String Quartet No. 1 | String Quartet with Indian Themes | new string quartet repertoire | repertoire for string quartet | new music for string quartet

VOICES FROM INDIA
string quartet No. 1

DUTATION: 17 minutes

INSTRUMENTATION: string quartet (2 violins, viola and cello)

YEAR COMPOSED: 1997

Voices from India – String Quartet No. 1 (1997) by Lior Navok is a 17-minute work inspired by the composer's study of Indian classical music. Structured in three movements—Alap, Gat, and Jhalla—the quartet draws on ragas such as Rama Priya, Shyam, Jog, Suddha Vasant, and Suddha Sarang. Rather than imitating Indian classical music, the piece integrates Indian ideas and colors into the Western string quartet tradition. Dedicated to Dr. Peter Row, it offers performers a culturally rich and innovative addition to contemporary quartet repertoire.

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VOICES FROM INDIA string quartet No. 1 [Hard Copy]

Name: VOICES FROM INDIA string quartet No. 1 [Hard Copy]
Brand: Lior Navok Music

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Item

Quantity

Item:	Full Score / Set of Parts
Format:	Hard Copy
Edition:	2nd Edition
Copyright:	Lior Navok
Publisher:	Lior Navok Music
Pages:	Score: 35 Part: 48
Binding:	Plastic Spiral
Ink:	Black & White
Paper Size:	Score: DIN A4 / Letter Parts: DIN B4

Program Notes:

Before 1997, my appreciation of Indian music was rather superficial. While I enjoyed listening to it, I was not aware of its compositional and improvisational procedures. It was essential to engage myself in the study of Indian music. A new world, unfamiliar to the typical Western musician, awaited me. As I explored the different techniques used by Indian musicians, I became inspired to compose a piece of my own. The string quartet, which represents one of the main pillars of Western music, seemed an ideal medium to convey the ideas I had gleaned from Indian music.

The quartet is in three movements which are based on a typical form of Indian classical music (Northern and Southern). The Alap is a slow, un-metered movement that is based on one main raga. It can be short or extended up to one hour long. The Alap also serves as an introduction to the Gat. Typically, at this stage, the Tabla player joins the soloist, playing a rhythmic cycle entitled Tala. In Voices from India, the Gat movement is made of a ten-beat cycle (divided 2+3 2+3). Emerging from the Gat is the Jhalla. Here, the soloist constantly uses open drone strings, accelerates into a very fast tempo which leads to a climax and conclusion.

The melodic material of the quartet is based on a few ragas. The main ones are “Rama Priya” and “Shyam” for the first movement, “Jog” and “Suddha Vasant” for the second, and “Suddha Sarang” for the third. Nonetheless, the quartet is not an attempt to imitate Indian classical music but rather an endeavor to bring Indian ideas and flavors into the Western medium of a string quartet. Voices from India is dedicated to Dr. Peter Row who has guided me through the concealed paths of Indian music.