Family Group with Aliens Cover Image

Family Group with Aliens: String Quartets

$115.00 USD
$115.00 USD
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Family Group with Aliens Cover Image
Family Group with Aliens: String Quartets

Family Group with Aliens: String Quartets

By Piers Hellawell

Item: 98-EP73483
$115.00
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Description

This quartet, my third in as many decades, continues the path of the first two in exploring a structural deployment of larger and smaller pieces, like sculptures around a space. A set of six movements falls into two groups: three of the pieces – the ‘family group' - essentially express the same piece at different magnifications (and hence different durations, i.e. short: 30”, medium: 3', and long: 7'); this principle, of exploring the same musical narrative on different scales, has evolved through a number of my works since 2015. The other three pieces – the ‘Aliens' - are like cousins to these: they all draw on the material of the ‘family' and so act as commentaries on the main set. This split-level action mixing ‘main' and ‘supporting' pieces, by the way, is also found in my previous quartet, Driftwood on Sand (2002) – the work that brought me and Friction Quartet together.

The three ‘Aliens' each bear the title Reflectaphor – a term coined by Dr John Briggs for something we recognize as being like, but at the same time distinct from, a related item. Where the ‘family group' differ mainly in scale, therefore, the three Reflectaphor pieces, while they draw on the shared ideas, are highly contrasted in content: (a) is a brief sound-sculpture, while (b) is a passionate slow movement, and (c) is a two-minute elegy for the young Irish composer Danny Barkley, who died in 2018 – quoting, as it does, some materials from his own Belfast Quartet (2014).

The order of the six pieces is left to the performers; however, it is laid down that the two sets must be heard in alternation – like the shuffling of two hands of cards. The intention is that the listener weaves between the main narrative (the ‘family group') and the reflections upon aspects from within it.

Family Group with Aliens was commissioned by Friction Quartet, and was premiered by them in Old First Concerts, San Francisco, USA on 16th August 2019. Family Group with Aliens is dedicated to Mitzi Palmer.



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Additional Details
Series: Edition Peters
Publisher: Edition Peters
ISBN10: 0-57-702107-9
ISBN13: 979-0-57-702107-2
SKU: 98-EP73483

More about this title

About the Composer: Piers Hellawell

Piers Hellawell is a British composer whose work centers on structural innovation and the exploration of musical ideas across different scales and contexts. Since the early 2000s, his compositional practice has been defined by a fascination with how a single musical thought can yield distinct meanings when magnified, compressed, or reframed—a principle that reaches full articulation in works like Family Group with Aliens.

Why we love this

Hellawell's approach to quartet writing treats structure as a conceptual framework rather than a decorative choice. The 'family group' mechanism—presenting one musical narrative at three different durational scales—gives performers a rare opportunity to inhabit the same musical space with radically different temporal perspectives, making every rehearsal a lesson in how scale affects meaning. The interwoven 'Aliens' pieces prevent this from becoming a mere exercise; they're genuine commentaries that keep the listener (and player) alert to nuance.

What to expect

The experience alternates between focused intensity and sculptural silence. The 'family group' pieces unfold with a sense of inevitability, their identical musical DNA creating a meditative quality that deepens with each return. The 'Aliens' break the spell with contrasts: brittle gestures, slow passages heavy with emotion, and finally the restrained grief of the elegy, which carries a weight beyond its two-minute span.

Who it's for

This quartet is for advanced ensembles who thrive on conceptual complexity and are willing to invest time in understanding structural relationships. It suits string quartets that perform regularly enough to rehearse a substantial, intellectually demanding work and want to engage with contemporary composition that prizes architectural rigor.

How to get the most out of it

  • Treat the three 'family group' pieces as variations on a single entity rather than three separate works. Rehearse them in sequence to understand how the musical content holds together across different magnifications.
  • The 'Reflectaphor' pieces demand tonal clarity and distinct interpretive choices from each quartet member. Their role as commentaries means they require acute ensemble balance; no voice should dominate unless Hellawell's texture explicitly calls for it.
  • Pay careful attention to the elegy (Reflectaphor c), which quotes from Danny Barkley's Belfast Quartet. Knowing this context—and ideally hearing Barkley's original work—will deepen your understanding of what Hellawell is referencing and honoring.
  • Consider the entire six-movement arc as a single journey rather than programming individual movements. The dialogue between 'family' and 'Aliens' emerges only when the full cycle is heard.

How to use it

Perform the complete six-movement cycle as a standalone work on a contemporary music concert or as the centerpiece of a program exploring how composers use structural repetition and variation. The full work's duration and emotional arc make it a natural closing piece, leaving the audience with a sustained meditation rather than a conventional finale.

Skills your students will build

  • Executing extreme durational scaling (30 seconds to 7 minutes) while maintaining musical coherence
  • Identifying and highlighting recurring motivic material across different textural contexts
  • Balancing clarity and restraint in passages of minimal density
  • Responding to structural instructions that prioritize conceptual relationships over traditional harmonic progression
  • Reading and interpreting contemporary notational practices

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