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.

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...

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...

“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...