Do It Again for String Quartet: String Duo & Ensemble, Quartet, Score and Parts

This collection solves a real programming need by offering arrangements that work equally well in a wedding reception, a chamber concert, or a pops showcase. Rosenhaus captures the elegant, danceable character of early 20th-century popular song without oversimplifying the string writing, your players will feel genuinely engaged by material that still challenges them.

Stepping into a Jazz Age ballroom where melody reigns and sophistication comes from clarity rather than complexity. These arrangements sparkle with charm and nostalgia, offering the pleasure of familiar tunes dressed in elegant string textures that feel both accessible and refined.

String quartets at the intermediate level (grade 3.5) looking for repertoire that entertains without sacrificing musical substance. Wedding musicians, chamber ensembles preparing pops programs, and young players who want to tackle recognizable material from the American songbook will all find something to love here.

• Treat the rhythmic swing of these arrangements with flexibility. The notation may look straightforward, but these pieces benefit from subtle rubato and a conversational approach to ensemble entrances.
• Balance the melodic line carefully across your first violins and viola. These tunes were written to sing, so resist the urge to bury the tune in thick inner harmonies.
• Record a run-through early in your rehearsal process and listen back as a quartet. Hearing yourselves will reveal ensemble intonation issues and timing details that aren't obvious in real time.
• Season these pieces with the personality of the era. A light, elegant touch works better than a heavy vibrato; think chamber music aesthetics applied to show tunes.

Build an entire special events or wedding repertoire set around these pieces, mixing and matching them to suit the mood and duration of your performance. Alternatively, program a single selection on a chamber music concert as a palate cleanser between heavier contemporary works, or use them as teaching tools to help intermediate students understand phrasing and style in popular song arrangement.

• Phrasing and lyrical line singing in instrumental context
• Ensemble balance between melody and accompaniment
• Stylistic interpretation of early 20th-century popular idioms
• Intonation in middle register voicings common to string quartet texture
• Rhythmic flexibility and rubato appropriate to popular song