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Days Made of Now

Transcribed for Keri Wing

Completed in 2013/This Version Completed 2014

Duration: 8 minutes

 

Premiered October 6th, 2014 on the UT Clutch Concert

Saxophone - Keri Wing

Piano - Monica Kang

 

 

     Commissioned by Patrick Preacher in memory of his mother, Tina Preacher, “Days Made of Now” is an introspective look at the love between a mother and her son. The title comes from a line in the popular children’s book, The Little Boy, by Allison McGhee. The entire phrase reads, "Little boy you remind me how so much depends on days made of now.” Struggling to unearth the perfect title for this piece, McGhee’s line seemed to find me, and I immediately knew that her simple, direct words captured the tone and poignancy I was searching for in this work.

     While I was in the middle of writing the piece, my sister gave birth to my handsome nephew, Jackson David Wilcox. That experience, (and her subsequent visits to Uncle Troy’s place since then), has allowed me to witness on a very personal level the intense love a mother has for her son. After this event the piece suddenly became not so much an elegy for Tina Preacher but more of a celebration and affirmation of her love for her son and, more broadly, the love of any mother for her son.

     In this vein, the first movement is a simple lullaby I composed for my little nephew, Jackson, shortly before his birth. The original version was for solo piano, but as I worked through the material, the piece adapted beautifully for sax and piano. A simple, unassuming, tonal tune flows along much like a mother singing quietly to her son as he lays down to sleep.

     The second movement drew its inspiration from memories Patrick had of his mother putting on records after dinner and dancing the night away with him. Therefore, I wrote an upbeat, virtuosic dance number as a tribute to Tina Preacher’s ebullient spirit and restless feet.

     Whether you are a mother, daughter, son, or father, it is important to remember that time with your loved ones is never guaranteed and that so much depends upon days made of now.

 

*The original version was for Oboe and Piano. This version for saxophone and piano was done for a dear friend, Keri Wing at the University of Texas at Austin.

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