This rhythm was a persistent theme throughout the piece and was continuously developed. It was passed between piano and saxophone. The piece opens with this theme played solo by the saxophone. The piano enters after this first line is stated. Here are some other examples of where this theme was present in the piece:
Reflections from the composer
I am happy to give the performers free reign in terms of interpretation, but I think most importantly they have to be rhythmically sound and confident. A lot of the music in this piece relies on time signature changes and quite erratic rhythms.
I don't really have a fixed composition process, but in this case, I did make use of sketches. All my ideas came from experimenting on a piano and then writing my ideas down. I used to have a photo of those exact sketches but it has been lost with my old phone that got stolen. In other works, I sometimes start writing what's in my head on a blank score and then let the piece grow organically. Some composers like to plan their every move but I prefer letting my ideas guide me. I've also noticed that sometimes leaving a piece for a while and coming back to it can be exactly what I need to finish a work.
I would say the work is South African, but mostly in the sense that it was written by someone who is from SA and has been living there for over a decade now. The music might indirectly reflect my experiences here in SA, but I didn't actively try to use strictly South African ideas or inspirations. The work is based on a morse-code rhythm of your name and then harmonically based on the chord used in the choral work of a 20th-century Russian composer, of which neither are inherently South African." - Owen Dalton (2024)
Introduction
Owen and I have been good friends throughout our studies together in Stellenbosch. I contacted Owen in March (2023) asking if he would be interested in working with me on this project. I have always wanted to work with him after being involved in an ensemble where we performed one of his compositions that included a saxophone quartet. Dalton is familiar with writing for winds - being an oboist himself, and well-known for his work in the South African classical music scene. I felt a sense of connectedness through how he wrote for the instruments, especially regarding his understanding of saxophone writing.
From my experience in collaborative practice, I always find it best to work with someone that you feel connected to on some level. Our friendship had a significant effect on the collaboration and final artistic product.
A Brief Analysis of Score in terms of themes
Rhythm
Here is how Owen utilised rhythm to incorporate hidden messages into the music. He incorporated my name into the work through the use of Morse code. Here is an explanation below:
My name translated into Morse code is the following: .--- --- ... .. .
Here it is in relation to the music:
Human nature displayed through movements
The name "Turbulence" comes from Owen's idea to comment on the erratic side of human nature. This was done through the various sections within the work that display conflicting atmospheres that sometimes move suddenly into one another. They are as follows:
I. Ethereal section that introduces Morse code rhythm and harmonic material
II. Spirited section that develops the material in a contrasting mood
III. Ethereal returns with a sort of 2nd theme developed from the initial material
IV. Dramatic return of spirited material leading into final section
V. "Coda" that takes both rhythm and melodic material to its extreme
Owen said that the ethereal sections should feel aleatoric and very free, in complete contrast to the spirited sections with dynamic changes being overly exaggerated when there are sudden changes.
My Final Reflection
The intimacy or level of collaboration directly depends on the relationship between performer and composer as well as their own personality and compositional experience. I believe our friendship was a factor as to why there was minimal contact throughout this collaboration. Owen has heard me play countless times and I have listened and played his music. There was a sense of trust. In this collaboration, working at a distance was successful because of us knowing each other well. In turn, this produced a work that Owen cultivated for me. Owen proved to be the ideal candidate for saxophone writing. Working with Owen in this way gave me insight into his own creative process when writing a new work as well as his ideas on art music in South Africa.
Harmony
The basic progression is as follows: G sus 4 - Ab maj 11 - Db/A augmented - Bb maj 7.
Dalton motivated his choice of harmony:
There is a sustained G in every chord that ultimately alters the colour of each chord, but this is how I would label the progression. Harmonically, most material is based on these 4 chords. For the most part, this progression ascends, but there are moments where is descends too. The chord I took from Schnittke's Choir Concerto happens in the first movement at measures 80-81. It’s a very climatic section at the end of a large build-up. The chord in question is a G sus 4 chord. I developed the remaining three chords in the progression following a chromatically ascending bassline and tight voice leading. All of this was done in my sketching phase while playing at the piano. (WhatsApp correspondence, 21 November 2023)
The harmonic material stays consistent throughout every section, it is just varied rhythmically, directionally, or by voicings.
