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Variations on a Jewish Melody for Piano Quartet [saxophone soprano, alto, violoncelle et piano / soprano saxophone, viola, cello and piano] Ethnic Impressions [saxophone soprano, saxophone alto et piano / soprano saxophone, alto saxophone and piano] avec la participation de: with the participation of: Corinthian Chamber Players Dr. Phillip Magnuson, alto / viola Isaac Watras, violoncelle / cello Robert Streng, saxophone soprano / soprano saxophone Tiraje Ruckman, piano * Création / World premiere |
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| Dr. Willie L. Morris, III is on the music faculty at the University of Dayton. His duties include Assistant Professor of Saxophone, Director of the Dayton Jazz Ensemble and the UD Faculty Jazztet, and Coordinator of Instrumental Jazz Studies. He has also held positions on the faculties of the University of Alabama and Alcorn State University.
He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from East Carolina University and a Masters of Arts degree from Stephen F. Austin State and the first to receive a Doctorate of Musica1 Arts Degree in Saxophone Performance and Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Missouri at Kansas City Conservatory of Music. His principal teachers include James Houlik, James Forger, Brad Foley, Thomas Goodall and Tim Timmons. He has studied jazz saxophone with Gary Foster and Robert Watson. Willie Morris is active as a classical and jazz saxophonist, teacher and clinician. He has performed with many university orchestras and has been a winner of three concerto aria competitions and has performed at the 1997 World Saxophone Congress, 1996 and 1998 North American Saxophone Alliance National Biennial Conferences and several NASA regional conferences. He will be hosting the 2001 NASA Region V conference. Dr. Morris has made a compact disc recording of the Creston works for saxophone to accompany his dissertation titled, The Development of the Saxophone Compositions of Paul Creston. |
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| The Variations was written in 1998 for the Corinthian Chamber Players which Dr. Morris and Dr. Magnusum are both members. It was premiered later that same year. The subject of the melody of the composition is a 17th century chazzan, which is an unaccompanied melody attached to a rabbinical lesson. The variations are continuous and each one assumes its character, in part, by being a different combination of instruments in the quartet. | |||||||
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