For Sax Quartet
Duration: 4 minutes
A Spark is a foray into minimalism, starting with a series of short, select notes that bounce between the instruments. As the piece progresses, more notes are added to the soundscape, the separated short notes change from being staccato to legato, and some of the added notes start to lengthen leading to longer, soaring melodies. This growth is not without moments of backwards steps. Short notes reappear, and the tonal range is limited again. However, despite these backward steps, the overall movement of the piece gradually leads to ultimately all four parts joining together in a long and lyrical homophonic line that finishes the piece.
The piece is intended to imagine how a single, small spark can lead to a life-changing idea, life itself, or even the universe. All things in life have a beginning, a spark, that gets everything started.
