BLACK COMPOSER MINIATURE CHALLENGE
An anthology of 30 second pieces for solo saxophone with optional dance pairings by 12 Black/African Diasporic composers.
A Note About Performance Rights
Should you perform and/or record any of the works included in this anthology, please contact the composer directly as performance rights and/or other licensing fees may apply.
A Note from the Editor
The scores in this anthology show diversity in color, texture, text-setting, and creating tiny-yet-bold sonic worlds. All scores remain as true to the original as possible, with some formatting changes to accommodate this volume.
Special Thanks
Many thanks are due to Anthony R. Green for engraving these scores, and all the contributing composers for their creativity and fellowship.
About Castle of our Skins
Castle of our Skins is a Black arts institution that centers Black music, culture, and history through people, programming, and partnerships. In classrooms, concert halls, and beyond, Castle of our Skins invites exploration into Black heritage and culture, spotlighting both unsung and celebrated figures of past and present. For more information, please visit www.CastleSkins.org
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Kevin Ramsay : Nguva
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Maryland, City College of New York, and Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. His works have been performed by ICE, and Face the Music, among others.
Julian E. Brown is a Chicago-based composer with an aim to write music that people enjoy listening to musicians enjoy playing. Inspired by the fact that music is one of the finest expressions of co-creating, he listens for the lyrical in sound. Julian’s composition What I Should Have Said for Soprano and Cello is published in Castle of our Skins’ BCMC 3.0 Anthology.
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Ikamva Music Ensemble, the TC4 Saxophone Quartet, Matt Hare, Monica Chew, David Bohn, and Beth Ratay, among others.
Regina Harris Baiocchi is a composer, author, and poet. Her work has been performed by Detroit Symphony and Chicago Symphony orchestras, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, US Army Band, American Guild of Organists, Chicago, Gaudete, and Milwaukee brass quintets, Lincoln Trio, Avalon String Quartet, et al. To learn more, visit reginaharrisbaiocchi.com.
Dancer: Jump like a mad goat
Nyawawa
by Erick Odiweric
Dancer: perhaps run and then disappear
Program note
Nyawawa isaDholuowordmeaning"spiritofthedead"fromLakeVictoria.Thespiritusuallycomesout seasonallytotormentandstealpeaceoutofthenatives;itambushesandterrorizesneighborhoods.The ghostsstrikeanytimebetweentwilightanddawn,andcanbeheardcominginweirdsounds,whistling wind,andfunnybreezeorstrongwind,gusheslike weya uru (stopbotheringme)or nyathina dong (my childhasremainedbehind).Neighborsareexpectedtobeatmetallicclangstoproducesoundanddrive themtowardsthelake.Theirpassageistrailedbysicknessanddeaths.
-Pronunciation:weya(way-aah);uru(oor-ooo);nyathina(nyaah-thin-aah);dong(dough-ng')
-Thedancerisfreetoimproviseanyvocaltechniques
Deceptive Step : The Trickster Among Us
by Lauren McCall
* notes with noteheads signify a foot stomp. Optional : tape a coin to the bottom of shoe.
Program note
ThispiececonnectstotricksterAnansi'sfolktalecharacter.Idecidedtoselectatricksterforthispiece becauseoftheimportanceofAnansiinAfricanfolktalesandothertrickstercharactersIhavelearnedabout fromdifferentculturalcommunitiesIhaveworkedin.AnothertrickstercharacterIlearnedaboutisIktomi, whoisfromtheLakotaculture.OnethingIrememberwastheimportanceandconnectionsoftrickstersin bothcultures,andtheabilityofthesecharactersnotjusttoprovideentertainmentintheformofstories, butalsotoprovidewisdom,knowledge,and,inthe casehereofAnansi,theabilitytoteachahuman pursuerhowtodance.
© 2023 Lauren McCall
Variation on a Kenyan Lullaby
Nyamgodo, Nindo Tere
Nyamgodo,nindotere. Nyamgodo,nindotere.
Ntathimayuak, Ondiekchame
Nyathimoling, ondiekweye, Oombe,oombe
by Boyd E. Gibson
Dearchild,sleepwillovercomeyou dearchild,sleepwillovercomeyou
Achildthatcries willbeeatenbythehyena
Thequietchild willnotbeeatenbythehyena.
Quietnow,quietnow...
Copyright Boyd Gibson 2023
My Desire and Delight
by George Brandon
Don't Give Up by Nantenaina Andriamorasata
Program Note
Moraingy isanoldtraditionalsportfrom Madagascar.Itisamixofboxingandtraditionalwrestling.Itis anancestralpracticeappreciatedinallof Madagascar,andespeciallyinthewestcoastofthelarge island.Itspracticeisstillaccompaniedbytraditionalmusicanddancetoencouragecombatantsandto initiateafestivemood Don't Give Up isinspiredbythetraditionalmusicperformedduringthe Moraingy event.
("unity" in Swahili)
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Program note
Conceivedassoloaltosaxmusic, umoja mayalsobeplayedonbaritone,soprano, andtenorsaxophone. This is call for global unity. Umoja (oo-mo'-jah)means"unity" inSwahili. Umoja isoneofsevenprinciplesofKwanzaa,acelebrationofAfrican Americanculturethatoccurseach26Decemberto1January.Duration:29.8 seconds.
moon cricket sings a tale, by Charles M. Murrell, III (b.
by Julian E. Brown
The African Kimono
by Kevin Leysath II
The Beauty of the Butterfly
"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." ~ Maya Angelou
by Melika M. Fitzhugh
Performance note
Thesungnotesarealsotransposed-andthusshouldsoundaninthbelowwritten(ideally...ifthat doesnotfityourvoicepart,findtheoctavethatdoesfitandproducesthemaximumamountof growlfromthesaxophone).Havefunwiththebreathaccents!
© 2024 Melika M. Fitzhugh / Stone Maiden Music (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.
Nguva
Performance notes
-quartertonesharp/flat
-1/12tonesharp
-airtoneabout35%or40%ifpossible, slighttongueonreedfor1stexhale
-seccoslap
-slap
by Kevin Ramsay
softly exhale; slowly whisper : Wá (ó) mí ó dára
Pronunciation
Wá -soundslike wah ,the á ispronouncedwitha risingtone,similartosaying"ah"inEnglishwhen surprised,butemphasizesoundgoingup.
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-keytap,percussive
-Multiphonic
-bitethereed
(ó) -isanoptionalsoundindicatingamoreemphatic orcontinuousaction,pronouncedasalong"o"with ahightone,likethe"o"in"go",butkeeptonehigh.
mí -soundslike mee ,the'í'ispronouncedwithahigh tone,similartothe'ee'in"see".
ó -soundslike"oh".The ó ispronouncedwithahigh tone,likethe"o"in"go",butkeeptonehigh&steady.
dára -soundslike dah-rah.The á ispronouncedwith arisingtone,similartothe"a"infather,butwithan emphasisonthetonerisinginthemiddleofthesound, and"ra"ispronouncedwithaflattone,likethe"ra"in "rapid".
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