The Quartet for Low Strings takes as its point of departure the music of Billy Holiday’s Lady in Satin album. Holiday Aficionados often cringe at the mention of this album, as it was recorded very late in her career, near the end of her life. Her voice was utterly ruined by then, and it borders on the bizarre that the producer agreed to have her accompanied by a lush, muted string orchestra throughout, emphasizing to the point of pain every crack and scratch in her voice. But it is this very contrast that fascinates me.

It was not my intention to set Billy Holiday songs for string quartet, although I do quote fragments of particular tunes, such as "I’m a Fool to Want You" in the first movement. To be sure, the five movements of the Quartet do not correspond to particular songs, and much of the music in the Quartet is more "up tempo" than Billy Holiday ever was. Rather, I wanted the Quartet to explore the way these beautiful songs resonate in my memory when I am not listening to them.