Clara Marincowitz (b. 1988)
List of Works
Instrumentation: Study for solo alto saxophone and backing track
Duration: 2:54
Premier information: Premiered on the 17th of April 2021.
Programmatic information:
Those familiar with the Salt River suburb of Cape Town will know its very chaotic “salt circle” roundabout. Now imagine adding a casually discarded pie crust to the chaos. A particularly fat and cumbersome city pigeon (always on the lookout for his next meal) notices the feast joins the fray. His fellow pigeons follow, and the result is a frenzy of feathers, taxis and traffic! This is an extremely challenging study for only the most ambitious saxophonists (programme notes provided by composer).
Click here for sheet music.
Instrumentation: 3 altos / 2 altos and a tenor and soundtrack (can be performed without the soundtrack)
Duration: 2:42
Programmatic information: There is also a wind band version, which is part of the repertoire of Straat Orkest Eigen Hulp (a Dutch band). Inspired by Tsonga music from the Limpopo province of South Africa (Provided by composer).
Click here for sheet music.
Instrumentation: For two saxophones
Duration: 03:05
Premier information: Not publicly performed
Click here for sheet music.
Instrumentation: Saxophone Quartet (S, A, T, B)
Duration: 2:47
Programmatic information: Note from the composer: This suite for saxophone quartet consists of three movements. The first movement, “Lima Shore”, was inspired by my time travelling in Peru. I drew on the rhythmic quality of the ebb and flow of waves on Lima’s pebble beaches and the syncopated motif was inspired by Peruvian popular music I heard playing on a local bus or “colectivo”. The second movement, “Mysticeti”, was inspired by whale “songs” – the pattern of regular and predictable sounds made by some species of whale, including blue whales and humpback whales, which belong to the “Mysticeti” parvorder. Finally, the third movement, “Sunflakes”, is an impression of reflected sunlight on the open sea.
Click here for sheet music.
Instrumentation: Tenor saxophone and piano
Duration: 5:58
Premier information: Premiered on euphonium and piano on 9 October 2018. (Tenor sax premier fell victim to COVID – the piece was selected for the 2021 SASRIM Composer Workshops would have been performed at their concert, but this was cancelled.)
Programmatic information:
“Inyoka” is an isiXhosa word meaning snake. In South Africa, there are many venomous snakes, but none as deadly as the mamba. Consequently, the mamba is often synonymous with fear. This fear was the inspiration for “Inyoka.” The piece consists of four parts, starting with the hunting snake, “Mamba”, followed by “Chase”, and then “Neurotoxin” as the snake’s prey slowly dies. “Mamba” returns at the end, but syncopated, the snake now emboldened by a successful hunt (Programme notes provided by composer).
Click here for sheet music.
Instrumentation: Alto saxophone and electronic backtrack
Duration: 07:15
Premier information: Not yet publicly performed
Programmatic information: consists of five parts:
“Normocardia”, “Bradycardia”, “Cardiac Arrest”, “Defibrillation”, and “Tachycardia” – the journey of a struggling heart.
Instrumentation: First version (2017): Euphonium, tuba/baritone saxophone, and alto/baritone saxophone. Second version (2022): 2 alto saxophones and tenor saxophone
Duration: 2:39
Programmatic information: Rikud Shel Haruakh (Hebrew meaning “Dance of the Wind”) is an original Klezmer Phax Trio composition based on the chord progression of Hava Nagila the flutter tonguing by the saxophone and euphonium was used to create a rustling leaves effect.
Click here for sheet music.
About the composer...
Clara Marincowitz is an aspiring writer, scientist, and composer. She grew up in Limpopo in Northern South Africa and is currently working as a medical researcher at the University of Stellenbosch. She plays alto & tenor saxophone, and piano and is mentored by the South African composer and musician, Shaun Acker. Her genres include South African Jazz, Klezmer, Blues, Contemporary Classical and World Music. Her works have been performed in Cape Town, Rotterdam and Singapore.