Fragile Dyads: small fragile units of sound building up into a larger moving texture. Narrow bands of controlled instability, exhibiting fragility and flaws giving a natural life span.
Reflecting the fragility and complexity of life, the dyads (two sounds played simultaneously) are produced using saxophone multiphonics. They are deliberately moderately difficult to play in order to introduce an element of struggle and fragility. Although the dyads can sustain they might eventually break. Each performer interprets the same graphic score, adding their individual voice to create an overall organic moving texture. The overall texture should be delicate, blended and subtle.
Part of a performance by students at the University of Huddersfield
Fragile Dyads is free to download.
This is a graphic score and that can be performed by any number of alto saxophonists, or as a solo. The work is particularly effective in a reverberant space, especially if performers place themselves around the performance area.