Born on the east side of Manhattan in the 80’s to parents of a musical bent, Jessie Montgomery worked hard for her talents and opportunities from an early age. The work certainly paid off: she is currently a Graduate Fellow in Composition at Princeton, has worked throughout with her life with the Sphinx Organization (dedicated to performing underrepresented composers), and has composed commissioned and featured work, notably for the New York Philharmonic. Like other talented artists throughout history, Montgomery uses her artistic voice to promote activism and education through composing and performing.
“ Music is my connection to the world. It guides me to understand my place in relation to others and challenges me to make clear the things I do not understand. I imagine that music is a meeting place at which all people can converse about their unique differences and common stories.”
Strum is a purely colorful experience until its structure and form are understood, at which point it becomes an intricately assembled mosaic. After the melodic introduction, the pizzicato rhythmic figure beginning a minute and a half into the piece is the thread running through the rest of the work, which unfolds like a tapestry around it. Montgomery gradually adds in each voice until the second violin begins playing melodic material. She plays with the rhythm and meter to create a graceful energetic dance – listen for the hemiolas beginning a minute into the work – and paints a lively cityscape with the frequent character and key changes. Montgomery uses the string quartet’s full palate of strengths and colors and invites the players to work intricately together through constantly passing voices and motifs around the ensemble. This work showcases the versatility of the string quartet medium and calls to mind the dynamic, passionate excitement that embodies one of the U.S.’s most memorable cities, New York City.
Strum performed by the Catalyst Quartet (Jessie Montgomery, vln 2)