Oftentimes, when I write a piece for string quartet, it doesn’t begin as a string quartet. My previous string quartet, Hybrid, started out as a saxophone quartet. Likewise, my newest quartet, Two Squared Equals Five, began as a duo for violin and cello. The result is a profoundly different piece than if I had originally set out to write a string quartet.
Two Squared Equals Five is a piece based on a melody, but the melody also appears as harmony. The piece is based on perfect fifth intervals, but the fifths sometimes emerge in their inverted form as perfect fourths.
As a result, the piece creates the following equations:
Melody = Harmony
5 = 4
As I mentioned before, the piece began as a string duo — two members. Then, the size of the ensemble became a quartet — two squared.
So, taking one of the equations from above and substituting we get:
Two squared = Five
Oh, and there’s a section of polytonality in there. Enjoy!
Austin Ali 