Improvisation 1 is a study on extended technique and autonomous accompaniment on a

monophonic instrument. It is written in three sections: the first establishes an ostinato pattern
around which the melody is played; the second is a contrasting lyrical section; and the third
combines these ideas. The player uses slap-tonguing, a sound produced by suctioning the reed,
for a percussive effect throughout. The piece as a whole is a playful exploration of the

possibilities of the saxophone as a solo instrument.

Arvo Pärt is a contemporary Estonian composer whose unique style seeks depth in its
simplicity. Inspired by both ancient chant music and the minimalist movement of the 1960s, Pärt
employs a compositional technique he dubs tintinnabuli, from the Latin tintinnabulum meaning
“bell.” The effect emerges from the interaction between two lines—one which is based on the
tonic triad, and another which moves in diatonic, stepwise motion. In Pärt’s own words, "One
line is my sins. The next line is my forgiveness for sins.” He unyieldingly adheres to this model
of radical simplicity for an effect which is at once both ancient and modern; repentant yet
innocent.

Spiegel im Spiegel (‘Mirror in Mirror’), originally written for piano and solo violin and later
transposed for various instruments, epitomizes the tintinnabular style.The piano plays a
constant stream of triadic quarter notes periodically interrupted by small interactions with the
saxophone. The solo instrument moves diatonically through these triads ascending and
descending but always returning to the mediant of the tonic. The title refers to parallel mirrors
infinitely reflecting the other’s image. Pärt’s work imitates this curious tableau through its

meditative evenness and beauty in the interruption of repetition.

Heavy February is built around the idea of constructing textures and finding movement within
the structures they establish. The piece moves in phases which are self-contained in their
melodic content but are ultimately connected through their harmonic language and overall
character.

The melodies in Song for Lidia are based off the early Baroque composer Barbara Strozzi’s
Lagrime Mie, or ‘Tears of Mine’, written for soprano and accompaniment. Strozzi was one of
“the most prolific composer[s]—man or woman— of printed secular vocal music in Venice in the
middle of the century” and was a talented soprano who often performed her own works. She
never married and was rumored to be a courtesan, but this is now largely thought to be slander
dealt by her jealous male peers. The text of Lagrime Mie describes a scene of an innocent Lidia
locked away by her cruel father. The soprano soloist’s relationship to Lidia is not explicit—it is
only revealed that she is the cause for the punishment. The text and its musical setting are a
lament as the vocalist cries:

“Tears of mine, why do you hold back,

why don’t you wash away the pain
which takes my breath and crushes my heart?
…
Alas, how I miss my Lidia, my idol,
I love so much!
She is shut up within marble walls and I sigh
but I do not die!”

In Song for Lidia, I try to capture the emotional complexity of Lagrime Mie and pay tribute to
Barbara Strozzi’s own turbulent life.

Each individual part in Interlude is fairly repetitive and simple in its own regard. The piece is
entirely diatonic and maintains a steady pulse throughout— in this sense it is heavily rooted in
the minimalist tradition. However, each line interacts with the others to create polyrhythms and
recontextualize the modality for a texture which is layered and complex. As the piece unfolds,
the initial themes are borrowed and obscured by the other instruments but always return to a
refrain. In the end, the texture thins out and the piece finishes as it began.

Paper Balloons plays with the idea of taking and leaving space. The ensemble begins by
moving together, but the individual parts soon diverge until they are entirely independent.
However, they always return to the original sense of stasis and equilibrium.