4th Movement

I have not been getting any help from my readers regarding titles, so I am coming up with some ideas on my own. I titled the fourth movement Hiroshima as a microcosm of man's inhumanity to man. I think that the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima illustrates the kind of destruction of lives and property that we are able to inflict. I know that by dropping the bomb we were suppose to save many more lives than were lost, but the magnitude of this event and what we are capable of ( Post WWII Cold War and now terrorism) is what I feel is portrayed in this movement.

The angular saxophone line with its frequent use of altissimo register is what suggested the type of piano part I wrote. The piano uses the register extremes as well. In the beginning, the register extremes suggest the devastation. The piano lines move chromatically for the most part, but I break that pattern as needed for variety and to support the other lines with the appropriate harmony. At measure 5, the saxophone trill from the end was incorporated as a an accompaniment feature in the piano right hand while the left hand remains chromatic. At measure 7, I changed the 3/4 to 4/4 to add silence before leading into this quieter section with the piano right hand at the top of the keyboard. Dynamic contrast is also at the extreme in this movement as if one is screaming in the loud sections and staring in disbelief in the soft sections. Also beginning at measure 7, I introduce some ties and later syncopation to disguise the regular beat pattern. I made the tempo slightly slower in this section as well in order to create a quiet intensity. At measure 8, the piano begins to mirror the saxophone part as it is less chromatic. Measures 12-14 return the mood to the scream, but the piece ends with a quiet saxophone trill leaving us hanging with regards to the future.

I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.

To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html

Dr. B