-

Saxophone music inspired by birds: an

international perspective.
Zhang, Jichen
https://iro.uiowa.edu/esploro/outputs/doctoral/Saxophone-music-inspired-by-birds/9984362958502771/filesAndLinks?index=0

Zhang, J. (2022). Saxophone music inspired by birds: an international perspective [University of Iowa].
https://doi.org/10.25820/etd.006576

https://iro.uiowa.edu
Free to read and download
Copyright 2022 Jichen Zhang
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 SAXOPHONE MUSIC INSPIRED BY BIRDS: AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

by
Jichen Zhang

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the
Doctor of Musical Arts degree
in the Graduate College of
The University of Iowa

December 2022

Thesis Committee: Kenneth Tse, Thesis Supervisor

Benjamin Coelho
Jorge Montilla Moreno
Réne Lecuona
 Copyright by

JICHEN ZHANG

2022

All Rights Reserved

Men learnt to mimic with their mouths the trilling notes of birds long before they were
able to enchant the ear by joining together in tuneful song.

De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things)

Titus Lucretius Carus

ii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This project would not have been possible without the effort, help and guidance of

many people. First, I would like to acknowledge my collaborative pianists, for whom I have

the highest respect: Casey Dierlam Tse, Peter Bowen Liu and Meng Liu. I very much

appreciate the energy and contribution they made to this project, not to mention the sparks of

inspiration along the way. Meanwhile, a huge thanks to Percussionist Nick Miller for his

endeavor to Cyber Bird Concerto.

Second, I would like to thank to my professor Dr. Kenneth Tse, who has spent endless

time and countless effort with me in the last three years. I will never forget his generosity,

patience, artistry, and intelligence, and I will strive to pass these treasures on to my students

in the future.

Last but not least, I would not be able to go this far without the support of my family.

My parents, who spent most of their resources, time, and energy to cultivate me, have my

deepest gratitude. I am so grateful to be a member of this loving family.

iii
 PUBLIC ABSTRACT

The final product of this project will be a saxophone recording of six pieces and an

accompanying paper, for the purpose of enriching saxophone repertoire and providing

resources for saxophonists at all levels and other who are interested in saxophone music.

The music was written by composers from America, China, and Japan, and all six

pieces feature the theme of birds. The recordings demonstrate several different musical

languages (jazz, classical and contemporary), diverse instrument configuration (saxophone

with percussion, piano, electronics, or solo), and a broad display of the instrument’s

capabilities (saxophone techniques such as altissimo, slap-tongues, glissandi, double-

tonguing, multi-phonics, etc).

The accompanying paper includes the background of each composer and a discussion

of the repertoire, liner notes for each piece, a brief conclusion, and appendixes. In the

appendixes, it notably includes a list of saxophone repertoire inspired by birds, and a

transcript of an interview with composer Wantong Jiang about his newly commissioned

music, Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme.

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1

A Brief Discussion of Composers Inspired by Birds in History..........................................1

Statement of Purpose ...........................................................................................................4

Limitations...........................................................................................................................5

REPERTOIRE AND COMPOSERS.........................................................................................6

Cyber Bird Concerto - Takashi Yoshimatsu.......................................................................6

Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme - Wantong Jiang.........................................................8

Night Bird - Karen Tanaka.................................................................................................11

Second Flight - Joan Tower............................................................................................12

Seagull - Toshio Mashima..................................................................................................14

White Field - Tsutomu Narita.............................................................................................15

LINER NOTES.........................................................................................................................17

RECORDING PERSONNEL AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION................................... 21

TRACK LISTING...................................................................................................................22

CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................24

BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................................25

DISCOGRAPHY....................................................................................................................27

APPENDIX A: LIST OF SAXOPHONE REPERTOIRES INFLUENCED BY BIRD............28

APPENDIX B: LIST OF REPERTOIRES INFLUENCED BY BIRDS FROM

YOSHIMATSU........................................................................................................................29

APPENDIX C: TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH WANTONG JIANG.....................31

APPENDIX D: INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD NOT HUMAN SUBJECTS

RESEARCH DETERMINATION...........................................................................................34

v
 INTRODUCTION

A Brief Discussion of Composers Inspired by Birds in History

Many composers were inspired by birds, notably Stravinsky, Messiaen, and Respighi.

As a result, these composers created masterpieces such as the ballet The Firebird, the piano

work Catalogue d'oiseaux , and the orchestral suite The Birds. In the saxophone repertoire,

many pieces have also been written based on a bird theme. These pieces exhibit

compositional diversity in their musical style, musical form, and background. Many of them

have been performed frequently - some, like the Fuzzy Bird Sonata by Takashi Yoshimatsu

have become part of the standard repertoire for saxophone.

Birds’ influence on music can be traced back to the 14th century when composer Jean

Vaillant used birdsong in one of his most famous compositions, Par maintes foys1. There are

many ways composers have been influenced by birds. The sound inspires them, and they

recreate these bird sounds using written notation and the capabilities of the instrument. The

compositions of Messiaen are inspired by a wide range of bird species, including

nightingales, chiffchaff and blackcaps, alpine chough, curlew, tawny owl, red-whiskered

bulbul, white-crested laughing thrush, the common myna, and the yellow-shouldered

blackbird. Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques was inspired by the birds at the Sixième Salon des

Oiseaux in the Place de la République. He completed Oiseaux exotiques ten weeks after the

Salon ended, in January 1956. He transcribed 72 species of birdcalls based on the list of

American bird songs by Comstock Publishing and chose only the most compelling songs for

his final composition. According to Dingle and Simeone's book Olivier Messiaen: Music,

Art, and Literature, Messiaen transcribed the birdsongs using musical notes and rhythm, and

1Michael Gross, “Tuning in to bird behaviour,” Current Biology,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982221009635, accessed 25
September 2022.

