Compositions
Within the compositional framework of the project, there are many sub-projects which are continuing to develop, and which represent a larger and more cohesive form of both the questioning and development of repertoire for instruments, and creating music for professionals all the way to young beginners.
Development of these projects will be progressively updated as time goes on, such that the descriptions reflect accurately what has happened with each project.
The Mozart Project:
Through creating and original piece of music, and a subsequent connected arrangement, an expanse of the repertoire of classical saxophone music which engages with the classical era idiom creates a significantly greater amount of repertoire to be performed and pedagogically utilized for students.
The first part of this project is the quartet project, which has seen 12 arrangements of Mozart String Quartets, and subsequently 12 original quartets ; all being around 20 minutes and 4 movement classical style quartets. The next stage of the next 11 arrangements, and the 12 original quartets will involve much larger form and structure quartets which, like young to old Mozart, do not resemble each other in structure or length. (See arrangements section for these and many other project arrangements.)
The Haydn Project:
Essentially identical to the Mozart Project, but instead of Mozart, the pieces being arranged are Haydn pieces, which extends of course to creating original music to pair. Any other projects mentioned just below are of the same type, and focus on particular prolific composers, and how their music can be utilized for developing the pedagogy of the classical saxophone. Other Projects include:
Boccherini Project
J.S. Bach Project
Schubert Project
(And many more which won't be so comprehensive!)
The Art Song Project:
This project focuses on the transcription and creation of art songs both for voice and wind instruments, including the music of many composers throughout Europe and America, from Shebalin, Glinka, Balakirev, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Bacon, Macdowell, Quilter, Mendelssohn, Schubert, etc. These pieces, which will be transcribed for many different wind instruments, as well as the setting of text by poets such as William Blake, Whitman, Byron, Tennyson, and other english poets whose works have not experienced quite the influence in song as the other languages of Europe, as well as original text which will be composed for either vocal or non-vocal performance as well will be included. The generation of interest and revival of art song as a tool for teaching in non-vocal wind instruments, as well as within the vocal community provides a unique opportunity for the development of a smaller chamber environment which can flourish more vitally with the more homogenuous usage of the melodic/accompanying content.
This project has seen multiple arrangements by predominantly Russian composers, as well as the writing of a few original songs, including ones with original text. The particular groups of songs will be ordered by firstly their countries of origin, and then whether or not they are vocal/non-vocal wind music.
The Etude Project:
The etude project is built on the foundational idea that smaller musical compositions seek to benefit the performer in working on their soloistic or ensemble capabilities, while being a position from which teachers can stand to more effectively teach musicianship through a progressive string of difficulty and technical standards which can fundamentally strengthen the students being taught, but as well can be used by professionals to hone their craft at the highest and most capricious level of etude.
Orbiting the Ferling 48 Etudes for Oboe book will be a set of etudes for after Ferling, which engage with more naturally saxophone idiomatic concepts and technique at a higher level of performance, as well as etudes for before Ferling, which will then begin to progressively become more difficult or simple respectively. These etudes will have a landmark usage for teaching the classical saxophone in many different genres of the classical idiom, stretching from the baroque all the way to pre-modern forms, such that the saxophone will be able to adapt to whatever challenges are asked of it in the classical world.
The Wind Band and Orchestral Projects:
A development of the repertoire of the wind band into a cohesive sound, developing based on the traditions and past of the wind band through marches and symphonic works, utilizing the full extent of the wind band to write music which most effectively communicates the musical capabilities of the ensemble. This project is a precursor to a project which will involve including saxophone as a main part of traditional orchestra orchestrations to write music which utilizes the saxophone in the orchestral context. Both of these projects will include arrangements for either ensemble type, but these will be from smaller instrumentation works such as solo piano or ensembles such as the octet etc., in an attempt to most transformatively interact with the music being arranged, rather than simply moving instruments around and calling it a done day.
Electronic Composition Projects:
In the development of music when it comes to the incorporation of technology, live production of solo instruments into larger ensembles through clever use of electric equipment (such as looping pedals or devices, as well as sound modifying devices but together to create certain effects etc.) has been very minimally explored in the classical music environment. As music progresses as an artform when it comes to the boundaries of acoustic and digital performance, a merging of the two will be a project that will be explored significantly.
In working on original pieces with particular instrumental groups, as well as working on expanding existing pedagogy and formalizing what does exist into more accessible and holistic documents comes the collaborative projects of developing the future musicians of tomorrow, especially in the saxophone community. The writing of original music which meshes with certain groups and musicians through personal compositional means, or through commissioning, is a project which seeks to create a more expansive and accessible repertoire and literature, such that performers both are more able to play, but as well for teachers and pedagogues to develop farther than this initial step.