Boosey & Hawkes
Fine's 1950 trip to France opened his mind to unorthodox approaches to serialism. In 1952, he finished the two-movement String Quartet, his first work to use consistently a twelve tone technique -- though in a "frankly tonal" context, according to the composer. Dramatic and finely wrought, this work bears repeated listening. The first movement's lyricism and its subtle, gradual textural changes signal a departure from Fine's earlier neoclassicism. Echoes of Messiaen pervade the slow second movement, full of rich harmony, recitative like passages, evocations of bird song, and timeless, soaring lines.
Reproduction Rights
This programme note can be reproduced free of charge in concert programmes with a credit to Boosey & Hawkes/McCord.