1
sometimes made minor alterations of details to make them more attractive, or even reinvent

the bird calls with piano. 2

Ottorino Respighi’s The Birds, a suite premiered in1928 is another excellent example

of this trend, portraying the songs of the dove, hen, nightingale, and cuckoo. Respighi

successfully uses the woodwind section of the orchestra for his bird imitations. He also

transcribed birdsongs using specific musical notation, but also portrayed relevant bird

actions, such as fluttering wings.3

Beatrice Harrison, famously known as “the nightingale lady,” is an excellent example

of live bird combined with written music. In 1924, she heard a nightingale singing when she

was practicing cello in her garden, and she echoed the notes on her cello. She persuaded the

BBC to record this extraordinary moment. Despite the costs involved for BBC and the

difficulty of this undertaking at that time, the ultimate broadcast recording was hugely

popular. A BBC report stated that "the public reaction was phenomenal", and ultimately the

broadcast recording from her garden was repeated every spring for 12 years. Beatrice

Harrison became internationally renowned and received an abundance of fan letters - some

even coming from overseas.4

This project fertilizes the saxophone’s musical development by assembling music

influenced by birds for the instrument, as well as capping it off with the newly commissioned

piece Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax, and it

2 Christopher Philip Dingle, Nigel Simeone. Olivier Messiaen: Music, Art and Literature
(Aldershot, England; Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2007), 119-123.
3 Alan Beggerow, “Respighi - The Birds.” Musical Musings,

https://muswrite.blogspot.com/2012/03/respighi-birds.html. Accessed 3 February 2022.

4
Maria Popova, “The Cello and the Nightingales: Beatrice Harrison and How the World’s
First Fake News United Humanity in Our First Collective Empathy for Nature,” The
Marginalian, https://www.themarginalian.org/2022/06/05/the-cello-and-the-nightingales-
beatrice-harrison/, accessed 1 September, 2022.

2
was patented in June, 1846.5 The saxophone has a range and voice similar to the cello in the

string family combined with the metallic sound of brass wind instruments. In less than 200

years, the saxophone family has grown larger as well as more popular. Besides the common

saxophone configuration (sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, and contrabass),

now we have newly invented tubax which was invented 1999. The number of saxophone

enthusiasts is also increasing. Despite the rapid evolution, this instrument still lacks classical

or representative repertoires when compared with other instruments such as piano and violin.

Therefore, commissioning new repertoire from modern composers is especially important for

the development of the instrument. Simultaneously, the saxophone community needs more

recordings of rare pieces, both to showcase hidden gems and to provide numerous examples

of interpretation.

Statement of Purpose

This DMA recording project will feature a collection of works with the theme of

birds. It includes music by Karan Tanaka, Joan Tower, Toshio Mashima, Tsutomu Narita,

Takashi Yoshimatsu, Wantong Jiang. These music demonstrate several different musical

languages (jazz, classical and contemporary), different compositional forms (saxophone with

percussion, piano, electronics, or solo), and a broad display of the instrument’s capabilities

(saxophone techniques such as altissimo, slap-tongues, glissandi, double-tonguing, multi-

phonics, etc). The total recording time is approximately 65 minutes, making it an appropriate

length so that it can be published as a CD after completion.

The goal of this project is to create an album that is a beneficial reference for its

audience. The target audience for this project is very broad. First, portions are very accessible

5Stephen Cottrell, The Saxophone (Yale University Press New Haven and London, 2012),
43-48.

3
and approachable for people with less musical training. White Field and Seagull are both very

tonal and lyrical pieces which will be attractive to audience and increase the possibility of

more people developing interest in the instrument. Second, this project shows the different

perspectives on one theme (birds) from composers from various countries and backgrounds,

drawing in international listeners. Moreover, this project is educational in showing how one

compositional idea can be varied dramatically through the use of different compositional

tools, with each composer creating a work that is both convincing and insightful. This gives

students and professional connoisseurs references, especially for pieces that have never been

recorded professionally in a published album, such as the trio version of Cyber Bird Concerto

and White Field and further promotes pieces that are underperformed, including Second

Flight and Night Bird. This project also enriches the saxophone repertoire by featuring the

newly commissioned Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme by Chinese composer Wantong Jiang.

Limitation

The saxophone is still a relatively new instrument compared with other woodwinds.

Thus, many people are not as familiar with its sounds and capabilities or the music that has

been written for it. I hope my project will be meaningful and effective in bringing to light the

new ideas and beautiful music that is being written for this instrument. As a performer, I am

drawn to music composed by composers from many countries. I choose the best bird music

that I know, that’s what my CD represents. The other pieces listed in the appendix are not

included due to the recording time limit. But I have plans to record the remaining pieces in

the future.

I have searched in depth for the sources for the six selected pieces from books,

publisher’s website, composer’s website, and recording linear notes. Unfortunately, there is

not extensive information for me to review since all the pieces that I have recorded are

4
relatively new, many information for each piece is limited to sources such as Youtube

descriptions and program notes.

In addition, I am including an interview with Jiang because I commissioned Capriccio

for this project. Therefore, I would like to include more information for its audiences. The

interview with other composers is not included.

5
 REPERTOIRE AND COMPOSERS

Cyber Bird Concerto

Takashi Yoshimatsu
For alto saxophone and orchestra/trio reduction for saxophone, piano, and percussions.

The Cyber Bird Concerto was composed in 1994 for Japanese saxophonist Nobuya

Sugawa and his partner, pianist Minako Koyanagi. It has been recorded several times with

orchestra and released commercially. The album Saxophone Concertos, published in 1996

with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the album Symphony No. 3 & Cyber-bird

Concerto, published in 1999 with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra both feature Mr. Sugawa.

In 2019, a new commercial recording was released, featuring Japanese saxophonist Kohei

Ueno with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2018, the trio version became available on

the publisher’s website. However, there is no commercial recording of the trio version

available. There are also many live performances of this concerto on YouTube, but only a

few performing the trio version.

The first movement of Cyber Bird Concerto is a fast-slow-fast ABA concerto form. It

opens with saxophone and piano play the same melody with the percussion as a bridge

between phrases. This composition element is used frequently in this movement.

