Product Description
While Watercolors is primarily a study in
minimalistic techniques, each movement also presents an impression of a scene
or thought which is expressed in the title of that movement.
Cobalt Nymph
is a portrait of water nymphs from mythology, often found playing gleefully
near open bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, or even the ocean. The music
reflects their inexhaustible energy and their eccentric (even chaotic)
behavior.
Midnight Mist
is a musical exploration of the mysteries to be found in the dark corners of
consciousness. The music conjures images of oceanside lighthouses or dark, damp
forests shrouded in gloomy tendrils of impenetrable fog. What might be lurking in the shadows?
Azure Spray depicts the motion of the tides, musically coursing
over the rise and fall of great ocean swells.
Sailors in a magnificent Clipper glide at breakneck speed over the deep
blue sea, while dolphins revel in the thrill of racing alongside.
Style
Jazz
interpretations of certain articulations are intended within the first and
third movements.
A single staccato marking does not imply separation
from the preceding (non-staccato) note; it is merely a shortened (perhaps
"clipped") note. Tongue-stopping may be used, but only lightly.
Rooftop accents are not only very heavy, but short as
well. A rooftop paired with a staccato
indicates a short, hard accent terminated by a heavy tongue-stop.
In the second movement, there should be no sense of
time or metrical pulse. Rhythmic figures
in the latter half of the movement should float freely. These repeated notes should be clearly
discernible to the listener while remaining extremely legato (even when
accented).
Either "classical" or "jazz" tone qualities could be
appropriate for each of the three movements (at the discretion of the musical
director), but should remain consistent between voices throughout the entirety
of each movement.
Performances of Note
Composed in the
spring of 2001, Watercolors premiered at the North American Saxophone
Alliance (N.A.S.A.) convention in March of 2002, performed by the University of
Central Arkansas Saxophone Quartet under the direction of Dr. Jackie
Lamar. Also in March of 2002, Watercolors
was featured in the Imagine Festival of New Music at the University
of Memphis, where it was performed by the Memphis Saxophone Quartet. The Arkansas Saxophone Quartet incorporated Watercolors as part of their 2016-2017
repertoire, including a performance at the 2016 N.A.S.A. conference.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.