Sen[nigh]t Sonata
By Corey Robinson

Item Number: IP.D-CR-SEN

Sen[nigh]t Sonata was composed in 2015 for Amy Mikalauskas with the purpose of broadening a still sparse repertoire of percussion and saxophone duets. Sennight is an archaic word for seven days and nights that has a much darker tone than the modern term, "week." The dark and complex nature of the tonal structure is evident from the first measure while the number 7 plays an integral role in the structure of the work. The most structural goal point of the piece is the arrival on B-natural in measure 216, seven half-steps above E. Seven is also realized as meter, the number of notes in a motive, and the combination of harmonic and melodic 3rds and 4ths. The use of brackets in the title highlights the word "nigh." Nigh is defined as "nearly" or "almost" and is used to describe the form of the piece as nearly, but not entirely in sonata form. The combination of these seemingly unrelated words creates an imaginary landscape on which a listener can hear conversations between the marimba and the saxophone. Instrumentation: soprano saxophone and 5 octave marimba.