Yoshimatsu’s ‘bird’ language is built using various rhythmic patterns and high-range notes to

mimic bird calls. His compositional style is very different compared to classical composers,

as he uses many rests or long pauses between phrases especially in the first and second

movement, which properly matches the “cyber” element which Yoshimatsu mentions: “An

imaginary bird in the realm of electronic cyberspace.”6

6Alex Burns, “Takashi Yoshimatsu ‘Saxophone Concerto’: Cyber Bird”, Classicalexburns,

https://classicalexburns.com/2022/09/01/takashi-yoshimatsu-saxophone-concerto-cyber-bird/,
accessed 1st October 2022.

6
 The Cyber Bird Concerto has a sorrowful story behind its bird influence. As

Yoshimatsu explains, the second movement is an elegy, “written in a hospital when I was up

all night with my sister who was on a life-support machine battling terminal cancer. The last

thing she said before she died was ‘I would like to be a bird in my next life.’"7 Yoshimatsu’s

composition style creates strong emotional feeling, especially in the second movement. First,

the slow quarter note element is used throughout the whole movement. The piano acts as the

life support machine mimicking its pulsing sound. Second, the notation“bird song”in the

second movement where the saxophone and percussion emulate the birdcalls and echo each

other by using multiple rhythmic patterns. Third, Yoshimatsu builds up the climax by using a

slow quarter note rhythmic pattern at first, gradually changing it to eighth, triplet eighth,

sixteenth notes along with the pitch range from low to high on the saxophone. The saxophone

melody in this movement is very lyrical, it vividly demonstrates the image of conquering the

fear of death.

The tempo of the third movement is mostly allegro, there are some repetitions of the

beginning materials from the first movement. I expand the bird idea further in the third

movement where it features a 32-measure section of improvisation. My interpretation of this

part is innovative. I will only be using the saxophone mouthpiece, mimicking the birdcalls of

cuckoos, partridges, swallows, and larks, among others. This technique is inspired by the

Suona, a traditional Chinese instrument and by a widely known piece by Tongxiang Ren

titled Birds paying homage to the Phoenix, composed in 1953.

Takashi Yoshimatsu did not have any formal musical training during his childhood.

He was born in Tokyo, Japan. Yoshimatsu dropped out of Keio University in March 1974

and participated in NOA band as a keyboard player. At this time, he was heavily influenced

7
Takashi Yoshimatsu, Notes for Nobuya Sugawa, Saxophone Concerto - cyber bird, BBC
Philharmonic, conducted by Sachio Fujioka, Chandos Records CHAN 9737, 1999, EU

7
by the music of Pink Floyd. He gradually became interested in the jazz and progressive rock

scenes. He began to compose his own music style that was strongly influenced by jazz, rock,

and Japanese classical music. This style earned him a reputation with his 1985 guitar

concerto. “He argues for ‘new lyricism’ and objects to unmusical ‘modern music’.”9 He has

written six symphonies, twelve concertos for instruments including bassoon, cello, guitar,

trombone, alto saxophone, and soprano saxophone, and many other solo or chamber music.

Besides Cyber Bird Concerto, he has many other pieces which were inspired by birds. The

list of repertoires is included in the appendix B.

Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme

Wantong Jiang
For alto saxophone and piano

Birds play a vital role in the history of Chinese traditional music as well. The most

well-known pieces include Birds paying homage to the Phoenix, Swan Goose, Birds, and

Birds in the Shadow. I communicated and worked closely with Wanton Jiang, a professor of

composition at the China Conservatory of Music, and finally received this newly

commissioned work in November 2021, the Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme.

This piece originated from famous Mongolian folk song Swan Goose. Jiang combines

Mongolian music elements to develop into a refreshing chapter. There have been several

versions of the Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme, such as Cello with Orchestra, Viola with

Orchestra, and Trio version for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano. In this version, for Alto

Saxophone and Piano, Jiang wants to emphasize the unique sound of the saxophone,

highlights its brilliant timbre. In addition, he said that “I desire to construct a ‘well-connected

9
Takashi Yoshimatsu, Japan Arts,
https://www.japanarts.co.jp/en/artist/takashiyosimatsu/?=print, accessed 1st October 2022.

8
bridge’ between saxophone and Chinese music from composing more music for this

instrument.”10

This piece combines elements from Mongolian music, such as the vocal cavity (音腔)

and long tune (长调). Vocal cavity is a way of singing in which the attack generally comes

with a glissando, and then there is glissando or grace notes at the end of the phrase. This is

influenced by Chinese dialects. Take mandarin as an example, there are four kinds of vocal

tones for each syllable in which it has tone bending sound. We combine the vocal tones very

often in our music, so that will sound like people talking. The long tune refers to fewer lyrics

in songs, with each syllable being prolonged, and the tempo is usually slow and free. It is

worth mentioning that besides the imitation of bird calls in the Cyber Bird Concerto, the

saxophone also mimics the clopping sounds of a Mongolian horse galloping on the grassland

in this piece.

The Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme can be divided into three sections in which there

is a counterpoint inside every section. The piece starts with Mongolian long tune, which is

full of melodious and unrestrained feeling, along with the introduction of the Swan Goose

theme which is lyrical and singing in a medium tempo. The Swan Goose theme is an 8-bar

repeated sentence with the second time an octave higher which creates stronger emotional

expression. In the introduction, the piano plays repeated sextuplets according with the “free

feeling;” The saxophone imitates and repeat the end of each phrase from piano as if they are

in dialogue with each other. The “dialogue” appears frequently in this piece with faster in

tempo every time as they repeat, promoting emotional development.

It is important to refer that during the interview with Jiang, he mentioned many times

regarding “contrast” (对峙) which appears continuously in this piece. First, the saxophone

10 Quote from Wantong Jiang in the interview.

9
serves as an accompaniment when the piano starts to showcase the Swan Goose theme where

the saxophone has many trills imitating the sextuplets the piano has in the introduction.

Second, the saxophone imitates Mongolian male dance character when the piano acts the

female character. After a while, the saxophone switches to play the part of female character

with the piano part occupying the male register. Third, the piano plays a role as a

counterpoint instead of accompaniment chords when the second time it goes to the authentic

theme of Swan Goose. According to the interview, he said “the overall structure of this piece

is a ternary form, where each of the three sections includes contrast.”

Jiang, born in China in 1957, is currently a composition professor at China

Conservatory of Music. In 1970, he began to work as a performer and soloist in Dalian Song

and Dance Company, and later taught in Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Renmin

University of China, and China Conservatory of Music. In terms of composition, over the

years, he has created several instrumental works in various genres, including orchestral

music, chamber music, opera music, chorus and solo. His work Ancient Customs received 音

乐优秀奖（Excellence Award）at the Third International New Music Composers Music

Competition. The mixed chorus 念奴娇·赤壁怀古“Nianlujiao · ChibiHuaigu” won the

Best Composition Award in the 4th Music Works Competition of Taiwan Provincial

Symphony Orchestra, and the orchestral "New Year Overture" won the creation Award in the

"Black Dragon Cup" National Orchestral Composition Competition held by CCTV. In

addition, Jiang finished his first saxophone concerto Ballade of Northwest in 2018

commissioned by ShenZhen Symphony Orchestra.

10
Night Bird
Karen Tanaka
For alto saxophone and electronics

Night Bird, composed in 1996, was commissioned by and dedicated to French

saxophonist Claude Delangle. Delangle's recording wonderfully showcases Tanaka's artistic

conception. This piece has a magically peaceful and mysterious effect, made more

compelling by the fact that it does not have any fast passages or complex extended

techniques. The electronic accompaniment perfectly matches the saxophone timbre which

helps to fulfill the composer's ultimate purpose as “a love song filled with tender whispers of

lovers. I have tried to weave colors and scent into the sound of alto saxophone and tape.”11

Tanaka has a very contrasting approach to her composition idea of birds compared to

Yoshimatsu and Jiang, where instead of using piano accompaniment, she prefers using pre-

recorded electronics, and she marks the music score with time codes, so that the performer

needs to use a stopwatch to count down measures. A quick glance at the score of Night Bird

reveals the number“5”everywhere. The timecode is marked every five seconds, every five

seconds is five measures, and there are continual uses of quintuplets throughout the piece. It

is an ABA form. Like Jiang, Tanaka also uses many grace notes to portray her birds, but with

much more crescendo and decrescendo elements which creates mysterious acoustic

enjoyment. The whole piece shares a peaceful acoustic effect except between 4’00”-5’00”

where she presents a huge dynamic contrast.

Tanaka was born in 1961 in Tokyo, Japan. “Her music is delicate and emotive,

beautifully crafted, showing a refined ear for both detail and large organic shape”12, She is a

notably versatile composer and pianist; her compositions are focused on concert music, film

11
Karen Tanaka, Night Bird. Chester Music, 2.
12Stephen Montague, “Tanaka, Karen,” Grove Music Online. https://doi-
org.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.48591, accessed 4 October
2022.

11
scores and electronic media. She started piano and composition lessons in her childhood and

moved to Paris in 1986 for studying and work with a scholarship from the French

government. In Europe, she also received many awards and funds such as Gaudeamus Prize

at the International Music Week in Amsterdam for her piano concerto Anamorphose, funds

from the Nadia Boulanger Foundation and a Japanese Government Scholarship, Margaret Lee

Crofts Fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Center and so forth. Her compositions are

published by Chester Music in London (Wise Music), Schott Music in New York (PSNY),

and Editions BIM in Switzerland. She currently teaches composition at California Institute of

the Arts.

Second Flight
Joan Tower
For solo alto saxophone

Composed in 2007, Second Flight is Joan Tower's sequel to the highly acclaimed

Wings, originally for clarinet and later transcribed for saxophone. Second Flight was

commissioned by World-Wide Concurrent Premieres and Commissioning Fund, Inc. The

premiere was in September 2018 by American saxophonist Ken Radnofsky in New England

Conservatory. It has many of the same elements that Tower used in Wings. Of her piece she

says, "To me, the saxophone matches the power of the clarinet in its ability to make so many

different things — its slow-to-fast speeds, soft-to-loud dynamics, short-to-long notes, and

huge register — which gives it a great musical expressive flexibility." 13

Second Flight is atonal music with frequent tempo and rhythm changes, full of

repeated note patterns, multiple articulations, and strong dynamic contrasts. Tower’s portrait

13 Joan Tower, “Second Flight (2017)”, Wisemusicclassical,

https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/57414/Second-Flight--Joan-Tower/, accessed 3
October, 2022.

12
of birds is also very different than others such as Jiang and Yoshimatsu. She uses many

repeated steps like major seconds and skips like octaves and major sixths and there are many

tempo changes, as if the birds fly in different movements, altitudes, and places. The dynamic

contrast is very strong throughout the piece. A key element in the structure of the piece is the

rhythmic diversity, where the same group of small ideas evolves gradually into bigger

passages, perhaps musically depicting the growth of a little bird into a giant eagle It begins

with pianissimo dynamic with a slow tempo, which creates a quiet and comfortable

atmosphere. In quick succession, the tempo accelerates, and the dynamic develops into forte,

the tension and emotion persist through the densely articulated saxophone part from

beginning to end.

Joan Tower is widely recognized as one of the most important American composers;

besides composing music, she is also a performer, conductor, and educator. “Trained in an

era when academic modernism reigned, she developed from a composer of intensely wrought

chamber works into a creator of dramatic orchestral music that can only be described as, well,

towering.”15 Joan Tower was born in New Rochelle, New York in 1938. Her family moved

to Bolivia when she was nine. Tower started playing piano when she was six years old. Her

first impression of music performance was Bolivian indigenous music when her babysitter

took her out to outdoor festivals. Later she was influenced by Beethoven and Chopin and her

husband, who is a jazz musician. She has received many notable awards such as Grammy

Award (2007), Grawemeyer Award (1990). She is currently the Asher B. Edelman Professor

of Music at Bard College. It is worth mentioning that by the time she’s teaching in Bard

College in 1972, she was inspired by the works of Olivier Messiaen, and it is highly possible

15
William Robin, “Composer of the Year: Joan Tower,” MUSICALAMERICA,
https://www.musicalamerica.com/features/?fid=342&fyear=2020, accessed 3 October 2022.

