SATB saxophone quartet and stereo electroacoustic track
5 min. 20 sec.
‘Hexagonal’ was written for saxophone quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone). The piece takes a playful approach to working with various patterns of six, inspired by some of the most common and beautiful patterns found in nature. The beehive, and the snowflake, for example, and of course many flowers and leaves are all based on the hexagon shape. Transposing some of these visual ideas into musical phrases, and exploring some of the colour and textural variations in musical language, this piece is very much about enjoying the simplest pleasures that the natural world has to offer.
‘Hexagonal’ received its premiere (as an acoustic work) with the Cobalt Saxophone Quartet, at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, New York, NY, USA, on November 16th, 2024. The electroacoustic backing track was created in spring 2025. The track takes its material from only two sound sources: a commuter train, along with some springtime birdsong— an interesting blend of the urban and natural elements of the soundscape in Vancouver, Canada.
Sheet music for this piece is available through the Canadian Music Centre: