Polar Vortex for Saxophone Quartet - Chris Evan Hass, performed by the Sinta Quartet

A perusal score video for my first piece for saxophone quartet, Polar Vortex, using the recording from the premiere performance of the piece by the Sinta Quartet at their 2016 New Music Concert.
Available for purchase through Murphy Music Press:
www.murphymusic...
More information about the piece:
hassmusic.com/...
Program Notes:
Polar Vortex for Saxophone Quartet is a two movement work with loose programmatic ties to a winter storm in Michigan in 2014. The piece follows the timeline of that winter, beginning with optimism and peacefulness at the first snowfall that quickly leads to chaos and mayhem in the heart of the storm
The first movement, Snowfall, finds its mood through slow moving melodic and textural figures directly mimicking a short flurry of snow. Modulations provide interest to an otherwise calm and stable piece.
The second movement, Bloodthirsty Blizzard, heavily contrasts this first movement. With a much faster tempo, intense and jagged rhythmic activity, and a ubiquitous use of subito dynamic changes, this movement depicts the heart of the storm, or the polar vortex itself. The whole movement aggressively and constantly modulates throughout different keys and expands upon motivic material from the very beginning. A huge emphasis is on the octatonic, or diminished, scale and the work extends this emphasis by outlining a diminished chord through tonal centers of each major section.
Check out my website for all of your music composition needs!
www.hassmusic.com

[@cehass11]

Thank you for listening to the Sinta Quartet's beautiful performance of my composition 'Polar Vortex'! More information and payment links can be found on my website: www.hassmusic.com/chamber/polarvortex/

[@jakebickham123]

Y'know I have never seen saxophone quartet pieces this interesting. I've gotten very obsessed with your pieces lately, they're amazing.

[@cehass11]

Hey, I really appreciate it! I’m glad my music has resonated with you!

[@eternalohmen5440]

if you like this, you should listen to “the contraption” i’ve been obsessed with it for months now.

[@flutesareterrible]

@@eternalohmen5440 same lol

[@khoshekhthecat]

​@@eternalohmen5440 wish the composer's website was still up so I could buy it

[@catalyticrumble5787]

I love the bari part for this it’s very challenging and very hard to master the triplets but very fun to play once you get it down

[@cehass11]

As a low brass player myself, I've always loved the bari sax! Wanted to make sure I give them a good part in this.

[@rachelpdmusic]

We studied this piece in my Chamber Literature class. I keep coming back to listen, this is such an awesome piece!!!

[@cehass11]

That's amazing! I'm glad you enjoyed the piece!

[@baronvonbeagle9787]

this actually goes hard

[@Aarika2920]

The second movement reminds me of Strange Humors by John Mackey, which is a favorite of mine.

[@calebhubbard3094]

Just performed this with my UWEC quartet, it was amazing, I'd be super curious to see a 3rd movement combining the two elements of winter, into perhaps winter driving. Such a fun piece to prepare and play!

[@scottywarren9864]

This is one of my favorite pieces I've heard.

[@sealablestar]

This is my all-time favorite quartet piece for any instrument!!

[@cehass11]

That’s amazing! Thank you so much!

[@Winnanator66]

Wow, I was tearing up at the end of the first movement. You are such an inspiration, and I hope I can make compose such amazing things like this someday!

[@cehass11]

That means so much to me!! I'm glad this piece spoke to you in such a significant way. My go to advice for composers is to follow your intuition and write the music that you feel passionately about, so I think your emotional connection to music will take you a long way!

[@starvingtuba]

this is the best thing i've seen within the past week other than a little girl riding a dirt bike at my local park

[@nycesz7919]

ah. My new quartet piece that ive decided I'm playing. very cool

[@BrodciousD17]

How did it go?

[@sandman54mcann38]

I just found this piece and everyday i jjst have to listen to it. Amazing job

[@cehass11]

Wow that’s incredible, I appreciate it! I hope you won’t get too sick of the piece! 😜

[@InfiniteHappy-Music]

​@@cehass11I don't think it's possible to get tired of it! Snowfall especially was and still is very calming to play.

[@noelaruldas1152]

When all the four parts are simultaneously played it gives the effect of playing duplication of same copy of melody on both of the hands with addition of two more keys in between on foot-pumped harmonium. But when one part is played and the other three parts are silent the voice of individual instrument (saxophone) is clearly understandable.

[@lucarceneaux8831]

How interesting of a piece for a saxophone quartet! I love it!

[@javygamer8363]

I love the alto part in mt.1

[@J.P-Sax513]

Im going to play this in my ensemble next year

[@ryantalbert129]

I love the second movement! I do think that a piece with low brass instruments like the trombone and euphonium would sound great in a style like that! This music all together is amazing keep up the great work 👍🏻

[@cehass11]

Sorry, just saw this! I like the idea though. I’m a trombonist myself, so I always like writing for low brass. The second movement would be a bit too technical for trombone though.

[@abelbernal4766]

There's a piece called Ricohet. It's a similar style

[@twanswagten]

Sounds great, and beautifully engraved!