13
that Tower’s later works, Wings for Clarinet and Second Flight for saxophone were

influenced by Messiaen’s works such as Catalogue d'oiseaux.

Seagull
Toshio Mashima
For saxophone and symphonic band/ saxophone and piano

Seagull is a movement from the concerto Birds Trilogy written by

Japanese composer Toshio Mashima in 2008. Japanese saxophonist Nobuya Sugawa

commissioned this piece. The entire concerto consists of three movements, titled Swallow,

Seagull, and Phoenix. Each movement of Birds Trilogy has its own distinctive features and

artistic conception. Only the movement Seagull has a piano reduction, and it has been

performed frequently as single piece.

Mashima's compositional approach is very special. The Seagull is a slow and lyrical

piece in ABCB’ form. The piano begins marked tempo rubato in the key of F# major,

modulating to e minor in the entrance for saxophone. It has the typical eight-bar phrase

structure, with a miniature three-note idea in the beginning. The piano and saxophone play in

close partnership, where every beat features concerted action between them. In a way, this

element is very similar to the “dialogue” that Jiang uses in his music. In the piano part, there

is frequent usage of triplets, quintuplets, and chromatic scales. In addition, he uses repetition

of the same melody with higher key to create more sublime emotional feeling. Mashima does

not try to mimic any bird calls, instead, he is trying to use his own musical language to

demonstrate a lovely story that the seagull couple has. His interpretation reminds me of the

seagull’s love story: “It is one of the few birds that lives a monogamous life. It is sincere to

its partner and faithful in love. There are five stages in a lifetime of love: meeting, loving,

devoting, parting, and loneliness. If one seagull dies first, the partner seagull will continue

14
hovering over the sea, crying for the return of his partner, until ultimately exhausted and

falling to his death in the sea.”16 In the end, it does not go back to the original tonality as if

alluding seagull couple’s sorrowful story

Toshio Mashima was born in Hegang City, Japan in1949. When he was in Kanagawa

University, he dropped out of the Engineering Department and enrolled in the Yamaha Band

Instruction course where he studied harmony and composition with Mr. Satoshi Kanada. He

has arranged hundreds of works including "Treasure Island" composed by Hirotaka Wazumi,

"Door of Love, a collection of jazz standards "GOLD POP", and "Braves the Dragon." In

addition, Mashima has produced arrangements of Puccini’s Turandot, George Gershin’s An

American in Paris, as well as many other famous pieces. In 1997, he was awarded the

Academy Award for Composition by the Japanese Society of Wind Music. 17

White Field - a bird sings an epilogue

Tsutomu Narita
For alto saxophone and piano

White Field was composed in 2006 by Japanese composer Tsutomu Narita. It was

premiered on the stage of the Asia saxophone congress in Taiwan, performed by Japanese

saxophonist Yo Matsushita. There are a few performances on YouTube, but there are no

professional recordings or articles available.

White Field has the distinctive character and elements of Japanese cartoon music, in

which the melody is very lyrical and accessible, it also has strong emotional expression. This

piece has many key changes and organized rhythm patterns. There is regularity in both the

16 Wen Dong, “Birds by Mashima”, Sohu Music, http://ent.sina.com.cn/j/operamusical/2017-

08-01/doc-ifyinvwu4298245.shtml, accessed 3 October 2022.
17 Toshio Mashima, “Biography,” TOSHIO MASHIMA 真島俊夫,

https://toshiomashima.com/biography/, accessed 3 October 2022.

15
saxophone and piano parts in terms of rhythmic patterns and accents. White Field begins in

an A major key with the piano playing continuous soft eighth notes, suddenly changing to

chords with interesting upbeat accents. The sudden change of keys happens many times in

this composition. Through a number of modulations, Narita uses F# major key to reach the

climax where the saxophone has a faster tempo and higher notes. After the climax, the eighth

note pattern in piano comes back with a dynamic decay to the end which drives the

atmosphere down to a peaceful space, and the ending also does not go back to the original

tonality. The rhythm patterns are abundant, he uses many triplets, sextuplets and repeated

dotted eighth notes. Especially in the left hand of piano, the repeated dotted eighth notes

builds up the mood after every key change which lead to multiple characters, they are

emotional, energetic, and intense. Narita’s ‘bird’ also has many relaxed and joyful elements,

especially in the piano part with its many repetitive eighth notes decorated with staccatos and

accents.

Narita was born in 1984 in Hachioji City, Tokyo. He played piano since childhood

and has experience in the media of wind instruments, choruses, and rock bands. He began to

teach himself to compose music at the age of 16. He is currently a a freelance composer

writing orchestral, wind instrument, chamber, and video music. His major works include

“Cygames”, “Final Fantasy XIV Online Expansion Pack – Comades-Square” ENIX “, As the

arranger of game music such as Mist Walker, Final Fantasy Xiv Enix, Legend of the Sacred

Sword – Final Fantasy Saga -, Legend of the Sacred Sword 2-Secret of MANA-, Legend of

the Sacred Sword, etc.18

18
Tsutomu Narita, “Biography,” 成田勤 | TsutomuNarita-作編曲家、成田勤のホームペー
ジ-https://www.tsutomunarita.com/profile, accessed 3 October 2022.

16
 LINER NOTES

Cyber Bird Concerto

A well-known classical music composer, Takashi Yoshimatsu, was born in 1953 in

Tokyo, Japan. The Cyber Bird Concerto was composed in 1994. It has many jazz elements,

with improvisation part in both first and third movement. Yoshimatsu uses multiple rhythmic

patterns and high-range notes to mimic bird calls, especially in second movement where the

saxophone and percussion echo each other. He also uses many rests between phrases to give

both performers and audiences the imaginary space to visualize the blankness of the cyber

world, as the composer’s vision was “an imaginary bird in the realm of electronic

cyberspace.”

