My Seventeenth String Quartet began life somewhat abortively in March 1979 as an overture for string trio, intended as a welcoming present for my sister Ruth, who was returning that day from a school field-trip. The timing of the impulse on the day of her return was possibly not the cleverest; the work ran into the ground half-way through the development section (5:00), remained unperformed and was eventually lost. Over the next eleven years I made a number of attempts to revive it as a quartet (the original trio contained absurd quantities of double-stopping), and work on the final form of the opening movement was solidly underway by the early summer of 1990. The music contains a rare moment of expressionist angst; the somewhat morbid passage from 5:12 to 5:23 was conceived under the influence of a rather savage toothache.

The opening two bars of the slow movement (melody alone)were sketched in June 1987, curiously in 4/4 time. I am glad that I settled ultimately on 3/4; I have come to regard the movement as one of my finest creations. Work on the music, much of it in the mind while travelling on commuter trains or walking the chaotic streets of central London, occupied me mainly during the earlier half of 1991. The movement contains a brief reference (at 10:06) to Auf dem Wasser zu Singen, possibly my favourite Schubert Lied.

The Scherzo and Trio movement was conceived in late 1988 or early 1989 as part of the rush of enthusiasm that I felt for the string quartet form while reading Paul Griffiths' book on the subject. It was composed mainly in the early summer of 1991.

The slow introduction to the final movement is essentially a reworking of the introduction to the opening movement. It preserves at 0:49 a dissonance which appeared in the 1979 trio version of the music, but which I smoothed out in the first movement of the present work. The finale proper, Allegro Scherzando, originated in 1988-89 with the sketch of the passage at 8:04 - 8:08, and grew out of it largely in back-formation. The notion of reiterating the first movement introduction was similarly a back-formation; the five-note scale principal motif of the Allegro Scherzando is closely related to the theme of the introduction, but to the best of my memory the finale began life independently and the relationship was fortuitous.

The Seventeenth Quartet was completed on the Moscow Metro on the evening of August 17th, 1991 (with the usual minor revisions on realisation, in 2014 and 2018), and is dedicated to my sister Ruth, the intended recipient of the abortive String Trio of 1979 out of which it grew.

String Quartet No. 17, in G major (1991)

My Seventeenth String Quartet began life somewhat abortively in March 1979 as an overture for string trio, intended as a welcoming present for my sister Ruth, who was returning that day from a school field-trip.  The timing of the impulse on the day of her return was not the cleverest; the work ran into the ground half-way through the development section (5:00), remained unperformed and was eventually lost.  Over the next eleven years I made a number of attempts to revive it as a quartet (the original trio contained absurd quantities of double-stopping), and work on the final form of the opening movement was solidly underway by the early summer of 1990.  The music contains a rare moment of expressionist personal suffering; the somewhat morbid passage from 5:12 to 5:23 was conceived under the influence of a rather savage toothache.

A.M.Bell - String Quartet No. 17 (I - Lento - Allegro con Brio)

The opening two bars of the slow movement (melody alone)were sketched in June 1987, curiously in 4/4 time.  I am glad that I settled ultimately on 3/4; I have come to regard the movement as one of my finest creations.  Work on the music, much of it in the mind while travelling on commuter trains or walking the chaotic streets of central London, occupied me mainly during the earlier half of 1991.  The movement contains a brief reference (at 10:06) to Auf dem Wasser zu Singen, possibly my favourite Schubert Lied.

A.M.Bell - String Quartet No. 17 (II - Adagissimo)

The Scherzo and Trio movement of the Seventeenth Quartet was conceived in late 1988 or early 1989 as part of the rush of enthusiasm that I felt for the string quartet form while reading Paul Griffiths' book on the subject.  It was composed mainly in the early summer of 1991.

A.M.Bell - String Quartet No. 17 (III - Scherzo:  Allegro Amabile)

The slow introduction to the final movement of my Seventeenth Quartet is essentially a reworking of the introduction to the opening movement.  It preserves at 0:49 a dissonance which appeared in the 1979 trio version of the music, but which I smoothed out in the first movement of the present work.  The finale proper, Allegro Scherzando, originated in 1988-89 with the sketch of the passage at 8:04 - 8:08, and grew out of it largely in back-formation.  The notion of reiterating the first movement introduction was similarly a back-formation; the five-note scale principal motif of the Allegro Scherzando is closely related to the theme of the introduction, but to the best of my memory the finale began life independently and the relationship was fortuitous.

The Seventeenth Quartet was completed on the Moscow Metro on the evening of August 17th, 1991 (with minor revisions in 2014 and 2018), and is dedicated to my sister Ruth, the intended recipient of the abortive String Trio of 1979 out of which it grew.

A.M.Bell - String Quartet No. 17 (IV - Finale:  Lento - Allegro Scherzando)

5'' Run - Off

Born 1965, lifelong lover of music.  Have been picking out little tunes from 5, and attempting seriously to compose since 12.  Generally (although not exclusively) happiest writing in the manner of late-18thC/early 19thC, but very happy to listen to pretty nearly any music.  String quartets a speciality, although not entirely sure why.  No plans to give up the day job (secondary school Support for Learning Assistant) or the weekend job (Choirmaster at St. Magnus's Cathedral, Kirkwall).

String Quartet No. 17, in G major (1991)

Michael Bell