Roger Sessions

Listening Guide. Breathing Melody: Roger Sessions (1896-1985), String Quintet (1957/8), Movement 2.

The second movement from American composer Sessions’s String Quintet features intense lyricism throughout, first in the higher strings with pulsating accompaniment, and later in melodic strains throughout the different registers including lower strings as well. Near the beginning, the chromatic harmonic palette and lush texture support a melody that has an expansive but irregular breath, complemented by the temporal plasticity in the modulating momentum of the accompanying parts.