Contours, Canons and Caricatures (1991), for saxophone quartet

Commissioned by Resounding Winds; Published by Roncorp, Northeastern Publications; Dur. 12:40

This saxophone quartet was comissioned by Resounding Winds, a group made up of graduates of University of Michigan and studio of the renowned saxophonist and pedagogue Donald Sinta. The piece won Honorable Mention in the Vienna Modern Masters competition at the time, and appears on CD on that label.

The first movement is strictly non-imitative counterpoint, as each voice preserves its own “contour.” The second movement is the total opposite, in that it is intensely canonic throughout and contains canons of many types. The last movement is a caricature of the “typical” French, early 20th c. saxophone quartet, and also exploits the blend of the four saxophones.

The work is available through Northeastern Publications, Roncorp division.
http://www.nemusicpub.com/

Canons:

Caricatures:

Countours: