Opus California
SALLY BEAMISH
MOVEMENT 1 (‘BOARDWALK’)
SALLY BEAMISH Structure
O
Sally Beamish was born in London in 1956 + now lives in &
The different sections of ‘Boardwalk may be shown as
Scotland follows
O
She started composing music when she was 4 years old
which her mother, who was a violinist, would play for her
g
She studied at the Royal Northern College of Music,
Manchester + spent 10 years as a professional viola ↳
player during which time she played with the Raphael
Ensemble, the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields +
was principal viola with the London Mozart Players
↳
The years spent playing were very important when she
eventually became a full-time composer
O
She switched from playing to composing around 1990
after having her first child
Section a (bars 1-29)
·
↳
The move to composing was hastened when her viola
Bars 1-7
was stolen + when she + her family moved to Scotland &
This section is a transformation of bars 1-2 of the 1st
O
She quickly established her name in the early 1990s with movement of Beethoven’s C minor Quartet, Op.18, No.4,
the help of an Arts Council Composers’ Bursary + by initially stretched out over 7 bars
1992 was receiving the equivalent of 1 performance a ↳
Bars 1-2 of Beethoven’s Quartet Op.18, No.4, Opening
week + 9 commissions in just 1 year of 1st movement
O
In 1999, Sally Beamish became Composer-in-Residence
with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra + this led to a
contract with the Norwegian publishers, Norsk
Musikforlag (who publish Opus California) as well as a
relationship with the Swedish-based BIS record label -
O
In 2002, her opera, Monster was premiered by Scottish
Opera
↳
It is based on the life of the writer Mary Shelley who
wrote the original novel ‘Frankenstein’
‘OPUS CALIFORNIA’ (Background Notes) O
There are 2 main elements here
↳
A sequence of four chords + a leaping melodic line
O
Opus California was commissioned by the Brodsky
Quartet + 1st performed by them on 8 March 2000 at interspersed between them moving between the 3
Cabot Hall, Canary Wharf, London lower instruments
O
It is Sally Beamish’s Second String Quartet
O
The work is in 4 movements, of which ‘Boardwalk’ +
‘Natural Bridges’ form the 1st + last movements
The composer has also made a version of this quartet
-
O
for saxophone quartet
The 4 chords appear in exactly the same voicing as
&
found in the Beethoven quartet over a pedal note
of C
O
The melodic line (starting at bar 3) is entirely derived
from the final note of the decorative turn + final three
notes of the 1st violin part in bar 1, subjected to octave
displacement (B-C-EP-D)
↳
, Opus California
SALLY BEAMISH
MOVEMENT 1 (‘BOARDWALK’)
Bars 1-7 (Continued) Bars 8-15 (Continued)
O
In bars 4-7 the chords recede in importance + the O
Bars 8-15 are based on the prolongation of the first 3
melodic element grows, from 3 notes (bar 3), to 4 (bar chords, only resolving to the F minor tonic (beats 3 + 4
5) + finally a flourish of 12 (bars 6-7) of Beethoven’s bar 4) on the first beat of bar 16
↳
This is built from fragments of + adjustments to, the O
As before, the whole passage (except bar 11) is built over
violin part of Beethoven’s first violin part in bar 1 a pedal note of C in the bass (as in the Beethoven)
↳
In the course of this passage it becomes a dominant,
-
rather than tonic pedal as F minor is established
O
Bar 9 is a repeat of 8
O
Bars 10-11 delay the return to the tonic using the 2nd
+ 3rd chords (or variants of them)
Bars 8-15 O
Bar 12 returns to the tonic of F, but with the addition
O
The interest here is entirely harmonic + the melodic of a DD , which comes to dominate the bars that follow
aspect temporarily ceases
O
Bars 13-15 extend the return to the tonic at bar 16
O
Bars 8-15 are built from bars 3 and 4 of the Beethoven with a series of harmonic progressions around the chord
O
The passage starts on F minor + the key is confirmed as of D D (flat vi in F minor)
the tonic by the time we reach the cadence on the 1st
↳
The derivation of DD is hinted at in the viola part of
beat of bar 16 the Beethoven quartet at bar 4
O
The 4 chords appear in exactly the same voicing as
found in the original Beethoven quartet
-
↳
Bars 16-22
O
This passage is a varied repeat + elaboration of bars
1-7, now in F minor
O
The harmony here is similar to bars 1-7, but coloured by
the D↳ relationship of the previous passage
↳
↳
A dominant 7th in 4/2 position with an AD
appoggiatura, falling to a dominant chord, but
coloured by the addition of a DD
g
The melodic element consists of several 3-note cells
O
Over a pedal note of C derived from the earlier material (bars 18, 20-22),
↳
A 6/4 chord of F minor, a dominant 7th in root expanding to a longer passage at the close
position (on F minor) with an unresolved appoggiatura 4
On the final two beats of bar 22 a short 4-note figure
on the flattened 6th (A↳) and a diminished chord is introduced (violin 1) that will assume more
returning to the chord of F minor significance later
Bars 23-29
-
O
These bars return to C minor to round off the 1st
section
&
The 2 chords that opened the work (bars 1 + 2) are
heard in double stops on the viola + cello (bars 24-5 +
28-9), interspersed with variants of the melodic figure
(bars 24 + 26-7)
&
The passage closes on a unison C
