When Harumi Rhodes of the Takács Quartet invited me to write a piece for the group, I was surprised, greatly honored and fearful. The string quartet is considered a ‘perfect’ ensemble. It inspires delicacy, sensitivity and adventure. The core range is smaller than that of the piano, yet its timbre allows for beauteous interplay. Harumi asked that the quartet be about anything in the natural world, an idea requested by lead commissioner Cal Performances. Fortunately, patterns in music and science pair well, so that brought relief.

I researched a wide array of subjects for over a year, including the life cycle, carbon reclamation, environmental protection, animal communication, starling murmurations, our last universal common ancestor (LUCA), black-hole collisions and the subatomic realm. I also listened with gusto to the recordings of the Takács Quartet, savouring especially the group’s performances of works by Brahms, Coleridge-Taylor and Florence Price. It became clear that everything in nature exists as part of a vast tapestry of systems. The layering of these systems reveals a common flow to our existence that ties us to the initial outburst of energy and matter at the beginning of time.

The idea of ‘flow’ can be expressed mathematically, psychologically, physically, visually and, now, via string quartet. There is a Sanskrit word ‘prana’ which fits this concept—‘pra’ meaning ‘first’ and ‘na’ meaning ‘energy’. It is infinite and all-pervasive through both animate and inanimate realms. For this piece, the quartet is asked to connect to our common flow through ‘pranayama’, where ‘ayama’ is the expansion of ‘prana’, practised through breath control. The quartet also relates to this idea of an initial energy through the concepts of ‘Om’, which can be understood as synonymous with ‘pranava’ (‘foresound’), and ‘Omkara’ (‘Om maker’)—the first source of sound and the act of creation. ‘Om’ in the string quartet mostly appears on an upbeat as a widely vibrated pizzicato glissando in the cello, imitating the vibrational birthing energy of our universe.

Flow starts like gas seeping from an infinitely full balloon about to pop. Then, as matter inflates space, climactic material is presented almost immediately before abruptly burning out for the universal dark ages. The ‘Prelude’ examines ‘B’ing/BE’ing’ melodically and harmonically through moments of ‘pranayama’ (the transformative power of breath) and ends with a trailing ‘Om’.

The ‘Lento’ brings further cooling and space in a chorale that is underpinned by an octave B-centric pedal. Motifs from the ‘Prelude’ are given room to develop. The bass line descends, expanding the quartet’s range, while microtonal slow glissandi hold the sound together.

The ‘Quark scherzo’ explores our fundamentally playful selves. The subatomic realm waltzes ‘up’ and ‘down’ in packets of three while we embrace ideas of solidity and ego. The trio provides no break and instead intones a ballad over cello triplets. The movement ends in a virtuosic flurry.

The ‘Finale’ settles into a stylized recitative where the three lower strings play solo before coming together to complement a soaring treble voice. Flowing triplets morph into a Classical Indian dadra tal rhythm (of six even beats) in the bass line while upper strings bow the sides of their instruments to simulate cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. Following this, there is a return to the ‘Prelude’ opening, then a slingshot into ecstatic starling murmurations. Lower strings continue unrelentingly while violin lines chase one another, instantaneously turning and merging. They eventually land, and the sky calms through a long D overtone glissando. A retreating tremolo reveals a melody played first by the viola, then shared across the ensemble before culminating in a joyful conclusion.

from notes by Nokuthula Ngwenyama © 2024