Quatuor II (1964)

Considered a pivotal work in Betsy Jolas’s career, Quatuor II was premiered in 1966 at the Domaine Musical by coloratura soprano Mady Mesplé and the Trio à cordes français. Conceived as a "quartet with voice," the work treats the singer not as a soloist but as an instrumental equal, physically occupying the seat of the first violin. To avoid "superprinting" literal meaning onto the music, Jolas replaces traditional text with a flexible set of phonemes that act as vocal equivalents to instrumental bowings and tonguings.

The fifteen-minute work unfolds in a single movement described as "both concentrated and airy, expressive, and never artificial." The score is famously demanding, featuring "near impossible" passages and unmetered sections that require the ensemble to breathe and pace themselves in total synchronization. This wordless, lyrical journey remains abstract until the very final note, when the singer pronounces the only intelligible word: "point" (period), to signal the end.

The profound musicality of the piece famously inspired the American painter Joan Mitchell to dedicate a monumental polyptych to the composer in 1976. This artistic tribute reflects the "feeling of nature" and the luxurious vocal quality inherent in the score, bridging the gap between abstract expressionism and Jolas’s intuitive musical gestures. Today, the work stands as a testament to the composer's desire to push the boundaries of vocal technique while maintaining a deeply rooted sense of lyricism and historical lineage.