Grade Level: 3

T h e H i g h l a n d / E t l i n g S t r i n g O r c h e s t r a S e r i e s

“B-Suite” for Strings

(I. Be-Boppin’ Bourrée II. Bittersweet Berceuse III. Brazilian Bagatelle)

By Carrie Lane Gruselle

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I N S T R U M E N TAT I O N

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Conductor Score 1

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Violin I 8

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Violin II 8
Viola 5

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Cello 5
String Bass 5
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Harp (optional) es 1
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“B-SUITE” FOR STRINGS
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The letter B appears to have unusual significance in music. We all

know of the “Three B’s” (Bach, Beethoven and Brahms) and,
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curiously, there are many forms or styles of music that begin with
B: barcarole, ballade, bolero, bagatelle, blues, etc.
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The first movement of “B-Suite” for Strings, “Be-Boppin Bourrée,”

is a juxtaposition of two styles. In this bourrée, the seventeenth
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century French dance experiences jazzy interruptions.

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Movement two is a “Bittersweet Berceuse.” Since many of us

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associate major keys with “happy” and minor keys with “sad,” this
berceuse (or lullaby) weaves between major and minor—providing
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an uncertain sense of modality. It leaves us feeling not quite happy

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or sad.
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The “Brazilian Bagatelle” (a bagatelle being a short, whimsical

piece) is characterized by Latin-American rhythms and is infused
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with quartal harmonies (chords built with notes that are four steps
apart rather than the customary three).

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