Trucco

Along with the symphony, the concerto, and the opera, the string quartet is sometimes seen as a milestone in a career, one made all the more formidable by the shadow of the many musical giants who have contributed to the genre.

In perhaps a moment of questionable sanity, the idea of a quartet imbedded itself in my psyche and refused to leave. The sense of mystery and adventure I felt was so overwhelming that it began to infuse all of the musical ideas for the piece. Trucco's central movement, the primary section of the work, opens with a tenuous, skittish, passage which gradually gains steam and runs headlong into the main motivic idea, a driving combination of rhythmic patterns which are juxtaposed, and then developed in each of the four instruments. This passage builds to an abrupt halt, then gives way to an espressivo center section which makes use of lyrical melodies, coloristic effects, and fluid rhythms. After a brief repose, the nervousness of the opening returns, but with increased direction. Fragments of the espressivo melodies give focus and assuredness to the passage as it builds to an emphatic conclusion.

The main section is framed by a Prelude and Postlude, which present key harmonic materials in a somewhat calmer manner. The Prelude is highlighted by a rhapsodic melody in the cello. The lone voice proceeds in quiet assurance, oblivious to the mild discords that surround it in the other voices. The Postlude inverts the personalities found in the Prelude, as the cello presents a tamed version of the discordant material and the three upper strings join in a contrapuntal version of the original cello melody, each voice rising in turn above the others until they are all three coerced into quiet dissipation.

The title, "Trucco," is the Italian word for "disguise," "trick," or "sleight of hand." Though cast in three movements (Movts. I and III are the Prelude and Postlude, respectively), the work provides three possible performance options: 1) Movements I, II, and III; 2) Movements I and II; 3) Movement II alone.

Trucco was awarded the Halsey Stevens Prize by the University of Southern California, First Prize for Excellence in the Arts from the City of Los Angeles, and was part of a submission which garnered the 1999 Academy Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Premiered in Los Angeles in 1991, it has been performed by numerous quartets throughout North and South America.

E.M.