grade level: 3 “b-suite” for strings“b-suite” for strings (i. be-boppin’ bourrée ii....

“B-Suite” for Strings(I. Be-Boppin’ Bourrée II. Bittersweet Berceuse III. Brazilian Bagatelle)

By Carrie Lane Gruselle

Grade Level: 3

T h e H i g h l a n d / E t l i n g S t r i n g O r c h e s t r a S e r i e s

A DIVIS ION OF

I N S T R U M E N T A T I O N

Conductor Score 1Violin I 8Violin II 8Viola 5Cello 5String Bass 5Harp (optional) 1

“B-SUITE” FOR STRINGS

The letter B appears to have unusual significance in music. We allknow of the “Three B’s” (Bach, Beethoven and Brahms) and,curiously, there are many forms or styles of music that begin withB: barcarole, ballade, bolero, bagatelle, blues, etc.

The first movement of “B-Suite” for Strings, “Be-Boppin Bourrée,”is a juxtaposition of two styles. In this bourrée, the seventeenthcentury French dance experiences jazzy interruptions.

Movement two is a “Bittersweet Berceuse.” Since many of usassociate major keys with “happy” and minor keys with “sad,” thisberceuse (or lullaby) weaves between major and minor—providingan uncertain sense of modality. It leaves us feeling not quite happyor sad.

The “Brazilian Bagatelle” (a bagatelle being a short, whimsicalpiece) is characterized by Latin-American rhythms and is infusedwith quartal harmonies (chords built with notes that are four stepsapart rather than the customary three).

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