Hextych for Sax Quintet

HEXTYCH FOR SAX QUINTET

Hextych for Sax Quintet.mp3 - MP3

Instrumentation: Sorapno sax, 2 alto saxes, tenor sax, bari sax
Length: 15:30
Movements: 6

I wrote Hextych for Sax Quintet for a period of two or three weeks. The motif to the second movement I thought of while in French class (it sounds like an accordion player on a Parisian sidewalk, if you ask me), and everything else I made up on the spot. The cool thing about this piece is that each movement is a concerto for one of the saxes while the other four accompany, while the final movement is, well, the finale. My favorite movements are the second and third.

I wrote this piece for FBA approval to play at solo and ensemble next year. I'll probably only get to play two contrasting movements plus the finale due to time constraints. Ah well.

The piece calls for people to stand up at certain times. In the first five movements, it asks for the person playing the concerto part to stand up. In a live performance setting on stage, one might want to consider standing at the front of a stage. If in a classroom, it would probably be easier to simply stand up. In the sixth movement, it isn't really possible to move to the front of a stage and bring your music because of the suddenness of the stand up requests, so one should simply stand up, period.

I. Introduction - this is in F minor, 4/4, 68 beats per minute. This movement is the bari sax concerto. I like the diminished chords I use. Nothing too much to talk about here. It's short.

II. Promenade - this starts in Bb major, modulates to and from the the relative minor, G minor, and eventually to Eb major. It's the alto sax 1 concerto. The piece is a slow 3/8 (dotted quarter equals 62). This is probably my favorite movement. It's catchy, modulates well, and makes good use of the saxophone.

III. Concertino - stays in A minor the entire time. Solid 4/4, tempo of allegro moderato (quarter equals 124). This is the soprano concerto. This really reminds me of the first movement of one of my other pieces, Sonata for Four Saxes. It's in the same key and kind of utilizes the same chords and rhythms.

IV. Ballad - Eb major with some modulation to and from C minor, its relative minor. 4/4, lento dolce, quarter equals 52. I don't have much to say about this movement. I really don't like it.

V. March - starts in F major before a modulation to D major. The tempo is marked as "vivace, alla marcia" with quarter equals 144. Another 4/4 piece. Joy. Alto sax 2 concerto. This is a good movement from my end. I like what I did, especially with the slower arpeggio bari sax part towards the end.

VI. Finale - this starts in Eb minor, in a 6/8 or 9/8 signature, dotted quarter equals 88. This is by far the longest movement. Time switches to a 3/4 feel before the tempo switches to grave morendo, quarter equals 76. The piece expedites to 118, modulates to Eb major, and eventually goes back to a fast 6/8 for the ending, where a dotted quarter note equals 132. I got the idea for the end of this movement from Respighi's Pines of Rome. It gradually builds up in intensity until a callback from movement 4 happens in the alto 1 part. This leads to a maestoso section and final climax, with a tenor sax line very much line the horn line from the climax of Mahler's 2nd.

Enjoy. The Finale file must be accessed by Finale 2007 or later. The Finale file bunches all 6 movements together, but it should be painfully obvious as to when the movement changes.