Located in the UK
Located in the USA
Located in Europe
- Judith Weir
Music for 247 Strings (1981)
- Novello & Co Ltd (World)
Commissioned with funds from the Greater London Arts Association
Programme Note
Music for 247 Strings was written in 1981, in response to a request from a British violin-piano duo, Paul Barritt and William Howard. They wanted a piece that would feature genuine duo playing, rather than violin solo plus piano accompaniment. I began to imagine these two instruments combined into one big machine which had the 4 strings of the violin added to the 243 strings of the grand piano I was then working on (I have since learned that different pianos have a variable number of strings inside them).
The music consists of 10 very tiny pieces played as a progression, without any breaks between them. The first few pieces are played in complete - and perhaps rather restricting - rhythmic unison. Then, in the central pieces, the instruments seem to seek some independence from each other. By the end, the violin and piano have joined together again, perhaps in a more genuine spirit of togetherness than they started out with.
© Judith Weir
The music consists of 10 very tiny pieces played as a progression, without any breaks between them. The first few pieces are played in complete - and perhaps rather restricting - rhythmic unison. Then, in the central pieces, the instruments seem to seek some independence from each other. By the end, the violin and piano have joined together again, perhaps in a more genuine spirit of togetherness than they started out with.
© Judith Weir
Media
Music for 247 Strings
