Composer’s Note:

“My second String Quartet was composed in 2002 and was extensively revised in the summer of 2015, condensing the original four movements into three. The first movement is playful, and the playfulness sometimes turns raucous. The second movement was written first, and it exhibits a certain kind of “swaying” lilt in this relatively slow music. The music is replete with short rests, creating a special kind of hesitancy in the phrasing. The final movement cuts loose the energy in a flurry of activity. The composition was written for and dedicated to the Cassatt Quartet, who gave the premiere performance in Philadelphia in 2003. Support was provided by a commission from the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition.”