cello

Composer's note: 

This composition was commissioned by the New York Chamber Music Festival for the New York Piano Quartet and is dedicated to the Festival's founder, the extraordinary violinist Elmira Darvarova.  The request for the work was for a short "reflexion" on the Mahler Quartet (1876).  As such, the composition derives its thematic material from one of the main motives of the Mahler, but treats it in an entirely personal manner.  As with most of my chamber music, I am interested here in the composite ensemble working as a single instrument.  I try to make each of the parts the performers perform interesting and expressive, but nonetheless challenging.  My hope is that both the listener and the performer will be intrigued by a glimpse into my imagination, here derived from Mahler, as I work with the sounds and rhythms that comprise my sonic vocabulary.

This piece was composed in November, 2010 and also forms the second movement of my sonata for violin and piano. The title basically says all that needs to be said: It is a very personal expression in music of something I felt needed said. *New version of this work for cello and piano - premiere 2013

The most recent commission by the Martinů String Quartet to date, McKinley’s String Quartet No. 6 continues the exploration of overall form, similar to that of the previous quartet. The piece is played continuously, like String Quartet No. 5, although McKinley now turns his attention to the manipulation of form for each of the four distinct movements. This latest quartet outweighs the previous two quartets not only in length, but also in compositional stature and formal innovation. Jazz rhythms have less presence than the previous quartets, although several sonorities and harmonic progressions hint at the influence of jazz, which underpins so many of McKinley’s compositions.

In his String Quartet No. 4, McKinley achieves a synthesis between a high-modernist aesthetic and jazz influenced rhythms and harmonies. The viola’s subtle beginning of the quartet centers the listener on the pitch G. After the cello quietly introduces a G-Major pentatonic collection, the violins introduce the melody in double octaves.

The melody isn’t exclusively pentatonic, although it remains centered around the initial 5 pitches introduced by the cello. The doubled melody begins with an upward gesture, which permeates the remainder of the movement. The slow and steady cello and viola pairing establish a solid foundation, enabling the violins to soar over top. The violin pairing eventually breaks down, with only one violin playing on the initial melodic gesture. A sudden tutti interruption of blocked chords breaks the opening sentiments of the movement.

This work was written for David Stock on occasion of his retirement from Duquesne University. It was composed during the early autumn of 2008.