Wadley Publications

The title of  Sonar’s Riddle  is an anagram of "Dr. Daniel Ross," and stands as a tribute to a musician known for both his kindness and humor.  Dr. Daniel F. Ross (1944-2019) was a Professor of Music at Arkansas State University, where he taught the double reed studio from 1968 to 2018. During his illustrious career, he became known as not only a world-class musician, but an innovator in the field of reed-making with his Ross Gouging Machine. As a performer, he served as Principal Oboist with the Arkansas Symphony and performed with the North Arkansas Symphony, Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, Tupelo Symphony, Delta Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Nashville Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, and the St. Louis Chamber Music Society. He was a frequent soloist with the Forum Sinfonia of Krakow, Poland, touring with them in the United Stated and Europe. He held the title of Visiting Professor of Oboe at the Academy of Music in Krakow, Poland and has been a soloist with the St. P...

Groovin’ Goliath (and the slingshot of doom) for saxophone choir combines elements of blues, traditional and non-traditional tonal structures, shifting metrical landscapes, and saxophonic sound effects in this retelling of the epic tale of David and Goliath. The giant still loses the fight, but the biggest saxes reign supreme in this battle royale! Scoring: SSAAATTB(Bs) - 2 Soprano, 3 Alto, 2 Tenor, 1 Baritone, Optional Bass which doubles Baritone. World Premiere: 2018 World Saxophone Congress by the Arkansas Saxophones under the direction of Dr. Jackie Lamar (University of Central Arkansas, retired) On YouTube at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Beq3Hy2sh0&t=1s Advanced Techniques: Slap-Tongue (all parts), Multiphonics (Baritone)

As this is an unaccompanied piece, ANY saxophone is acceptable. While most soloists will undoubtedly opt to use alto or soprano, the composer welcomes renditions of this piece on any of the larger saxes as well. This piece was inspired by Nevermore: An Evening With Edgar Allen Poe, a single act play featuring Jeffrey Combs. My good friend, Dr. Brent Bristow of Arkansas State University, Beebe, convinced me to go see the play when it was presented there in March of 2018. That performance by the legendary Mr. Combs inspired this piece. Why unaccompanied saxophone? Brent Bristow and I have been close friends since high school, and since he is the one who convinced me to see this show, and given that he plays classical saxophone (yes, that IS a thing!), I figured saxophone would kill two birds with one reed… or something like that. The show itself is a one-man performance, so that’s why this piece is unaccompanied. I toyed with the notion of including some text from the show. Eventua...

Temporal Physics is a single-movement sonatina for alto saxophone and piano. Featuring a cornucopia  of meter changes, the piece explores various stylistic treatments of two brief melodic motifs. Temporal  Physics drops hints of different musical eras while remaining a truly contemporary display of soloistic  virtuosity.

One Zero Zero  was written in 2016 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Lawrence County School District (formerly Walnut Ridge Schools) in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. The piece is dedicated to the Walnut Ridge High School "Pride" Band and long-time director John Long. One Zero Zero  opens with a fanfare based partly upon the Morse code for the numbers 1, 0, and 0, leading up to an energetic, cinematic style main theme.  This opening fanfare provides an excellent opportunity to introduce your students to 5/8 time in an accessible and exciting setting (one measure of 5/8, two measures of 3/4 being the pattern).  Use of combinations of 3/4 and 4/4 which appear frequently in the main theme could also be used as a step-stone for teaching longer asymmetrical meters such as 7/4 (though 7/4 does not appear in the piece). The middle section of the piece references a hymn based on Psalm 100 found in the Genevan Psalter of 1551, later harmonized in 1564 by the French com...

The Privateers  is a swashbuckling depiction of an oceangoing pirate adventure, presented in the form of a march.  The piece starts with a brief fanfare, followed immediately by a rousing melody in the style of an old sea-shanty.  Images of sailing upon an endless sea of stars come to mind as a tranquil nocturne is presented, but the peace is shattered as cutlasses and sabers clash in a dogfight sure to end in Davy Jones’ locker!  The music swells to a dramatic conclusion as our mighty galleon surges across a stormy sea. Instrumentation The Privateers  comes with full sets of both concert/stage and marching/field parts, allowing for great flexibility in your performance venues. Contemporary marching bands and drum & bugle corps utilize specialized field percussion which is typically not used in a concert setting.  With this piece, the use of "outdoor" percussion (quad toms and a tonal bass drum line) onstage is encouraged, although not required....

A beautiful lyric essay for piccolo (or flute) and piano utilizing nontraditional harmonies and modalities. While the technical requirements of the piece are of only intermediate difficulty, the demand for musical expression is high for both the soloist and accompanist.  Trust  is written as a musical meditation on Psalm 143, verses 1-11.  These verses from the Bible underscore one of the basic (yet sometimes uncomfortable) truths of human existence:  we need help.  People often find it difficult to trust in anyone or anything other than  themselves, but no matter how much we may desire complete independence and  autonomy, human beings are simply not equipped to weather the storms life  brings on our own.  The difficulties of  life can in fact make us feel isolated and deserted. Our culture’s celebration  of strength and independence silently imply that we are "weak" if we are unable  to stand alone, yet it is during troubling...

