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Solo
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Strata I for solo flute
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Strata I for solo flute. 1 Full Score. Contemporary Classical. 3 pages. 11 x 8 inches, Booklet. Published by IROM Music Publishing.
First prize winner in the 1999 Southeastern Composers League Composition Contest.
Strata I (1997) explores the relationship between wide intervallic leaps within fast, rhythmic passages. Microtonal gestures,
glissandos, and irregular vibrato are combined in the beginning to achieve a contrast in gesture and timbre. The extreme range
and versatility of the flute is explored in the following sections, where long, flowing melodies are interrupted by rhythmically
chaotic material.
Premiered by flutist Sarah Berg on April 26, 1998 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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Oboe
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Solo
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Sans Titre II for solo oboe
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Price: $9.95
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for solo oboe
Duration: approx. 9 minutes
About The Piece...
Sans Titre II (2001) is the second installment in a series of solo works and is divided into two main parts. The first
part is slow and lyrical. Long, organic modal melodies are embellished by scalar figures that tend to push the main melody
beyond the constraints of the perceived meter. These melodic passages multiply in length and tension as the melody is interrupted
twice by a quiet refrain that that searches for final resolution. The second part of the piece is fast and driving with flourishes
of melody that interrupt the rhythmic cycle of the work. The energetic rhythmic character of this section overrides all pitch
considerations as well as the perceived harmonic implications of the central pitch "b."
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Clarinet
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Solo
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Sans Titre III
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for solo Bb clarinet
Duration: 7 minutes
Sans Titre III (2001), the third installment in a series of solo works, is divided into two main parts. The first part is
slow and lyrical. Long, organic modal melodies are embellished by scalar figures, trills, and multi-phonics.
As the first main phrase reaches its cadence, a quiet multi-phonic refrain interrupts the main melodic material. As the
melodic passage continues, the phrases multiply in length and tension as the melody is interrupted by material that is to
be used in the second half of the work. The second part of the piece is fast and driving with flourishes of melody that explore
the disjunct intervallic capabilities of the clarinet. Energetic syncopations and harsh multi-phonics are used to build the
music to a climax.
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Saxophone
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Solo
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Sans Titre II for solo saxophone (any)
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About The Piece...
Sans Titre II (2001) is the second installment in a series of solo works and is divided into two main parts. The first
part is slow and lyrical. Long, organic modal melodies are embellished by scalar figures that tend to push the main melody
beyond the constraints of the perceived meter. These melodic passages multiply in length and tension as the melody is interrupted
twice by a quiet refrain that that searches for final resolution. The second part of the piece is fast and driving with flourishes
of melody that interrupt the rhythmic cycle of the work. The energetic rhythmic character of this section overrides all pitch
considerations as well as the perceived harmonic implications of the central pitch "b."
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Saxophone
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Trio
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Sleep Cycle
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for saxophone trio (3 altos, 3rd alto doubling bari. sax)
Sleep Cycle
I. End of Day
II. End of Night
Duration: approx. 10:00 minutes
About the piece...
The first movement, The End of Day, uses pandiatonic techniques and slow scalar figures to represent the unconscious state
of the brain at the beginning of the sleep process. The second movement, The End of Night, utilizes atonal fragments in a
contrapuntal setting to represent the chaotic R.E.M. stages of sleep. The ostinato, first stated in the baritone saxophone,
represents the passage from the calm to the chaotic.
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Saxophone
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Quartet
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Suite for Saxphone Quartet
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Suite for Saxophone Quartet (SATB). 1 Full Score and 4 Part(s). Contemporary Classical. 7 pages. 8 x 11 inches. Booklet Format.
Published by IROM Music Publishing.
This work was the result of the 2001 Louisiana Music Teachers Association Commission and was premiered by the LSU Saxophone
Quartet at the LMTA state conference.
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Tango for Saxphone Quartet
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Tango for Saxophone Quartet (SATB). 1 Full Score and 4 Part(s). Contemporary Classical. 6 pages. 8 x 11 inches. Booklet Format.