This concerto has a sorrowful story behind its bird influence. It was written in a

hospital when Yoshimatsu was up all night with his sister who was on a life-support machine

battling terminal cancer. The last thing she said before she died was “I would like to be a bird

in my next life.” I expand the bird idea further in the third movement where it features a 32-

measure section of improvisation. My interpretation of this part is innovative. I will only be

using the saxophone mouthpiece, mimicking the birdcalls of cuckoos, partridges, swallows,

and larks, among others. This technique is inspired by the Suona, a traditional Chinese

instrument and by a widely known piece by Tongxiang Ren titled Birds paying homage to the

Phoenix, composed in 1953.

Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme

Composer Wantong Jiang was born in China in 1957, he is currently a composition

professor at China Conservatory of Music. His Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme is based on

the famous Chinese pop song Swan Goose. It was commissioned by saxophonist Jichen

Zhang in 2021. Before this commission, Jiang has arranged this piece for many other

17
instruments such as Cello with Orchestra, Viola with Orchestra, and Trio for Clarinet, Viola,

and Piano. In this version, Jiang emphasizes the unique sound of the saxophone, spotlights

the brilliant timbre and the traits of a woodwind instrument.

Jiang combines saxophone with traditional Mongolian compositional elements long

tune (长调) which has fewer lyrics in songs but each word is prolonged through using more

notes, in a slow and free tempo. The other tradition Mongolian element is vocal cavity (音腔)

which is a way of singing in which the attack generally comes with a glissando, and then

there is glissando or grace notes at the end of the phrase. These elements have come into

existence over time through the interaction between Chinese dialects. The frequent uses of

tremolos and grace notes beautifully depict the scene of the birds flying carefree in the air.

White Field

White Field was composed in 2006 by Japanese composer Tsutomu Narita, a self-

taught composer who was born in 1984 in Hachioji City, Tokyo. A typical through-composed

piece, White Field has the distinctive character of Japanese cartoon music. The melody of this

piece is very accessible, and it has strong emotional expression as if it tells a lyrical story.

Fast accented and staccato eighth notes in the piano part combine with the songful melody

line on the saxophone to create a relaxing and joyful atmosphere.

Night Bird

Night Bird was composed in 1996 by Karen Tanaka, an exceptionally versatile

composer and pianist who was born in 1961 in Tokyo, Japan. This piece was commissioned

and dedicated to French Saxophonist Claude Delangle. It has peaceful and mysterious effect,

made more compelling by the fact that it does not have any fast passages or complex

extended techniques on the saxophone. The electronic accompaniment perfectly matches the

18
saxophone timbre, which helps to fulfill the composer's ultimate purpose of writing “a love

song filled with tender whispers of lovers. I have tried to weave colors and scent into the

sound of alto saxophone and tape.”

Second Flight

“One of the most successful woman composers of all time” by The New Yorker, Joan

Tower was born in New Rochelle, New York in 1938. Second Flight is her sequel to the

highly acclaimed Wings, originally for clarinet and later transcribed for saxophone. This work

was commissioned by World-Wide Concurrent Premieres and Commissioning Fund, Inc.

In this piece, she uses many repeated steps like major seconds and skips like octaves and

major sixths, and there are many tempo changes, as if the birds fly in different movements,

altitudes, and places. The dynamic contrast is also very strong, as if depicting bird’s different

moments in life. One of the most notable musical languages she uses in this piece is the

diverse rhythmic configuration where the same group of small ideas changes gradually into

bigger passages, as if describing the growth of a little bird into a giant eagle. Of her piece she

says, “To me, the saxophone matches the power of the clarinet in its ability to make so many

different things — its slow-to-fast speeds, soft-to-loud dynamics, short-to-long notes, and

huge register — which gives it a great musical expressive flexibility.”

Seagull

Seagull is a movement from the concerto Birds Trilogy written in 2008 by Japanese

composer Toshio Mashima, who was born in Hegang City, Japan in 1949. This concerto was

commissioned by Japanese saxophonist Nobuya Sugawa.

In this piece, the piano and saxophone act as partners, playing each phrase in tandem

throughout the piece. Mashima uses his own peaceful musical language to describe the lovely

19
story of the seagull couple: the seagull is one of the few birds that lives a monogamous life,

sincere to its partner and faithful in love. There are five stages in a lifetime of love: meeting,

loving, devoting, parting, and loneliness. If one seagull dies first, the partner seagull will

continue hovering over the sea, crying for the return of its partner, until ultimately exhausted,

when it falls to its death in the sea.

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 RECORDING PERSONNEL AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION

LOCATION: Voxman Recital Hall at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.

RECORDING, EDITING, MIXING, MASTERING: James Edel and Christopher Jensen in

UI Recording Studios, Iowa City, IA

RECORDING SESSIONS
SESSION I: May 31, 2022
Repertoire: Cyber Bird Concerto
Duration: ca. 23 minutes
Personnel: Casey Dierlam Tse, piano
Nick Miller, percussion

SESSION II: July 5, 2022

Repertoire: White Field and Seagull
Duration: ca. 14 minutes
Personnel: Peter Bowen Liu, piano

SESSION III: August 31, 2022

Repertoire: Night Bird
Duration: ca. 8 minutes

SESSION IV: September 3, 2022

Repertoire: Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme
Duration: ca. 9 minutes
Personnel: Meng Liu, piano

SESSION V: September 6, 2022

Repertoire: Second Flight
Duration: ca. 8 minutes

21
 TRACK LISTING

TAKASHI YOSHIMATSU (b.1953)

Cyber Bird Concerto (1994)

1. I. Bird in Colors

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/vyj2-rf56

2. II. Bird in Grief

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/tc4z-9d52

3. III. Bird in the Wind

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/gvas-nq30

TOSHIO MASHIMA (1949-2016)

4. Seagull (2010)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/nqe9-9e45

JOAN TOWER (b.1938)

5. Second Flight (2017)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/brhd-s024

TSUTOMU NARITA (b.1984)

6. White Field (2006)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/v941-4e17

KAREN TANAKA (b.1961)

7. Night Bird (1996)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/gvre-v509

22
WANTONG JIANG (b.1957)

8. Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme (2022)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/f306-b919

23
 CONCLUSION

People can be inspired from many elements, such as an old memory, a flower, or a

scene in nature. The music in this project shares the gems of wisdom from composers all over

the world. As a performer, I am very grateful that we have so much music to express

universal emotions in so many diverse ways.

