(Another) Three Movements for Saxophone Quartet
David Heuser
About this work:
I. How it Begins
II. A Sweet Song
III. Bits and Pieces from the Recycling Bin
(Another) Three Movements for Saxophone Quartet was co-commissioned by the following saxophone quartets, and I am exceedingly grateful for their support and their willingness to venture into an unknown work. Funding was provided by a generous grant from the Artist Foundation of San Antonio.
The Ancia Quartet
The Atlas Saxophone Quartet
The Baylor University Quartet
The CASE Saxophone Quartet
The Cosima Saxophone Quartet
The Elision Saxophone Quartet
The Eric Nestler Quartet
the quux quartet
The Texas Tech University Quartet
The West Point Saxophone Quartet
The Wright State University Saxophone Quartet
The saxophone lives comfortably in both the classical and jazz world, and the piece plays with this duality. The first movement begins with a riff on a traditional blues progression, but goes on in some quite different directions. The second movement, A Sweet Song, is my take on a slow jazz waltz. The final movement, Bits and Pieces from the Recycling Bin, is exactly that. There is a laconic jazzy tune that runs throughout the movement, but it is continuously interrupted by the rejected scraps and drafts for this piece that littered my piano. I guess that makes this a “green” composition.
Year composed: 2008
Duration: 00:18:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Saxophone Quartet
Instrumentation: 1 Soprano Saxophone, 1 Alto Saxophone, 1 Tenor Saxophone, 1 Baritone Saxophone