Instrumentation: Quintet for saxophone quartet and piano

Soprano Sax, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Piano

作品编制：为萨克斯管四重奏与钢琴的五重奏而作

高音萨克斯管，中音萨克斯管，次中音萨克斯管，低音萨克斯管，钢琴

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Composition Year: 2022

创作年份：2022年

 

Duration: ca.10 minutes

时长：约10分钟

 

This piece was premiered in Kansas City, MO, at University of Missouri-Kansas City Grant Recital Hall in April.25th, 2023 by UMKC Corvus Quartet, conducted by Jiaqi Wang.

作品在2023年4月25日，由密苏里堪萨斯城音乐学院Corvus萨克斯管四重奏在Grant Recital Hall首演，由作曲家王嘉祺本人指挥。

 

Program Notes:

Human life activities cannot be separated from the working of cells, which are the basic structural and functional units of our body. However, they cannot be seen by the human eye. There are millions of cells in our body, and these cells are all small partners in our cell family. But sometimes, those cells are relatively naughty. They like to wander around, and along the way, they meet groups of other naughty partners like them, so people call those naughty partners "Canceration" and called those naughty cells "cancer cells." Then, people use all kinds of violence to besiege cancer cells, expel them, and kill them, resulting in many positive cells also being destroyed and dying, so that the normal function of the human body is finally lost, and people’s lives are taken away.
 

In my piece Confessions of a Cancer Cell, I situate the “cancer cell” in the first person to musically describe the process of Canceration leading to the final torture and death of a human. I put forward new reflections and thoughts about how we should face the potential positive and negative cells in our body with the correct attitude.
 

Confessions of a Cancer Cell is written for piano and saxophone quartet. The piece is divided into four sections. In the first part of the piece, I use light textures and percussive sounds, gradually transitioning to actual pitches to show the activity and diversity of our body's cells.
 

As the music progresses, the piece reaches the second part, where the harsh, sharp piano cluster sound interrupts the previous balance, implying that the normal cells of the body are beginning to solidify with different cancerous cells. The musical phrases become more uncertain, with the saxophone's slap tongue and flutter tones creating interruptions in this piece. The use of extreme registers and dramatic range shifting depict the violent destruction of cancer cells by people.
 

When the main musical components reappear with strong dynamics, the music arrives at the third part. The tempo quickens, gradually transitioning from a polyphonic texture to a monophonic texture, depicting the progressive spread of cancer cells in people’s bodies and their eventual gathering together in a process leading to death. The final climax, articulated through the extreme, highest pitch in all saxophones, leads to the final cathartic section depict the extreme fear and pain people feel before dying of cancer.
 

In reality, cancer is not impossible to overcome, and our brain is the baton of our cells. If people are able to maintain steady moods, the heart can secrete a chemical that is the best "stabilizer" for us to stay well. After the final climax of the piece, the light and active texture finally reappear, the saxophone has more long-lined melodies and sustained texture, and the harmonious colors bring more peace, reflection, and inspiration. When we face cancer cells, please don't think of using chemotherapy and other cruel means to kill them first. We should maintain an optimistic attitude towards life, keep good habits and often participate in activities with loving energy, and all naughty and negative cells will become more and more stable and well-behaved, and we will all live together in peace and harmony.

 

作品简介:

人类的生命活动离不开细胞，它是构成人体基本的结构和功能单位，但人类肉眼无法看到它们。 在人们的身体里有千千万万个细胞，这些细胞都是细胞家庭里的小伙伴，其实我们(癌细胞)也是这大家庭中的一部分，只不过比较调皮，我们真正的名字叫“淘气细胞”，我们喜欢东游西逛，在路途中又结识了一群和我们一样淘气的小伙伴，人们管它叫 ：“癌变”，把我们起个名字叫“癌细胞”。于是人们用各种暴力围困我们，驱逐我们，杀死我们，导致很多乖乖细胞也被摧残死亡了，这样人体的正常功能就失去了，人们被夺去了生命......在作品中，我将癌细胞作为第一人称，用音乐来讲述了人 类细胞癌变到最终饱受折磨而死亡的过程，并且提出新的反思与思考：关于我们应该如 何以正确和积极的态度面对身体中潜在的负面细胞(癌细胞)。
 

《一个癌细胞的“自述”》是为萨克斯四重奏及钢琴的五重奏而作。作品主要分为了四个部分。作品的第一部分中使用轻巧的声音以及萨克斯的击键的虚拟音高，逐步过渡到实际音高，表现了人体细胞中的活跃性以及多样性。随着音乐不断的推进，作品到了第二部分，刺耳，尖锐的钢琴音块打断了作品的平衡，意味着人体的正常细胞开始结识了不听话的癌细胞，同时音乐乐句的气息更加充满不确定性，萨克斯的弹舌以及双音在这个片段中扮演打断的作用，极高音区的使用和转换描写了人类使用各种手段暴力地摧毁 癌细胞的行为。在第一个音乐成分再次强力出现的时候，音乐来到了第三部分，我改变了乐曲的速度，从更多多线条的音乐形态逐渐过渡到齐奏的形式，描述了我们人体的癌细胞逐渐地扩散并在最终集聚一起通向死亡的整个过程。不同的主题和音乐形态在此刻交织在一起，直到最终的高潮，萨克斯的极高音以及最终地宣泄部分描写了人类在癌症晚期死亡前极度的恐惧及痛苦。
 

实际上，癌症并不是不可能被战胜的。大脑是我们细胞的指挥棒。如果人们能够保持良好情绪就会让心脏分泌一种化学物质，这种物质对我们来说就是保持安定最好的“稳定 剂“。在作品最终高潮后，轻盈又活跃的声音最终重新出现，萨克斯管演奏更加连贯及长的线条，和谐的音响色彩带来了更多的平静，思考及启发。当我们面对癌细胞的时候， 请不要先想着使用化疗等残忍手段把我们癌细胞赶尽杀绝，人们要保持乐观的生活态度，保持良好的生活习惯，经常参加有爱的有正能量的活动，我们这些淘气细胞也会变得越来越稳定和乖巧，我们大家也会和平相处，和谐地生活。