A N D R E W P O P P Y

DEFINITELY DISC
(competition edit)
 DEFINITELY DISCO (competition edit) 09
Commissioned by Trinity College of Music for the Cavatina Intercollegiate String Quartet Competition as part of the
Greenwich International String Quartet Festival April 2009

Duration 4:30 mins approx. The quartet to be amplified if possible. Suggested seating and balance: the 4 musicians sit
facing the audience with the 2 violins either side of the viola and cello.

It’s an honour to be asked to write a short quartet movement for this festival competition. This is my fourth quartet. It’s an
endlessly fascinating texture. There was a ‘brief’ attached to the asking. The work had to be connected to, or make reference
to, a dance form. Without hesitation I thought about Disco. Disco in all its stylistic manifestations is something I’ve always
enjoyed; from Kraftwerk though to a continuing obsession with the music of Underworld. This is a music that, like Mozart,
exudes a palpably sense of physical pleasure. Disco is probably the most significant vernacular form to originate in recent
times. Ironically the music is connected to the ‘feel’ of the drum machine and associated electronic instruments like the
sampler. I guess vernacular dance practise has always informed the abstraction of art music. And dance itself somehow
influenced by the musical instrument technology of a time. (The ‘without end’ quality of machines connects clubbing more to
say, marathon running than to the polite rituals of enlightenment courtship) String instrument technology and string quartet
culture is certainly from another era. But it still holds creative possibilities. The project would appear to be to understand
how this old technology might be creatively involved in new forms.

In recent times ‘dance music’ musicians have explored, in the hedonistic context of the club, the ways that sound works with
or on the body. It’s the way perception transforms through repetition. Attention to the grain of the pulse and the way it
manipulates sensation. ‘Repetition and difference’ is something that philosophers and concert hall artists have also found
consequent. There is also stillness at the centre of the dance act that is reminiscent of prayer or meditation. Dance is not
about switching off. It’s actually hard to dance if you’re wasted. Contemplation though dancing maybe! But that’s a longer
piece of writing.

While string quartet music is never going ‘play’ in the dance hall I hope that some of the spirit and pleasure of that context
has infected this work. Thank you to David Kennedy and Stephan Chamberlain from the festival and also a special thanks to
Nick, Darragh, Ian and Deirdre of the Smith Quartet . Andrew Poppy 25 February 2009
 Definitely Disco (competition edit)
FAST RELAXED RELENTLESSLY JOYFULL ABSURD DISCO PHYSICAL PLEASURE NO ANXT REPEATS ARE NOT OPTIONAL

  
violin 1 plays bars 1-7 solo then tutti from beginning Andrew Poppy
A
q=82 resonant and articulate
 marc.             
                  
into the string 

  
Violin I 

ff
   
                                 
marc. into the string
Violin II
ff
  
 
marc. into the string

                                         

  
  
Viola

ff 

       
marc. into the string
  
                                
Violoncello
            
ff

       
    
B
                
       
6

            
  
 
                
                           

       
                               
  
   
  
                                         
    

                      
(c) andrew poppy 2009
 defininately disco
2
  C
                                       
   
10

              
 

   

  

             
                           

                                 
           
 
      
 
          
 
  
 
                   
 
             
       

          D
    
14                  
            

          
                                 

   
                     
               


                          
            
   

 defininately disco
3
                        
   
17

        
        
                 
                 
        
                                
   

                                         
           
 
                                          
  
      

   
 
21
 


  



      
                
  

         
     

           

     
            
        


   
              
        

  
 defininately disco
4 Bluesy sence of funk but still with an evenly wieghted q
24 E e=q
   q=170
           
 
    
  
               
f
         

e=q
        
    
  
    
   
  

   
     

f
         

             



                    
      
e=q

    
f
     
e=q
                   
     
     
      
f

F gradual cresc. through repeat to reach ff by G

    
                 
          
  
30
  
      
 
 
p

     
    

     
   
  
   
    
 
      
  
 
 p 


 
              
   
        
      
     
     
      
 

p

           
        

 
             
 

p
 defininately disco
5
  2nd G   
      
  
 
     
36

           
      


 
 

 
  
ff

      
                         
   
 

 
ff

     
 
2nd
            
 

        
             

  
ff
    
    

 
    
       
           
     
ff
 


41        

                     
       
     


                      
           
             
        
   
        
     
 
        
        
          
     
       

 defininately disco
6
q=e The k music is always grouped 5/16 5/16 6/16 across the 4/4 bar. Make this clear.
H q=82into the string, slight accent begining of the phrase
          
               
45
        
  


ff

        
into the string, slight accent begining of the phrase
           
q=e

         
 

ff  
q=e into the string           

   
ff
q=e into the string , even e dont weight the q
  
   










 













 
ff

                        

      
47

     
   
              
               
     


 
        
          
  

 
              
             
 defininately disco
7
           

            
49

          
 
  
       
               
      

   
 
         

          
   
  
                           
     
           

 
                     
   
51

       

              
          

   

  


            
      
   
   
 





 

 



 



 

 
 defininately disco
8
                 I   
 

     
53

         
 

           
      
        
 
       
          
     
   
  
               
       

                 
       
55

      
  


                   
               
 


                
               

     
          
       


    



    
defininately disco
J        
9

      
57

    
sf

       
              
         
sf        
     
            
  
            
                
   
 
Steady mechanical evenly weighted
K      
very percussive but resonant
         x9
         pizz.       
59 put down bow

            
sf


put down bow very percussive but resonant

            
pizz.


 
                
      sf     
 but resonant
very percussive 
   
               
pizz.

                   
put down bow
         
 sf
  
very percussive but resonant

                   

         
put down bow pizz.

         


 
sf