Education Queensland International Office for the Brisbane State High School Saxophone Quartet, Brad
Ruben, Director.
Context For Creation
Brad Ruben is one of the state's finest music teachers and his ensembles are generally first class.
He
is a former mature age student of mine and I am very proud to call him a colleague now. When he
asked
about this I was pleased to mitigate cost (knowing that could cause him trouble with Ed Qld) and
sought
to find a 'way through' to get the commission on the road and ready for them to play in China.
Consider
the genesis of the work via correspondence, as follows:
Brad was happy, as can be seen in the emails and the students I have since worked with loved the piece.
At one point in discussion with a few of them they began to sing it and pound out the riffs and pulses.
I love it when that happens.
Reflections
This is a simple setting of two of the melodies I used in 'An Australian Rhapsody' which Brad seemed
interested in. They are good melodies to 'play' with; I enjoy manipulating 'good' tunes.
I am working on a wind band setting of this as well. I am not sure when I will get it finished.