Hox/Revolve
Hox, for saxophone quartet, belongs to a series of Stephen Andrew Taylor’s recent works. These pieces attempt a new approach : the musical representation of extra-musical phenomena such as genetics. Inspired by the revolving movement of ballerinas, Revolve consists of repetitive fast-paced sections that explore wide ranges of saxophone register with different techniques.
Biography
Quadrivium Saxophone Quartet was formed in 2014 by current and former students at the University of Illinois School of Music with a passion for new music and its importance in the school system. The four members are accomplished soloists and educators in their own rights, having commissioned numerous works for saxophone. Alto Saxophonist Jennifer Anderson teaches elementary and junior high music in Ogden, Illinois. Tenor Saxophonist Pin-Hua Chen currently studies at the University of Illinois. Baritone Saxophonist Dr. Nathan Mandel is co-Director and saxophonist for Suono Mobile USA.
Ashley Fu-Tsun Wang is a Taiwanese composer whose work draws on her eclectic musical palette, ranging from Western and non-Western classics to jazz and pop.
More information
Hox for saxophone quartet – composed by Stephen Andrew Taylor
My proposed composition, Hox for saxophone quartet, belongs to a series of recent works in which I focus on genetics. These pieces attempt a new approach to program music—the musical representation of extra-musical phenomena—exemplified in works such as Beethoven’s 1808 Pastoral Symphony. While traditional program music uses rippling arpeggios or crashing cymbals to portray a babbling brook or a thunderstorm, my new works employ a variety of techniques to depict the structure of DNA, proteins, and amino acids in an attempt to “translate” genetic information to music. Hox is a gene which distinguishes head from tail in many creatures, including ourselves. This work will start with a kind of metaphorical “zooming in” on the DNA strand which forms the genetic blueprint for Hox; then the piece will act as a representation of the complex, folding chain of amino acids which comprises the Hox protein itself.
Revolve – composed by Ashley Fu-Tsun Wang
The idea of revolve came from the spinning ballerinas. Revolving is a physical movement, but the psychological aspect it brings out also reflects on the concentration, the focus, and the dedication that is being projected onto the motion. The nature of the proposed piece consists of repetitive and fast-paced sections that explore wide ranges of register and showcase different extended techniques, while creating a narrative that brings the dramaturgy to light.