[@adlfm]

This is really beautiful!

[@cehass11]

Thank you!!

[@aidenmcmasters1511]

I discovered this piece on accident and I’m glad I did. It’s a really great piece and I might perform it for our talent show if you don’t mind

[@arnavchowdhry3868]

great piece

[@maxgraysax]

II. Bloodthirsty Blizzard 4:25

[@Shooshie128]

Amazing stuff, Chris. I listened to another of your sax quartets last night (Contraption), and I’m thoroughly impressed with your writing. This will by no means be the definitive recording of this piece, but it’s a great start.

[@Nick-ag397d]

Agree this piece is amazing. Contraption is by another composer though - also one of my favourites!

[@hannahherrmann4921]

@@Nick-ag397di love the contraption too!! i really want to play it with some friends, but i cannot for the life of me figure out how to buy the music.

[@jobless2852]

@@hannahherrmann4921Murphy music press!

[@nycesz7972]

I BOUGHT IT!!!

[@cehass11]

I APPRECIATE IT!

[@diegofustes790]

oh this is just awesome, i love the second movement soooo much

[@SnowDrop35]

Idk why but the second movement gives me very much asphalt cocktail vibes

[@cehass11]

I’m a huge John Mackey fan, so that tracks!

[@SnowDrop35]

@@cehass11 Haha very understandable

[@casiano_music]

I love this! Great piece!

[@tero8971]

Thank you for the bari sax part for this

Fantastic piece

[@TheRealTs638]

fire

[@Triptnite]

The song is great, but I have a question. What's that thing called when the eighth notes slowly change into sixteenth and then back down to eighth notes? It was at the beginning, and I've never seen something like that in music before. Still an amazing song.

[@joshmeyer9348]

love this!!!!

[@cehass11]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@jacobneville3483]

That first melody is almost I’ll Remember April

[@ThreeMoonsArc]

How is this man so good at composing music? Also, I play tenor and alto, so I’m learning both parts rn, as well as the soprano part on alto.

[@McRoos]

Bravo!!!

[@InfiniteHappy-Music]

I practiced this way too much... I need a harder quartet piece to learn!!!

[@Ty-dj1dv]

We are going to this piece for our ensemble but we can not do the full 9 minutes. Will it be plagiarizing if we only do half of it and make our own ending so it’s not 9 minutes?

[@cehass11]

Glad you're wanting to perform the piece! Since it's in two movements (each about 5 minutes), you could just pick one of the two movements to perform to be under the time limit. But feel free to make any cuts you see fit if needed.

[@nat.3k4o]

0:35 ❤

[@croissantman5510]

I wanna play this so bad but I don’t think all of my quartet can play that second movement (I’m in high school and mained bari for a while but this year my director switched me to first alto, double on sop for some songs)

[@viktoriakurthyova4824]

Wonderful work, our quartet will definitely play it (if you don't mind :) )

[@cehass11]

Of course not! You can order the music through Murphy Music Press. Let me know how it goes! murphymusicpress.com/products/q-132

[@viktoriakurthyova4824]

Great,thank you! I hope that others will like your work as much as i do!

[@cehass11]

I appreciate it!

[@mrpablox127]

I love your pieces! Please, keep going. Dont' you have instagram? I would love to chat with you or follow you.

[@cehass11]

I appreciate it! Yep, I'm on Instagram at instagram.com/chrisevanhass

[@maximuscolemanmusic]

Man, we played this and boy was it a challenge….. I’m a freshman in high school and I played the alto part😭. We competed and got second place in our region.

[@cehass11]

Oh yeah, it’s a beast especially if you include the second movement. Congratulations though!!

[@Himanshusharma-vg3xn]

Strange is the tag. But the video is very very good

[@noahschneider7395]

indeed strange

[@Himanshusharma-vg3xn]

5 times world record 👍

[@JayMarz0011]

0:51 does it go from d flat major to d flat minor? or maybe b double flat major? my music theory knowledge isn’t the best

[@charredremains4412]

What grade would you consider this piece

[@cehass11]

The first movement is around a grade 4, the second is either a 5 or a 6.

[@charredremains4412]

@@cehass11 thank you

[@luffy7922]

would you ever do perusal score for volcanic ash?

[@cehass11]

I’ve been meaning to, but the notation is a mess so I need to put some work in first.

[@luffy7922]

​@@cehass11 oh gotcha, can't wait to see it

[@meggiedougherty9573]

is there an alto 1 alto 2 tenor and bari arrangement of this?

[@cehass11]

Not an official one, but I had a quartet ask for an AATB transcription so I can send that to you if needed. I didn't adjust the ranges at all though so the first alto part is high throughout.

[@kevinmarzano3076]

I want tha sheet music omg

[@cehass11]

Thank you! The music is available for purchase through Murphy Music Press: www.murphymusicpress.com/products/q-132

[@wyattcraft23gaming2]

6:54

[@jvrcst]

I hate bemols 😂

[@gingersroc]

The performance was lacking some musicality at some points by the quartet, but overall very nice!