4 (mere) Bagatelles

These short but characterful pieces started life as a string quartet, each drawing on one of the masterworks of the string quartet canon. The first looks towards Mozart’s Divertimento, the second Stravinsky’s Three Pieces, the third Debussy’s Quartet and the last Beethoven’s A minor Quartet alongside hints of Tippett.

4 (mere) Bagatelles transcribed for string orchestra can also be performed one to a part as a quintet.  In such a performance the sections in the 2nd violin part marked divisi must be played as double stopped chords.