My first string quartet written in 2001 is an intense half hour affair that attempts to plunge the depths of human emotion. This piece written in 2009 tries to do nothing of the sort. It is in four short movements, is serenade like in character, and lasts approximately eleven minutes. It was written for the 85th birthday of Thilde Fraenkel, the mother of an old schoolmate, and was given a private performance at her home by the Tippett quartet in December 2009.