Musica derivata (2012)
for Saxophone Quartet
Musica derivata comprises four very different movements unified by a common creative strategy: in each, musical material is generated, in whole or in part, from an internal or existing source.
On / Off is a tableau in which the baritone saxophone controls the other three, who rebel through combined effort. In sections, the repressed trio’s whispers mimic intervals in the opposing baritone’s melodies.
Liquid Choirs employs a soggetto cavato system devised by Adrian P. Childs. The movement’s source text is a select few lines from Dylan Thomas' eloquent “Ballad of the Long-legged Bait.”
Augury pays homage to the eponymous ancient priests whose examination of birds sought knowledge of the future. Images of feathers were scattered across grid paper with lines corresponding to pitch and time, and the resulting transcription is interpreted by the performers in flittering, improvised melodies.
Unforced Errors recasts the dramatic tension of On / Off in a wholly different light. Amidst a series of strictly canonic episodes, a careless foul-up by the baritone saxophone derails the group, and they must rally to recover.