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Kronos Quartet

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet from San Francisco. Violinist David Harrington founded the group in Seattle, where it first performed in November 1973. Since 1978 San Francisco has been its home base. The name refers to the Greek god Chronos, the personification of time. The line-up changed over the years, with Harrington as the constant force. The longest-lasting line-up, from 1978 to 1999, consisted of Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola and Joan Jeanrenaud on cello.

Music and breakthrough

What makes Kronos special is its repertoire. More than a thousand works have been written for the quartet, often on commission, by composers such as John Adams, Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Henryk Górecki and Kaija Saariaho. In addition, the group plays music from all points of the compass, from Azerbaijan and Afghanistan to Egypt and Argentina. The records let you hear that breadth: Monk Suite with music by Thelonious Monk, Music of Bill Evans, a record with work by Jimi Hendrix among others, and Different Trains with Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint.

Influence

Kronos has recorded more than seventy-five albums and is sometimes called the best-known new music group in the world. In 2003 the quartet started the Under 30 Project, through which young composers under thirty receive a commission. The quartet showed that a string quartet does not have to stay in the classical concert hall, but can take part in popular culture and in music from all over the world.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Different Trains and notice how the strings imitate the rhythms of trains and the rhythm of spoken sentences, so that a quartet sounds almost like a machine.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: ArtistsMinimal music in film