Dear Saxos. Just Stop. Take a deep breath. It's ok. Y'all are fine: An Open Letter

Dear Saxophone Community,

I am writing this note concerning my piece, "You, Me, Us." This piece was one of the most emotionally challenging pieces I have ever written, and I have been thrilled at the amount of hard work that my close friend Nick May has put into this. As a composer, I work closely with my collaborators to meet them where they are. That does not mean I am not willing or able to challenge someone, but instead, I view my role as someone who loves to empower the performers playing my work. More recently, I have acknowledged that my work is frequently about teaching someone – you, me, us, or them (the audience), about something. As I was writing this piece, certain pitch relationships became quite clear, and there is a through line where each movement rises a bit higher (D, E, F#), using a bit of absurd Altissimo that, quite frankly, only a few people have access to. As someone who loves this instrument, I intended to transpose the entire work down a minor third so that those pitch relationships still existed. Still, when I sent the work to Nick, he was incredibly excited about the challenge and rising to that challenge, he did.

I am very aware of the toxic work culture of having to be the very best. Play higher, louder, faster, stronger. That is not to say there are not some fantastic technicians of their craft. This piece is an emotionally, physically, and mentally draining work (how do you think I felt while writing it).

Last week, Nick called me and asked if it was time to transpose the work. My initial reaction was (why now, and not a year and a half ago like I suggested?), but upon further reflection and discussions with several saxophonists in the community (including people who have already put in a lot of time and energy into learning this work as well as Nick), is that pushing the technical ability of the instrument is literally in the DNA of this community. It's something that many of you love to do, and I love you for it. I frequently use the phrase "Saxophonists are Masochists." Some of you feel incredibly unable to compete due to not having that same technical drive. Your artistry is valuable. My work "What is your world" is the perfect example of a piece focusing more on the artist's autonomy and not technical ability. I am reminded of a phrase from a review of Robert Schumann in which he described the rise of the virtuoso as empty and has even been described as an Anti-Virtuoso.

This mentality is not healthy either. Why do we have to be so critical of those different from us? One of the most important pieces about my work is that it celebrates those different from us. Yes, there are members of our community who can play an Altissimo F# on Soprano (Yes, I know it's absurd). There are also members of our community who can take something simple and make it the most beautiful work you've ever heard. There are members of our community who can take simple instructions and improvise on the spot. There are members of our community who are brilliant pedagogues who help train the next generation and are less concerned about competition. All of these are acceptable, and my work should be approachable by anyone who wants to play it.

With all that in mind, I have decided NOT to transpose this work down a third. Instead, I want to clarify that all optional Altissimo should be taken at face value. If you have a double F#, play it if you wish. Suppose you don't, don't take the 8va's. If you have seen this score, there are dozens of optional moments. It allows for flexibility. I have friends who are playing this work at altitudes where reeds sometimes don't work as intended. (not those who live there but travel there). This climate change can cause unintended results that could impact the quality of the performance. I stand with Schumann that virtuosity without feeling is not quality performing. I also reject that the concept of virtuosity is always without feeling.  

I have written MANY works for the saxophone, and this is just one of them. Not every piece is intended for every performer, which is perfectly reasonable. If, for some reason, this specific piece speaks to you, and you would like the opportunity to spend time with it but feel like the Altissimo is not within reach, I want you to feel the agency not to play it. If there are moments in the piece that are out of reach, please get in touch with me, and I might be open to exploring solutions. I want you to feel the agency as an artist to play the music you want.

This will not be my last piece for the saxophone. I love this community so incredibly much and want you to love yourself for who you are and who you are not. My initial post, "Dear Saxos. Just Stop. Take a deep breath. It's ok. Y'all are fine," still stands with all the love, respect, and joy that you bring my life on the regular. Keep on saxing. Keep on playing. And remember, you decide who you are as an artist. Competition is only one segment of this field. It might be a very loud segment of the field and may even be what you think will push your career forward, but I promise you, I can count on one hand the number of things I've "Won." that was not internal to whichever institution I was at. My career is doing well if you ask me, and it's because I focus more on building authentic and genuine artistic and personal relationships with people in this community. If we have never had a conversation, I am usually down, and when I'm at NASA this year, I will gladly chat and get to know you. Also do not forget to go to Nick May’s performance of You, Me, Us, whose proposal was accepted for the upcoming conference in Stillwater. You are why I keep writing for this instrument. You were the first community that ever truly made me feel like I belonged, and I will always love you for that. That is what the piece You, Me, Us is about—finding people who love you, even when it hurts. Finally, don’t forget to be kind to yourselves and to others.

With all of the Love,
Spencer Arias