Awesome Music of the Week #2

Piece: “String Quartet #1 in D, Op. 11- Andante Cantabile”

Composer: Pytor I. Tchaikovsky

Artist: Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields (Iona Brown)

Album: Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik – Neville Marriner

This pieces, Tchaikovsky’s “String Quartet #1 in D, Op. 11- Andante Cantabile” is one of my favorite pieces. I’ve listened to it countless times off my iPod on “Repeat 1” and have to say, it still doesn’t get old.

I was first introduced to this piece over the summer at the ISYM Saxophone Camp where my quartet played a Marcel Mule arrangement of it. I was on the baritone saxophone part, so I was able to listen to all the solo parts while I played the accompaniment part. It was very nice to be able to hear how all the parts worked together, and of all the pieces we played, it was my favorite (even in comparison to the Jeanjean).

I enjoy the pensive part at the end where three of the four parts take small solos while the others play background accompaniment. It is very melancholy, and I find it peaceful and relaxing.

I listen to it often now, even after I had my fix of it during the summer. It was by chance that I discovered I had a recording of it; I searched through the iTunes store to find the saxophone arrangement to no avail. Then one day I put my iPod on shuffle and it popped up, albeit a string quartet version. I have listened to it nearly every day since then, and it is my song of choice when playing Minecraft.

I probably like this song because it brings back the good memories of saxophone camp, yet there is still something else in it that makes me want to listen to it more. I’m not quite sure what it is, and I’m not quite sure I’ll ever know what it is, but I’ll keep listening to the song whenever I can.