Revelation  was commissioned in 2002 by Dru Davison, then Director of the Brookland High School Band in Brookland, Arkansas.  Soli section for Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax, and Tuba soloists, with percussion. In 2002, the United States was still reeling from the deadly and devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In the wake of the tragic loss of life and the shaking of the nation’s sense of security, many people feared what the future might bring.   Revelation  begins with a question: "Where do we go from here?" The piece presents the uncertainty and sense of foreboding felt by so many Americans at that point in history, followed shortly by the only possible response: "We must move forward." The music moves toward its climax with new energy, driving onward with a sense of urgency, reflecting the heart and will of a nation determined to rise above tragedy. LISTEN on YouTube PURCHASE on SheetMusicPlus (parts) PURCHASE on SheetMusicPlus (conductor's ...

Bombadil is a musical portrait of one of the lesser-known characters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of  the Rings. While he never made it into the LOTR movies of the early 21st century, Tom Bombadil is  nonetheless a pivotal character in Tolkien’s epic novel, saving the hobbits from certain doom on more  than one occasion. The character is a wild juxtaposition of contradictions: at once fanciful and  fearsome; silly and sagacious; terrible and tender; whimsical and wise. While he seems childishly  ridiculous at times, Tom is undoubtedly one of the most ancient and powerful living beings in the  Tolkien mythology.  This composition attempts to capture the mystery and mischievousness of Tom Bombadil through rich, thick harmonies, angular melodic motion, and highly syncopated rhythms. The piano is treated as a full member of the duo, rather than mere accompaniment for the soloist, in this challenging sonatina. LISTEN on YouTube PURCHASE on SheetMusicP...

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 alo...

Yet another jazz tune with a name that makes absolutely no sense! In the same way one would not expect to see an actual aardvark strolling down Beale Street while listening to disco hits of the 1970s, one would not expect to find a G-flat wandering aimlessly about in an E-flat Major 9 chord.  Nonetheless, both of these confounding conundrums are presented here.   Anomalous Adventure Number One  is about to start, so grab some hot salsa, get your "waka-chicka" on, and be ready to swing, big daddy! Optional parts are included for Bb, Eb, and Bass Clef solos in the event that there is no player for vibes, if you wish to feature a different performer, or if you wish to open solos for more players. INSTRUMENTATION Featured Solo - Vibes (opt. parts for substitutions) A Sax - 2 (opt. soprano 1) T Sax - 2 B Sax - 1 Trumpet - 5 Trombone - 5 Drum Set Guitar Elec. Bass Piano LISTEN on YouTube PURCHASE on SheetMusicPlus  

This Brass Quintet won the  1996 Fine Arts Festival Music Award at Illinois State University , an international competition.  Songs of the Warrior , a Brass Quintet in three movements, utilizes thematic material derived from a twelve-tone row, presented in three contrasting styles.  While the piece stands on its own as absolute music following traditional formal structures, the titles of each movement do suggest a setting befitting the mood or atmosphere evoked by the music. I. The Cannon’s Mouth Following a slightly modified version of the classical sonata allegro form, this movement presents the thematic material in a freely atonal setting, Much use is made of variations of ancient two note war-horn calls, which would command soldiers to advance into direct combat with an enemy. II.  Amidst the Fallen The second movement evokes images of the aftermath of battle and the horrors left on the field of war.  Dynamic and rhythmic elements in the music prod...

“All those who wander” is a reference to a poem written by J.R.R. Tolkien as part of The Lord of the Rings.  That poem speaks of the character Aragorn, originally introduced to the reader as a ranger known only as “Strider.”  This piece is a musical re-telling of Aragorn’s wilderness travels through the White Mountains and the haunted Paths of the Dead, a journey which will ultimately reveal him to all as the “lost” (and returning) King of Gondor. This piece premiered on April 8, 1996 as part of Craig Wadley's Graduate Composition Recital under the title Aragorn: The King's Return.  It was revised and republished in the current version as All Those Who Wander in March of 2016. LISTEN on YouTube PURCHASE on SheetMusicPlus

The Ring-Bearer's Tale was written in 1996, well before Peter Jackson's film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s  The Lord of the Rings,  which is arguably the defining novel of the fantasy genre.  Many of the characters in this epic novel are larger-than-life:  Gandalf, Saruman, Aragorn, and others.  Interestingly enough, the true heroes of Tolkien’s tale are very simple folk:  hobbits.  Bilbo Baggins and his nephew Frodo are among the most beloved characters of the story, quite possibly because they are not so much different from you or me, yet they accomplish great and heroic deeds nonetheless.  This piece for unaccompanied flute focuses on five moments from  The Lord of the Rings  in which our down-to-earth heroes encounter situations both marvelous and terrible.  As the title suggests, the musical narrative follows the adventures of Frodo and his faithful companion, Samwise Gamgee (who also bore the One Ring for a time). I. Rive...