About the creation

Music for Strings was composed in the winter of 1965. It belongs to the third period of Stutschewsky's artistic career that began in the 1950s, following Klezmer Music's influence, and the effect of Israeli folkloristic signifiers that strengthened after he immigrated to Palestine in 1938. Its musical language adheres to modern music, a style he absorbed as a young cellist in Europe during the 1920s, but it is based on traditional harmony and form. It opens with a motive consisting of a series of notes. Still, this is not serial music, as developed by Arnold Schoenberg, but rather a free tonal work, that maximizes the possibilities of those primary notes. Stutschewsky not only met Schoenberg but also premiered some of his works; nevertheless, he felt that clinging to a specific methodology based on predefined technical processes might limit the composer's artistic freedom. According to him: "Without complete amalgamation, the composition remains fragmented and does not turn into an artistic work … for me, there must be a complete unity, and all the contrasts between themes, motives, and sounds must be harmonically linked." This conception is reflected in all four movements – the two Allegros, and the inner Allegretto and Adagio are all based on a motivic, rhythmic, and dynamic variation on the opening motive, though each one keeps its unique character, with a texture that changes not only between movements but also between inner sections – from the opening unison in the strings to a more contrapuntal dialogue; from thick, dramatic textures to a freer, more relaxed atmosphere. Alongside his Three Miniatures to the Youth for strings (1958), Music for Strings is not only Stutschewsky's main work for this ensemble but also one of the major Israeli works in this genre. Dr. Anat Viks