Block’s first string quartet, String Quartet no. 1, was inspired by an internal musical crisis; her tendency was to compose tonal music, but her professors urged her to stretch her boundaries by exploring new harmonic textures in search of something completely unheard of. Block began this quartet in 2023 and originally created this piece to be primarily tonal throughout. The piece was then put aside temporarily, as she was satisfied with the short and sweet melodies of the quartet. Returning to the piece in spring 2024, Block decided to revise the composition with the purpose of surprising the audience and making the piece more spontaneous. This new version of the quartet keeps some of the tonal aspects with a blend of atonality, specifically perceptible in the development section, and surprising virtuosic characteristics in the violin I part to make the piece feel more cluttered and congested.

Mackenzie Block