Ben Stonaker
  • Home
  • Compositions
    • Solos, Duos, & Trios
    • Small Chamber Ensembles
    • Wind Ensemble
    • Orchestra/Large Ensembles
  • Soundcloud
  • Contact
Saxophone Quartet No. 1 "The Pentagonal Square" (2001)

Picture
Duration 6:45

For recording and performance materials, contact the composer at bfs217@gmail.com.

Program Notes
I dedicated this work to a dear friend of mine, Jennifer Foret. The idea for the title came from a conversation with Jennifer about oxymorons and other types of self-contradicting phrases which led to discussing the impossibility of a pentagonal square as a geometric shape. The piece contains several aspects that are not necessarily intended for the audience to understand. There is somewhat of a strong basis on the fact that this object cannot exist in the physical, geometrical, mathematical form, but may be present in the sense of musical computation. The piece is in 5/4 time/meter, which was originally meant to indicate some sort of pentagonal being, but does not take the final “shape” until measure 92 when 4/4 is then juxtaposed over the duration of five beats. The piece ends with a low, grumbling chord progressing upward to chaos and suddenly screeching to a very shrill halt... 

Performances
  • April 11, 2005, University of Missouri-Kansas City
  • January 2004, Washington, D.C.
  • October 31, 2002, Louisiana State University
  • October 23, 2002, Louisiana State University (world premiere)

BACK
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Compositions
    • Solos, Duos, & Trios
    • Small Chamber Ensembles
    • Wind Ensemble
    • Orchestra/Large Ensembles
  • Soundcloud
  • Contact