Badagry for Saxophone Quartet

Badagry for Saxophone Quartet was composed on February 18, 2001, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The work is scored for woodwind and saxophone quartets. It is a monothematic piece based on a popular song titled “Tona no we” from the Badagry ethnic group of Lagos State, Nigeria. The music is strictly tonal. Structurally, it is in three distinct sections, like a ternary form, ABA. In this Saxophone version, the A section consists of the principal theme in the soprano sax, while the alto sax, tenor sax, and baritone sax supply harmonic accompaniment. The B section is a short development of the theme, and a final return to the indigenous melody follows. The work is characterized by antecedent and consequent phrases, detached notes reminiscent of African percussive melodies, contrapuntal lines, harmonic intervals of thirds and sixths, and dance rhythms.