The Collaborative Process
8th of March 2023 - The beginning
Owen was a great candidate to explore collaborative practice between close friends. I contacted Owen after realising that I potentially wanted to explore the prospect of curating a concert featuring South African works when I travelled back to South Africa in June 2023.
The collaboration began with organising an online meeting via Zoom where we discussed potential ideas for the composition. Here is a summary of the dialogue shared in that meeting:
OD: So, what do you think? Have you got any ideas of anything in particular that you would like to write?
JM: Is there anything that you are desperate to write like to experiment with or something?
OD: I really want to improve my thematic writing and writing for piano specifically. The piece I wrote for Mark [South African saxophonist] is not the best. I don’t think that it’s the best I could write for saxophone. So, I would like to write something new.
JM: Well, I kind of want to be like – do what you feel like doing. And that’s kind of what I want to say.
….
OD: Yeah, how long do you think the piece should be?
JM:…Like 3-8 minutes, I suppose? I don’t know if that’s because I think anything after 10 minutes becomes…[gestures showing something large and chaotic]
OD: But that’s definitely doable.
….
JM: How fast do you write?
OD: I mean, I can write pretty quickly. Yeah, depends on like, other things. Sometimes I can’t get material out and sometimes it comes out like nothing.
….
JM: So March, April, May let’s say. I don’t know, maybe May-ish… whenever you have material send it to me that I could like, start working on it or something. I don’t know if you want to hear what it sounds like or anything like that.
As there were so many possibilities of where, what and when this performance would be, Dalton and I decided on a "conventional" instrumentation for the work: saxophone and piano. We also agreed that there is a minimal amount of works written for alto saxophone and piano and therefore would be a contribution to this genre within the repertoire (I have only played one of these works throughout my studies in South Africa.)
Because of my friendship with Dalton and the number of times we have played together, attended each other’s recitals, and been involved in various projects with one another our meeting can be described as being brief and left to interpretation. This was the exciting element of this collaboration: what would he come up with? There was a sense of trust between Dalton and me. I believe trust to be a key element in all collaborations.
"It is comprised of two main ideas. The first being a rhythmic pattern based on morse code, and the second being a four-chord progression that repeats in different directions. The rhythmic pattern is formed from the morse code for J-O-S-I-E (heard clearly in the opening bars) while the chord progression is an expansion of a chord found in Schnittke’s Choir Concerto – a Gsus4 chord that moves stepwise eventually landing on a Bb^7 chord.
The nature of the piece is turbulent, hence the name, and briefly explores the erratic side of human nature through contrasting tempos, rhythms, and harmonies."
- Owen Dalton
Turbulence by Owen Dalton bars 80-81.
This marks the first time the aformentioned chordal progression is used.
Owen Dalton (1998+) is a young South African composer and oboist. Currently he is completing his master’s in composition at the University of Stellenbosch researching on the sonic capabilities of the reed quintet.
Earlier this year, he was the runner-up (2nd place) in the inaugural South African Composition Competition where the Cape Town Philharmonic performed and recorded his work ‘An Animal Suite’. He was also recently commissioned to write a work for the University of Pretoria Symphony Orchestra that was performed in May this year.
He was announced as one of the five finalists in the 2023 South African Strings Foundation Composition Competition in collaboration with Stellenbosch University, the Composer’s Symposium, and the Flat Mountain Project.
Dalton prides himself in his ability to write for winds and enjoys writing for chamber groups or larger ensembles that include them. He also frequently performs as an oboist and English hornist around the country in various amateur and professional orchestras.
(Biographical information and image provided by Owen Dalton)
