Scottish Music Centre

Catalogue Item

w20832

TitleAfter the Before
Contributors Claire McCue (composer)
Composition date2013
Duration (mins)15
Categorychamber quintet
InstrumentationTrb 2 Vn Va Vc
Commissioned byThe Astrid String Quartet with trombonist Davur Juul Magnussen
Key signature
First line
First performed
NotesFor string quartet & tenor trombone.
Programme Note“After The Before” has no specific narrative, but more of an overall feel of a journey from dark to light, with a time of contemplation in-between. The title alludes to this and also the fact that I wrote the movements in an atypical order: the 3rd movement first, the 1st movement second and the 2nd movement third.



In the first movement the quintet play as equals together rather than with trombone as a prominent soloist against a string quartet, but in the second movement the trombone takes on this role more in what is almost like a soliloquy. My intention was to expose the sincere and beautiful sonority of the trombone which is often passed over in favour of the more dynamic or comical qualities that are readily associated with this instrument. As strings and trombone share the ability to make very natural glissandos, I chose to feature this in the third movement.
This work is associated with the following collection items:

  • score [cb44927] [unpublished] ref library More details
  • score [cb44928] [unpublished] hard disk (pdf file) More details
  • part(s) [cb44929] [unpublished] hard disk (pdf file) More details