four strings quartet

- 2013 -

musical instruments

tulip wood, four strings, electric wire, coils, oscillator, sound

close-up, photo by Mattie van der Worm

close-up, photo by Mattie van der Worm

FOUR STRINGS QUARTET IS A PROJECT in which a hand-made string quartet plays the leading role. The quartet is made out of four blocks of solid wood, all from the same tree. The sizes correspond to the sound bodies ('klankkasten' in Dutch) of a traditional string quartet - a cello, a viola and two violins.

The first step of modelling, carving the wood is recorded on 16mm film (FOUR STRINGS QUARTET: PRELUDE). In fact that is the first time that the instruments are being played. The four resonating bodies are carved from tulip wood, and each instrument is carrying one string. Each of the instruments makes an autonomous sound. They are not interactive, but active, fine-tuned in such a way that (with the right frequency generating the vibration of the string) they start to present themselves, making their own specific sound heard.

photo G.J. van Rooij