A Boy And A Girl: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

Whitacre's setting of Octavio Paz's delicate poem offers something rare at the string orchestra level: profound emotional depth without excessive technical display. The four measures depicting "never kissing" accomplish more through harmonic subtlety and phrasing than most pieces do through virtuosity, giving your musicians a tangible experience of how restraint serves expression.

The work unfolds with a hushed intimacy, as if Whitacre is sharing a private confidence rather than making a public statement. Harmonic movement is fluid and gently surprising; suspensions and passing tones create a sense of longing without melodrama. The entire piece holds a quality of breath held, of words almost but never quite spoken.

String orchestras at the upper secondary or early collegiate level who have developed solid intonation and phrase awareness. Musicians in this piece need control more than velocity, making it ideal for ensembles ready to mine emotional content from transparent textures.

• Shape the phrases around the text, even though your students are singing with their instruments rather than voices. Each line of poetry should suggest a natural arc and breath point that guides the bow.
• Guard against the temptation to swell every peak. The delicate moments often need the most careful dynamic control; experiment with instances where you actually diminish into emotional climaxes.
• Bring the second violins forward more than you might instinctively. Whitacre layers meaning into inner voices, and balance here reveals harmonic colors that can disappear if violas and second violins sit too far back.
• Allow the ensemble brief silence before diving in. A moment of stillness prepares both players and listeners for the tenderness that follows.

This works beautifully as a centerpiece for a concert built around themes of love, longing, or poetry. Pair it with other settings of literary texts or with contrasting works that celebrate different emotional registers. A single sensitive performance of this piece often leaves more impact than several longer works, making it an excellent choice for smaller concert programs or as an encore.

• Phrasing in the absence of text or obvious melodic landmarks
• Balance and blend within four-part textures
• Harmonic listening and intonation adjustment for suspended and altered chords
• Control of sustained tones with micro-dynamics
• Interpretive restraint and knowing when not to add vibrato or swell