Birds, animals with some of the most beautiful voices in the world, have inspired

many composers, musicians, and artists. As a saxophonist, the newly invented techniques that

I have created of imitating birdcalls on the altissimo range of saxophone and on the

mouthpiece are inspired by birds. They inspire me and will continue to inspire more and more

audiences who hear these music.

The objective of this project is not only to provide people with reference recordings of

bird-themed music, but also to stimulate inspiration and imagination in performing,

composing, and teaching for the next generation of audiences. I am looking forward to seeing

the further innovation and creativity regarding bird-themed music.

Moreover, both lyrical pieces White Field and Seagull represent the hidden goal of

this project, which is let more people gain interest on the instrument and let saxophone

become more popular. Since both pieces are accessible and acceptable by people who with

less or without musical training, such as kids. Therefore, it is highly possible that this project

will stimulate people’s desire to explore on this instrument. At last, I hope this project is

meaningful enough to keep accelerating the development of saxophone.

24
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anonymous, “蒙古族长调民歌 Mongolian Long Tune”, National Ethnic Affairs

Commission of the People’s Republic of China.
https://www.neac.gov.cn/seac/mzwh/201807/1084165.shtml, accessed 3 Ooctober
2022.

Burns, Alex. “Takashi Yoshimatsu ‘Saxophone Concerto’: Cyber Bird”, Classicalexburns,

https://classicalexburns.com/2022/09/01/takashi-yoshimatsu-saxophone-concerto-
cyber-bird/, accessed 1st October 2022.

Beggerow, Alan. “Respighi - The Birds.” Musical Musings,

https://muswrite.blogspot.com/2012/03/respighi-birds.html. Accessed 3 February
2022.

Cottrell, Stephen. The Saxophone. Yale University Press New Haven and London, 2012.

Dingle, Christopher Philip, and Simeone, Nigel. Olivier Messiaen: Music, Art and Literature
Music and Literature. Aldershot, England; Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2007.

Dong, Wen. “Birds by Mashima”, Sohu Music,

http://ent.sina.com.cn/j/operamusical/2017-08-01/doc-
ifyinvwu4298245.shtml, accessed 3 October 2022.

French, Gil. "Respighi: Birds; Botticelli Triptych; Suite in G; Serenata. (Guide to

Records)." American Record Guide 77, no. 6 (2014): 150.

Grolman, Ellen K. Joan Tower: The Comprehensive Bio-bibliography. Grolman. Lanham,

Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2007.

Mashima, Toshio. “Biography,” TOSHIO MASHIMA 真島俊夫,

https://toshiomashima.com/biography/, accessed 3 October 2022.

Montague, Stephen, “Tanaka, Karen,” Grove Music Online. https://doi-

org.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.48591, accessed 4
October 2022.

Narita, Tsutomu. “Biography,” 成田勤 | TsutomuNarita-作編曲家、成田勤のホームペー

ジ-https://www.tsutomunarita.com/profile, accessed 3 October 2022.

Robin, William. “Composer of the Year: Joan Tower”, Musicalamerica,

https://www.musicalamerica.com/features/?fid=342&fyear=2020, accessed 3 October 2022.

Tower, Joan. “Second Flight (2017)”, Wisemusicclassical,

https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/57414/Second-Flight--Joan-Tower/,
accessed 3 October 2022.

Tanaka, Karen. Night Bird. Chester Music, 1997.

25
Umble, James C. Jean-Marie Londeix-Master of the Modern Saxophone,Roncorp.
Publications, 2000.

Whittall, Arnold. "Reviews of Books: "Olivier Messiaen: Music, Art and Literature," Edited
by Christopher Dingle and Nigel Simeone; "Olivier Messiaen: 'Oiseaux Exotiques,'"
by Peter Hill and Nigel Simeone." Music & Letters 89, no. 4 (2008): 679-82.

Xu, Limei, “Jiang Wantong: Let the music personality rooted in the soil of Chinese culture.”
Music Weekly, https://www.sohu.com/a/249030719_150289, accessed 3 October
2022.

Yoshimatsu, Takashi. Notes for Nobuya Sugawa, Saxophone Concerto - cyber bird, BBC
Philharmonic, conducted by Sachio Fujioka (Chando Records CHAN 9737, 1999,
EU)

Yoshimatsu, Takashi. “Profile” Japan Arts,

https://www.japanarts.co.jp/en/artist/takashiyosimatsu/?=print, accessed 1 October
2022.

26
 DISCOGRAPHY

Delangle, Claude. Japanese Saxophone Music. BIS, 1998.

Hulting-Cohen, Jonathan. Second Flight. Innova, 2021

Matoba, Satoshi. Prayer. Mclassics, 2021.

Sugawa, Nobuya. A Dream of Sisyphos. Universal Music LLC, 1997.

Sugawa, Nobuya. Beau Soir. Universal Music LLC, 1997.

Sugawa, Nobuya. Masterpieces. Japan CD. YCCS-10059, 2016.

Sugawa, Nubuya. Saxophone Concerto. Chandos Records, 1999.

Sugawa, Nubuya. Saxophone Concertos. Universal Music Llc, 1997.

Ueno, Kohei. Beyond the Standard. Denon, 2018.

