"Aggressively Sweet" is the first of two pieces that were written while studying with Samuel Adler in Berlin, Germany.  It is a playful but driving work that moves between irregular rhythms and singing lyrical lines.  As part of the assignment, the main melody (seen in the viola part to the right) is made up of only 3 intervals: major 2nd, minor 3rd, and major 6th; everything else in the piece is derived from that main melody.