Watercolors

While Watercolors is primarily a study in minimalistic techniques, each movement also presents an impression of a scene or thought which is expressed in the title of that movement. 

•Cobalt Nymph is a portrait of water nymphs from mythology, often found playing gleefully near open bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, or even the ocean. The music reflects their inexhaustible energy and their eccentric (even chaotic) behavior. 

•Midnight Mist is a musical exploration of the mysteries to be found in the dark corners of consciousness. The music conjures images of oceanside lighthouses or dark, damp forests shrouded in gloomy tendrils of impenetrable fog.  What might be lurking in the shadows?

•Azure Spray depicts the motion of the tides, musically coursing over the rise and fall of great ocean swells.  Sailors in a magnificent Clipper glide at breakneck speed over the deep blue sea, while dolphins revel in the thrill of racing alongside.

Style

Jazz interpretations of certain articulations are intended within the first and third movements.

•A single staccato marking does not imply separation from the preceding (non-staccato) note; it is merely a shortened (perhaps "clipped") note. Tongue-stopping may be used, but only lightly.

•Rooftop accents are not only very heavy, but short as well.  A rooftop paired with a staccato indicates a short, hard accent terminated by a heavy tongue-stop.

•In the second movement, there should be no sense of time or metrical pulse.  Rhythmic figures in the latter half of the movement should float freely.  These repeated notes should be clearly discernible to the listener while remaining extremely legato (even when accented).

•Either "classical" or "jazz" tone qualities could be appropriate for each of the three movements (at the discretion of the musical director), but should remain consistent between voices throughout the entirety of each movement. 

Performances of Note

Composed in the spring of 2001, Watercolors premiered at the North American Saxophone Alliance (N.A.S.A.) convention in March of 2002, performed by the University of Central Arkansas Saxophone Quartet under the direction of Dr. Jackie Lamar.  Also in March of 2002, Watercolors was featured in the Imagine Festival of New Music at the University of Memphis, where it was performed by the Memphis Saxophone Quartet.  The Arkansas Saxophone Quartet incorporated Watercolors as part of their 2016-2017 repertoire, including a performance at the 2016 N.A.S.A. conference.

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