gibbons vs. Gibbons

Alex Eddington

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String Quartet

2019

4 min.

Cello

Viola

Violin

Program Notes: gibbons vs. Gibbons is one of those pieces that started as a title. I was thinking that it was funny that there is an English Renaissance composer named Orlando Gibbons, since gibbons are also a kind of ape. The most wonderful kind of ape! Watching them swing and play at the Toronto zoo, and listening to recordings of the whooping-swooping duets of white-cheeked gibbons online, I wondered what would happen if these apes encountered their namesake composer. In my piece, the viola and cello (the gibbons) keep swinging playfully down to bother the violins (attempting to perform a duet by Gibbons), causing unexpected problems in the music. Eventually, apes and musicians find a way to play together for the final cadence - and a whooping finish! "gibbons vs. Gibbons" is dedicated to these endangered primates who give the world a music of their own. This piece is dedicated to the Odin Quartet, with apologies to Orlando Gibbons and actual gibbons.
Recording Notes: Studio recording by the Odin Quartet, 2021
Ensemble Name: Odin Quartet