SALLY BEAMISH
MOVEMENT 1 (‘BOARDWALK’)
SALLY BEAMISH Structure
O
Sally Beamish was born in London in 1956 + now lives in &
The different sections of ‘Boardwalk may be shown as
Scotland follows
O
She started composing music when she was 4 years old
which her mother, who was a violinist, would play for her
g
She studied at the Royal Northern College of Music,
Manchester + spent 10 years as a professional viola ↳
player during which time she played with the Raphael
Ensemble, the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields +
was principal viola with the London Mozart Players
↳
The years spent playing were very important when she
eventually became a full-time composer
O
She switched from playing to composing around 1990
after having her first child
Section a (bars 1-29)
·
↳
The move to composing was hastened when her viola
Bars 1-7
was stolen + when she + her family moved to Scotland &
This section is a transformation of bars 1-2 of the 1st
O
She quickly established her name in the early 1990s with movement of Beethoven’s C minor Quartet, Op.18, No.4,
the help of an Arts Council Composers’ Bursary + by initially stretched out over 7 bars
1992 was receiving the equivalent of 1 performance a ↳
Bars 1-2 of Beethoven’s Quartet Op.18, No.4, Opening
week + 9 commissions in just 1 year of 1st movement
O
In 1999, Sally Beamish became Composer-in-Residence
with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra + this led to a
contract with the Norwegian publishers, Norsk
Musikforlag (who publish Opus California) as well as a
relationship with the Swedish-based BIS record label -
O
In 2002, her opera, Monster was premiered by Scottish
Opera
↳
It is based on the life of the writer Mary Shelley who
wrote the original novel ‘Frankenstein’
‘OPUS CALIFORNIA’ (Background Notes) O
There are 2 main elements here
↳
A sequence of four chords + a leaping melodic line
O
Opus California was commissioned by the Brodsky
Quartet + 1st performed by them on 8 March 2000 at interspersed between them moving between the 3
Cabot Hall, Canary Wharf, London lower instruments
O
It is Sally Beamish’s Second String Quartet
O
The work is in 4 movements, of which ‘Boardwalk’ +
‘Natural Bridges’ form the 1st + last movements
The composer has also made a version of this quartet
-
O
for saxophone quartet
The 4 chords appear in exactly the same voicing as
&
found in the Beethoven quartet over a pedal note
of C
O
The melodic line (starting at bar 3) is entirely derived
from the final note of the decorative turn + final three
notes of the 1st violin part in bar 1, subjected to octave
displacement (B-C-EP-D)
↳
, Opus California
SALLY BEAMISH
MOVEMENT 1 (‘BOARDWALK’)
Bars 1-7 (Continued) Bars 8-15 (Continued)
O
In bars 4-7 the chords recede in importance + the O
Bars 8-15 are based on the prolongation of the first 3
melodic element grows, from 3 notes (bar 3), to 4 (bar chords, only resolving to the F minor tonic (beats 3 + 4
5) + finally a flourish of 12 (bars 6-7) of Beethoven’s bar 4) on the first beat of bar 16
↳
This is built from fragments of + adjustments to, the O
As before, the whole passage (except bar 11) is built over
violin part of Beethoven’s first violin part in bar 1 a pedal note of C in the bass (as in the Beethoven)
↳
In the course of this passage it becomes a dominant,
-
rather than tonic pedal as F minor is established
O
Bar 9 is a repeat of 8
O
Bars 10-11 delay the return to the tonic using the 2nd
+ 3rd chords (or variants of them)
Bars 8-15 O
Bar 12 returns to the tonic of F, but with the addition
O
The interest here is entirely harmonic + the melodic of a DD , which comes to dominate the bars that follow
aspect temporarily ceases
O
Bars 13-15 extend the return to the tonic at bar 16
O
Bars 8-15 are built from bars 3 and 4 of the Beethoven with a series of harmonic progressions around the chord
O
The passage starts on F minor + the key is confirmed as of D D (flat vi in F minor)
the tonic by the time we reach the cadence on the 1st
↳
The derivation of DD is hinted at in the viola part of
beat of bar 16 the Beethoven quartet at bar 4
O
The 4 chords appear in exactly the same voicing as
found in the original Beethoven quartet
-
↳
Bars 16-22
O
This passage is a varied repeat + elaboration of bars
1-7, now in F minor
O
The harmony here is similar to bars 1-7, but coloured by
the D↳ relationship of the previous passage
↳
↳
A dominant 7th in 4/2 position with an AD
appoggiatura, falling to a dominant chord, but
coloured by the addition of a DD
g
The melodic element consists of several 3-note cells
O
Over a pedal note of C derived from the earlier material (bars 18, 20-22),
↳
A 6/4 chord of F minor, a dominant 7th in root expanding to a longer passage at the close
position (on F minor) with an unresolved appoggiatura 4
On the final two beats of bar 22 a short 4-note figure
on the flattened 6th (A↳) and a diminished chord is introduced (violin 1) that will assume more
returning to the chord of F minor significance later
Bars 23-29
-
O
These bars return to C minor to round off the 1st
section
&
The 2 chords that opened the work (bars 1 + 2) are
heard in double stops on the viola + cello (bars 24-5 +
28-9), interspersed with variants of the melodic figure
(bars 24 + 26-7)
&
The passage closes on a unison C
