Quartet, no. 1, op. 8 (1963)

This is an outstanding work for String Quartet in the progressive style that was characteristic of American classical music written in the 1960's. The counterpoint is reminiscent of Alban Berg's- the composer takes full advantage of the freedom encountered when the restrictions of tonality no longer apply- and all four voices play a major role in the work. It is written in three movements and the second movement introduces microtones at its end. A must for listeners and score readers who enjoy the String Quartets of Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Bartok, Carter, Perle, Kirchner, Weinberg, and Babbitt. The work admirably takes the genre the next step from the aforementioned Viennese composers.