Wolf! for string quartet

This piece was written for string quartet based off of the fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf, which is attributed to Aesop, a writer that lived in ancient Greece from 620 - 564 BCE. The melodic material is heavily influenced by reels, a traditional Scottish dance and style of playing music, and often is associated with fiddle repertoire in North America and the British Isles.

To briefly summarize The Boy Who Cried Wolf, it tells the story of a shepherd boy who is charged with taking care of a flock of sheep. He is told by his master that if the flock is in danger, he can cry wolf and the town will come to help, though he should not abuse this power. The boy ignores him, and cries wolf multiple times simply for the attention of the townspeople. As he does this, less and less people come to his aid, and when the wolf actually comes the last time, no one, not even his master appears to help him. The wolf then catches the boy and his sheep before returning to the forest, its hunger sated and only a boy having stood in its way. This fable is attempting to teach the lesson that liars and attention-seekers will not be rewarded by the people around them, and that you should instead be honest and truthful.