Suite for Saxophone Quartet, "Scotland"
2005
approx. duration 15 minutes
Instrumentation
Soprano Saxophone
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Notes
Commissioned and premiered by the Assembly Quartet.
Following the basic form of the 18th century dance suite, Scotland blends traditional Scottish folk tunes with modern American musical styles. Melodies derived from Highland Airs and Bagpipe tunes which were popular during the 18th century (found in recent facsimiles of major collections dating from that time period) set the basis for the five movement work.
Ye Gods! was Strephon’s Picture blest tells the story of unrequited love, a man’s longing for a woman who loves another. The Allemande, though lovely, is a “tongue-in-cheek” take on the meaning of the text, toying with everything from the blues to quotations of Tristan und Isolde. Most of the songs incorporated into the work, however, have no words or even names, and no specific emotional or programmatic associations can be made allowing free interpretation, manipulation, and expression.
Scotland was met with great acclaim after its premiere at the South Carolina Scottish festival in the spring of 2005 and again at the New Voices concert at the University of South Carolina later that season. Since that time, it has undergone a few revisions, some passages being completely rewritten. The recording available below is from the April, 2005 performance at USC.