Published by IROM Music Publishing.
This movement was extracted from the full "Suite for Saxophone Quartet." The entire work was the result of
the 2001 Louisiana Music Teachers Association Commission and was premiered by the LSU Saxophone Quartet at the LMTA state
conference.
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A Prayer for the Forgotten
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About The Piece...
A Prayer for the Forgotten (1997) was inspired by the composer's personal search for spirituality, A Prayer for the Forgotten
uses parallel quintal harmonies to create a tranquil, quasi-modal chorale prelude. It is followed by highly chromatic gestures
and constantly changing time signatures which are used to represent the struggle for concentration and an awakening of the
spirit. The A section is repeated, however, in the return the main motive/row is extended structurally and harmonically to
create a final quasi-chorale. The work was premiered in April 1998 by the Red Stick Saxophone Quartet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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Chamber
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Remembrance II for alto saxophone and piano
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for alto saxophone and piano
Duration: approx. 12 minutes
REMEMBRANCE II for alto saxophone and piano was written in the Summer of 2000. It uses extended modal harmonies and a semi-chromatic
melodic contour to reinforce the somber mood of the work. Extended instrumental techniques, such as playing into the piano
and into the music stand, add variety to the instrumental sound and emphasize the concept of a life eternal. It is dedicated
to the memory of my brother-in-law, Mark Hilyer.
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Pushover
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Composed during the summer and fall of 2004, PUSHOVER was originally conceived as a duo for saxophone and marimba, however,
during the early stages of the creative process the instrumentation began to expand and evolve into its present form.
The title of the work refers to a concept that I had in mind during the initial stages of composition, that I am a "sucker"
for the saxophone; I can't help it. Regardless of musical genre, I love the sound of the instrument. It is lush without the
sentimentality of the clarinet and aggressive without the nasality of the double reeds; the saxophone is the best of both
worlds and transcends style and genre. So, due to this "fetish" I tend to compose for the saxophone whenever the
occasion arises. And consequently after every work that includes a saxophone I vow not to write another piece for it until
"some undetermined length of time" has passed. But as with most promises we make to ourselves, I usually break mine
when it comes to this wonderful instrument. Hence, I am a pushover. Therefore, using this axiom as a guiding force, I decided
to compose a work that would "push" not only me, but the performers and the audience as well; I wanted to create
an engaging work that would require a maximum amount of concentration, especially in the first and fourth main sections of
the piece where the music becomes increasingly more technically challenging. Musically, technically, and emotionally, Pushover
drives the performers and audience to the edge.
Premiered April 15, 2005 by saxophonist Joshua Thomas on the North American Saxophone Alliance Region 8 Conference, U.S.
Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT.
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Hook, Line, and Sinker
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for Bb clarinet (doubling on bass clarinet), alto saxophone (doubling on soprano and baritone), and piano
Duration: approx. 13 minutes
!!! Just Released!!!
Hook, Line and Sinker was composed in the winter of 2004-2005, and was influenced by my abiding interest in three distinct
musical styles: contemporary classical, bebop jazz, and punk rock. However, as my compositional research into these specific
genres began to develop and expand, I wanted to take my personal work beyond an imitation of a critical musical study and
past the final aural perception of the audience.
In an attempt to convey to the performers the underlying extra-musical philosophy or "attitude" I desire in
a given musical passage, I included the use of expressive analogues within the written score. Using the aforementioned musical
styles, I instruct the trio to perform one passage "Antisocial, a la Sex Pistols, " while in another section, I
indicate that the music should sound like "...a blend of Shostakovich, Hendrix and Dolphy." In both cases, the overall
"attitude" of the performance is just as important, or even more important, than the immeasurability of a perfect
performance.
Overall, I hope this use of expressive direction will introduce a number of performers to unfamiliar musical territories,
and possibly provide them with some insight into my personal influences and musical intentions.
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