MusicString quartet
Curious Clicks
An exploration of the joys and interplay of logic and emotional expression.
At a glance
- Composed
- 2026
- Forces
- Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Violoncello
- Duration
- c. 5′
- Status
- Complete; available for premiere
- Score
- Perusal PDF, free to download; parts on request
Listen
Program note
Curious Clicks begins in interlocking pizzicato: four players working as one plucked, clicking mechanism. The lines gather into a propulsive, galloping middle section, and bowed sound enters in turn as surprise, relief, and ecstasy before the piece returns to the texture where it began.
It is an exploration of the joys and interplay of logic and emotional expression.
For performers
What the score asks of the players, read from the engraved parts.
- Tempo
- ♩ = 150, with one rit. and a tempo
- Meter
- 4/4, with bars of 5/4
- Key signatures
- None, then four flats, then three flats
- Length
- 190 bars
- The piece opens with all four players in pizzicato, the lines interlocking into a single plucked mechanism. Changes between pizz. and arco are frequent (eighteen pizz. and twenty arco markings), so plan bow holds and left-hand preparation early.
- Triplet figures run through the whole score; the clicking texture depends on the four players placing them as one.
- Double stops appear in every part and most often in the cello.
- Four glissandi. Dynamics run from niente to forte, with several fades to niente.
| Part | Lowest to highest |
|---|---|
| Violin I | G3–E♭6 |
| Violin II | G3–G5 |
| Viola | C3–A♭4 |
| Violoncello | C2–A♭4 |
Score and parts
Downloads
Parts
Individual parts are sent on request. Tell me who is playing and when, and I will send the score and parts ready for rehearsal.
Give Curious Clicks its premiere
This piece is available for its first performance. If your ensemble would like to give it, I would love to hear from you. Or, if you would rather have something new, ask about a commission.
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