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ONE‑MOVEMENT STRING QUARTETS

Modern Single‑Movement Works for String Quartet

The one‑movement string quartet has become an expressive and concentrated form in modern chamber music.
This page presents Lior Navok’s Soliloquy, a single‑movement quartet, alongside a curated list of one‑movement repertoire from the 20th and 21st centuries.

SOLILOQUY
(string quartet no. 4)

for string quartet

Duration:

15:30 minutes
 

Instrumentation:   

violins (2); viola and cello

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Year Composed:  

2018
 

Written For:            
Borromeo String Quartet

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Premiere Performance:

27 October 2019

James Library & Center for the Arts​​

Norwell , MA, USA
Borromeo String Quartet
 

MODERN STRING QUARTETS
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Program Notes
Soliloquy is my fourth string quartet and, to date, the most intimate of them. As the title suggests, the piece is a journey into self-reflection and exploration. It was composed for the Borromeo String Quartet.

Abstract
Soliloquy is a concentrated, introspective single‑movement string quartet that unfolds as a continuous emotional arc. Built from evolving motifs and shifting textures, the work explores the expressive possibilities of a solitary musical voice expanded into a four‑part ensemble.

VIEW SCORE

Score Sample

​​Score of Soliloquy for string quartet

About One‑Movement String Quartets

The single‑movement quartet offers composers a concentrated form in which thematic development, emotional pacing, and structural clarity unfold without interruption. From early 20th‑century works to contemporary compositions, the one‑movement quartet has become a compelling alternative to traditional multi‑movement structures.

One‑Movement String Quartet Repertoire

Early 20th Century

  • Arnold Schoenberg – String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37 – 1936

  • Anton Webern – Five Movements for String Quartet, Op. 5 – 1909

  • Alban Berg – Lyric Suite – 1925–1926

  • Béla Bartók – String Quartet No. 3 – 1927

  • Paul Hindemith – String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22 – 1921

  • Dmitri Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 7, Op. 108 – 1960

  • Sergei Prokofiev – String Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 92 – 1941 
     

Mid to Late 20th Century

  • György Ligeti – String Quartet No. 2 – 1968

  • Iannis Xenakis – Tetras – 1983

  • Luciano Berio – Notturno (String Quartet No. 3) – 1993

  • Karlheinz Stockhausen – Helikopter-Streichquartett – 1995

  • Elliott Carter – String Quartet No. 3 – 1971

  • Helmut Lachenmann – Gran Torso – 1971–1972

  • Tristan Murail – String Quartet – 1978
     

21st Century

  • Kaija Saariaho – Terra Memoria – 2006–2007

  • Harrison Birtwistle – The Tree of Strings – 2007

  • Brian Ferneyhough – Dum Transisset I-IV – 2007

  • Tania León – Esencia – 2009

  • Steve Reich – WTC 9/11 – 2010

  • John Adams – Absolute Jest (String quartet and orchestra) – 2012

  • Mark Andre – iv 2 (String Quartet) – 2014–2015

  • Georg Friedrich Haas – String Quartet No. 9 – 2016

  • Rebecca Saunders – Unbreathed – 2017–2019

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