In an Old House in Paris à 4

In 2020, when musicians were figuring out ways to connect remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I devised a musical conversation that could be held between two people over the internet. Because of the technical factors that make listening and playing at the same time impossible, like the slight delay (latency), the meter and timings had to be carefully planned in order for the musical conversation to be a fulfilling experience.

I made versions of this two-voice piece for every combination of instruments that I could think of, and enjoyed playing it with a great many people.

At the suggestion of the Academy String Quartet, I recently made an adaptation of the piece for string quartet. I simplified the meters, and added some harmony and counterpoint so that it could be played by an in-person string quartet. I expanded a few sections, but the spirit of the piece remains the same.

The rhythms of the musical motives correlate exactly with those of a well-known book for children that begins with the phrase, “In an old house in Paris.” The text is not reproduced in the score, but anyone familiar with the text should be able to puzzle together which musical phrase fits with which phrase in the text. It is my hope that the music can stand without the necessity of the text being heard by the audience, but the incorporation of a narrator would certainly be fun.

You can find the score and parts here, and also on this page of the IMSLP, under the transcriptions tab.