Watchmaker, The (String Orchestra Gr. 1.5)

The Watchmaker is a concert march that features use of the lower half of the bow, staccato open fifths, legato melodies, and pizzicato, all while keeping steady time, like the ticking on a clock.

Genre: String Orchestra | # of Players: 8-8-5-5-5
Series: Amethyst Orchestra Series
Level: 1.5 | Duration: 2:00

Instrumentation
Conductor's Score (8.5"x11" booklet)

Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Cello
Bass

Program Notes
The Watchmaker" is a march and calls for using the lower half of the bow. Here the bow hair is more taught and produces a heavy and somewhat coarse sound. Given the nature of the piece, the challenge is to control the bowing and avoid producing a tone that is too scratchy and harsh. In the section where the upper strings accompany with staccato open fifths, care should be taken to ounce the bow lightly enough to allow the legato melody in the lower strings to flourish. The pizzicato section is a delightful contrast which offers practice in switching to and from arco and pizzicato. Finally, keeping an even tempo throughout despite regularly occurring rhythms is consistent with the piece’s title.