Mosaic for Sopranino Sax and Piano

The American Heritage Dictionary defines mosaic as a picture or decorative design made by setting small colored pieces, such as tile, in mortar. The musical ideas in this composition are treated in a similar fashion. The small colored pieces can be compared to the musical motifs of the composition. Sometimes these fragments form a larger unit and become a recognizable melody. At other times, the fragments are combined differently therefore creating a variation to the original idea. Throughout the three-movement composition, this technique has been employed to create loose formal structures that still have unity and variety through the use of contrasting sections. The three movements themselves create contrast by being organized in a fast-slow-fast arrangement. The musical language is tonal with frequent shifts in the tonal center and with harmony in thirds and fourths.