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String Quartet No. 1 'Mimema' - Mvt. I: Sonata​-​esque [2010​-​2011]

from Jordan Watson's Senior Composition Recital by J Radon

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After writing two Music History papers dealing with the subject of the String Quartet last year, as well as having written so many pieces for unconventional ensembles, I decided I finally wanted to write something for this traditional chamber ensemble. However, my interest in the unconventional still managed to take over as I planned to use some traditional forms and compositional techniques only to drastically warp them. My idea for this first movement was to use the classical sonata-form, but instead of having two key centers that 'battle' each other until one has won out in the end, I used extreme register. The exposition showcases the low instruments in their lowest register, and the high instruments in their highest register. Once the development section kicks off, everybody is very close together in a register which hovers around the A above middle C. At the end, instead of the first register winning out like the first key would in a traditional sonata-form, the voices push outward to the extremes only to quickly snap back to the mid-register. Finally everyone ends on the exact same pitch. This idea of imitating classic forms while also mutating them caused me to title the whole String Quartet Mimema, which is the Ancient Greek word from which the modern word Meme is derived.

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from Jordan Watson's Senior Composition Recital, released October 20, 2011
Naomi Karasawa, violin
Alicia Mangubat, violin
Toyo Garber, viola
Marie Johnston, cello
Zach Smith, conductor

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J Radon Dallas, Texas

Jordan Watson, sometimes known as J Radon, is a composer, guitarist, improviser, and audio engineer originally from Bellingham, WA now residing in West Hollywood, CA. Never able to settle into just one genre of music, he often draws upon an eclectic mix of Rock, Pop, Jazz, Electronic, Classical, and More to create unique sonic worlds. ... more

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