27
 APPENDIX A: LIST OF SAXOPHONE REPERTOIRES INFLUENCED BY BIRDS

Bird Concerto (2015) – Alto Saxophone and Orchestra – Petar Obradović (b.1972)

Birds Trilogy (2008) – Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Band – Toshio Mashima (1949-
2016)

Cyber Bird Concerto (1994)– Alto Saxophone and Orchestra – Takashi Yoshimatsu (b.1953)

Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme (2022) – Alto Saxophone and Piano – Wantong Jiang

(b.1957)

Fuzzy Bird Sonata (1991) – Alto Saxophone and Piano – Takashi Yoshimatsu (1949-2016)

Jackdaw (1996) – Baritone Saxophone and Computer – Wayne Siegel (b.1953)

Kuku (1997) – Solo Soprano Saxophone – Barry Cockcroft (b.1972)

Night Bird (1996) – Alto Saxophone and Electrics – Karen Tanaka (b.1961)

Phoenix Rising (2016) – Solo Soprano Saxophone – Stacy Garrop (b.1969)

Phoenix (1988) – Solo Saxophone – Ryo Noda (b.1948)

Second Flight (2007)– Solo Alto Saxophone – Joan Tower (b.1938)

Urban Bird (1993) – Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra – Victoria Bond (b.1945)

White Field (2006)– Alto Saxophone and Piano – Tsutomu Narita (b.1984)

28
 APPENDIX B: LIST OF REPERTOIRES INFLUENCED BY BIRDS FROM
YOSHIMATSU

Digital Bird Suite for Flute and Piano (1982)

4 Pieces in Bird Shape for Clarinet and Piano (1983)

Birdscape for Marimba (1984)

Random Bird Variations for 2 Pianos (1985)

The Age of Birds for Orchestra (1986)

Parallel Bird Etude for 2 Clarinets (1990)

Fuzzy Bird Sonata for saxophone and piano (1991)

Bird Prism for 2 Flutes and Piano (1991)

Bird Rhythm for 3 (or 6) Percussion (1991)

Ode to Birds and Rainbows for Orchestra (1994)

Cyber Bird Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra (1994)

Mimic Bird Comic for Horn and Percussion (1995)

Gagaku “Bird Dream Dances” for Gagaku (1997)

And Birds are Still… for String Orchestra (1998)

When a Bird Dreams Moonbeams for Clarinet, Harp, and Cello (1999)

And Birds sing again for Chamber Orchestra (2000)

Prelude to the Celebration of Birds for Orchestra (2000)

Festival Overture “Fanfare for Birds” for Wind Orchestra (2002)

Twitter Birds Blog for 4 Flutes (2007)

Bird Poly-Rhythm for Percussion Ensemble (2008)

Sinfonia in Birds “For the Birds of Youth” for Orchestra (2008)

Bird Rhythmics for Marimba and Orchestra (2010)

Spiral Bird Suite for Horn and Piano (2011)

29
Symphony No. 6 “Birds and Angels” (2014)

Bird Step for Clarinet (2015)

30
 APPENDIX C: TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH WANTONG JIANG

Date: Spring 2022

Location: WeChat (Social Messaging App)

Note: This interview has been translated from Chinese and edited by Jichen Zhang for clarity

Jichen Zhang: How did you start to compose the Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme？

Wantong Jiang: One day in 2013, I listened to a special concert, the special feature of

which was that the members of the orchestra were all non-professional musicians, they are

scientists, doctors, teachers, students, etc. The oldest is an 80-year-old academician from

Academy of Sciences. In addition to the famous pieces from ancient and modern times, there

are also exclusive works created for the orchestra. During the performance, the members of

the orchestra vividly demonstrated the relationship between music, life, work, and career with

their virtuosity. I was touched by that night.

This is the symphony concert of the Gypsophila Amateur Symphony Orchestra. What is

particularly surprising is that Mr. Ye Xiaowen, who plays the cello. He started learning the

cello at the age of sixty because of his dream of music, and now he spends almost all his

spare time practicing this instrument. Sixty years old, the difficulty can be imagined. Without

the love of music and perseverance, one cannot make it! As a composer, I was deeply moved,

so I gladly accepted the invitation and wrote the Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme for Cello

and Orchestra.

JZ: What aspects do you focus on more in this version for saxophone?

WJ: There have been several versions now of the Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme, including

Cello with Orchestra, Viola with Orchestra, and Trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano. In this

31
version of saxophone and piano, the main thing is to emphasize the special sound of the

saxophone, highlights its magnificent timbre, and the characteristics of wind instrument.

JZ: What are the Mongolian music elements that you use for this piece?

WJ: This piece combines something unique in Mongolian music. First, the vocal cavity. It’s

a note in which the attack starts with glissando, and then it has glissandos or decorative notes

at the end. This is influenced by the communication between numerous Chinese dialects.

Second, the long tune. It refers to less lyrics in songs with each syllable being prolonged, and

the tempo is usually slow and free.

JZ: What is the overall structure of this piece?

WJ: The Capriccio of Swan Goose Theme can be divided into three sections in which there is

a counterpart inside every section. The first section is the Mongolian long tune and the

famous Swan Goose theme. The second section starts from rehearsal number F which is the

dance-like passage. Both saxophone and piano alternatively act and exchange characters

between male and female’s dance. At section three, it goes back to the original theme of

Swan Goose with the piano playing a different counterpoint.

JZ: What advice will you give to saxophonists who want to perform this piece?

WJ: I know many western-classical-trained musicians have had hard a time to interpreting

Chinese music. I think the most important elements that they need to know about is the

Chinese music sentence and style. Take this piece as an example, first, one must know what

32
long tune and vocal cavity are. Moreover, they need to get used to “the tone bending”. In

Mandarin, there are four kinds of vocal tones for each syllable. We imitate the tones very

often in music, so that will sound like people talking. Finally, the music is usually freer,

which means you can stretch or compress more as you want, the accents are exaggerated, and

dynamics should be very contrasting.

33
 APPENDIX D: INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD
NOT HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH DETERMINATION

October 13, 2022

TO: Jichen Zhang

Clas-Music
Kenneth Tse

FROM: Janet Karen Williams, PHD

IRB Chair or Chair Designee

RE: Not Human Subjects Research Determination

I have reviewed the information submitted with your project titled 202210241 SAXOPHONE
MUSIC INSPIRED BY BIRDS: AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE. I have
determined that the project described in the application does not meet the regulatory
definition of human subjects research and does not require review by the IRB, because the
project is not a systematic investigation designed to develop generalizable knowledge.

We appreciate your care in submitting this application to the IRB for review. If the
parameters outlined within this Human Subjects Research application request change, re
review and/or subsequent IRB review may be required.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. The Human Subjects Office
can be reached via phone (319)-335-6564 or email irb@uiowa.edu.

34