Fragile: A Performance and Recording Project

• Author / Creator

  De Caigny, Holly C

• The saxophone’s capacity to produce a wide range of sounds, timbres, and techniques hasastounded performers, composers, and audience members throughout its short history. This Doctoralthesis, which is composed of a recording project, accompanying scholarly program notes, and a liverecital performance, explores some of the many sounds available to the saxophonist. The worksperformed and discussed are predominantly unaccompanied works for a variety of members of thesaxophone family. They are: Mysterious Morning III for solo soprano saxophone by Fuminori Tanada,Sakana for solo tenor saxophone by Dai Fujikura, Zahir III for baritone saxophone and electronics bySimone Movio, Strata, mvmt 1: Sonder for solo tenor saxophone by Colin Labadie, Alter Ego for solotenor saxophone by Georges Aperghis, and The Last Leaf for solo sopranino saxophone by ChayaCzernowin. As discussed in these program notes, each of these pieces explore the theme of fragilitythrough different means thus informing my title. These notes, written as an accompanying document tothe CD recording, discuss the history and impetus behind these pieces, the techniques used, and theirchallenges from a performer’s perspective. The notes also reflect on the techniques, sounds, and ideasthat connect these pieces, with a focus on the soundscape that each composer intends and thechallenges that face the interpreter in bringing these ideas to life. The recordings were produced andedited at the University of Alberta in Convocation Hall under the guidance of Russell Baker.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Fragile
  • Mysterious Morning
  • The Last Leaf
  • Alter Ego
  • Zahir
  • recital
  • saxophone
  • Sakana
  • Strata

• Graduation date

  Fall 2020

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Music

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-fjap-6n81

• License

  Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.