheel slowly spinning from the water that was diverted through a sluice from the river. As I continued to observe the scene below I became cognizant that within my mind I was hearing the soft pizzicato of a cello. It was soon followed by a viola in imitation and then finally the violins joined in, first with melody and then harmony. The solution was to extract the manuscript paper and pen from my backpack and write down what I heard.

SKU: A0.1332967

The British national anthem, as well as that of all Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the Crown Dependencies in the British isles has been freshly arranged for a String Quartet (Violin (2), Viola, Cello) with Piano accompaniment.  An accompaniment track is also available.

SKU: A0.987847

Preferred Contact Information: RMonteverdi@comcast.net Performing Rights Organization: BMI Website: robertgreenbergmusic.com Facebook Band Page: facebook.com/RobertGreenbergMusic Duration: ca. 33 minutes Year of composition: 1995 Program Note: I. With Friends Like These II. Inner Voices III. Little Hands and Little Feet IV. Freund Barry V. Friendly Persuasion VI. All For One and One For All I've known the Alexander String Quartet since 1987. More than just colleagues, they have become my friends: I've traveled with them, performed with them, watched them rehearse, dined with them in their homes and they in mine; I know their children and they know my children. Throughout the time I've known the members of the quartet I have observed the relationship between them, that special bond shared by the members of any touring band, described by one pundit as being like a bad marriage with no sex. Such issues notwithstanding, this particular marriage works. A string quartet represents, perhaps, the ultimate musical compromise between individual incentive and the common good. In a string quartet, by definition, four distinct instrumental voices and four different instrumental roles unite to create a whole greater than its parts. And, lest we forget, behind each instrument is a person, with his own particular attitudes, feelings, needs, and, yes, issues, all of which must be tempered and blended for the common good of a good performance. Among Friends is, its liberties aside, about the four people behind the instruments of the Alexander String Quartet and their relationships with one another; the way they play, rehearse, get along and, on occasion, not get along. The first movement, With Friends Like These is gritty and contentious in tone. The players argue, debate, annoy, tease, irk, cajole, abuse, harass, form brief alliances, heap merde upon, gang up on, and otherwise find endless ways to irritate each other. It is in this movement that the individual characters of the four instrumental parts stand in highest relief: the first violin as coloratura prima donna, forever attempting to soar above it all; the second violin as the voice in the wilderness, the viola as the voice of reason and the 'cello as mover and shaker. The opening of the movement is marked argument in progress; with greatest intensity. The second, third and fourth movements are a series of portraits, played without a break. In movement two, Inner Voices, the second violin and viola are featured in a collegial and decidedly non-contentious dialogue. Movement three, Little Hands and Little Feet, is the quiet center of the quartet. It is here that the first violin finally attains the lyric heights vainly sought in the first movement. The fourth movement is a vigorous dance entitled Freund Barry. This movement honors three great friends: Dr. Barry Gardiner, whose friendship and support made the writing of this quartet possible; Gustav Mahler, whose Symphony No. 4, second movement (Freund Heine) inspired this one; and Sandy Wilson, who first encouraged me to compose my second string quartet (Child's Play) for the Alexander in 1987 and whose boisterous 'cello is Freund Barry's alter-ego. The fifth movement is entitled Friendly Persuasion. Rapid fire repeated notes, accompanimental figures and melodic lines are shuttled about from voice to voice, each time elaborated or altered in some way. In this way the music slowly metamorphoses, ultimately arriving at a version of the argumentative music that concluded the first movement. Movement six, All For One and One For All is a fast, brief coda/finale, during which the quartet plays primarily in unison, the musical antithesis of the contentious argument that began the quartet. Among Friends was commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation in the Library of Congress and the Alexander String Quartet. Among Friends i.

SKU: A0.1317117

La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin (commonly translated to The Girl with the Flaxen Hair) by Claude Debussy is the eighth of the composer's Préludes, Book I (1909-1910), and is one of his most recorded pieces to date.

This arrangement for string quartet matches the original piece in length.

We've included two version of this arrangement. One in G major, and one in the original key (Gb major).

WHAT IS INCLUDED:
Score - G major
Violin 1 - G major
Violin 2 - G major
Viola - G major
Cello - G major

Score - Gb major
Violin 1 - Gb major
Violin 2 - Gb major
Viola - Gb major
Cello - Gb major