Liquid Metal for Saxophone Trio (STB), performed by Trio h3lios ats part of the ASU Kerr concert series.

Program Notes:
Liquid Metal is a high octane and erratic work originally written as a concert closer for Trio hélios_ and later expanded to saxophone quartet. Written in early 2021, the piece takes inspiration from the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing asymmetric meters and jarring transitions between sections to create a feeling of anxiety and uncertainty. The title 'Liquid Metal' refers to the fluidity of the music's form as well as the overall heavy metal-influenced aesthetic.

Liquid Metal for Saxophone Trio

Incredibly grateful that my good friend Alex Floury and his students in the Anchor Bay HS Wind Ensemble took the time to record several of my middle school band pieces this last school year! Over the course of the next month I'll be uploading all of these wonderful recordings along with a respective perusal score. First up is my grade 1.5 band piece, Scorch!

Program Notes:
Scorch is a fiery and exciting work for young band, inspired by the scorching heats of African deserts. The piece depicts this terrain by utilizing the Phrygian and Phrygian Dominant scales that are commonly found in Egyptian music and featuring African and Afro-Cuban percussion instruments, including the cabasa, claves and djembe. The piece contains two rhythmically similar melodic themes that alternate throughout the piece. These melodies are typically found in the higher voices of the ensemble and continuously heat up and build towards an exciting, boisterous ending.

Purchase (original version):
http://murphymusicpress.com/products/CB2-544

Purchase (flex band version):
http://murphymusicpress.com/products/f-799

More information about the piece:
https://hassmusic.com/largeensemble/scorch/

Scorch for Concert Band (Grade 1.5)

The premiere performance of Final Boss, performed by the Assembly Saxophone Quartet at the 2023 US Navy Band Saxophone Symposium.

Program Notes:
Final Boss is a piece I've always wanted to write. Depicting an epic boss battle at the end of a video game, this composition for saxophone quartet is a true love letter to video games and their iconic soundtracks. This piece takes inspiration from the soundtracks of well-known series like Final Fantasy, Pokémon, and Castlevania, as well as newer titles like Hollow Knight and Octopath Traveler to construct its musical identity. The music's constant rhythmic drive, intense and dark harmonies, and unexpected twists and turns will motivate heroes of all kinds to vanquish the final foe standing in their way of victory.

Final Boss for Saxophone Quartet (Premiere Performance)

A piece for two euphoniums and two tubas, performed by Derrick Geething, Christopher Blair, Chance Huiet, and Logan Piper. Based off a melody I wrote on guitar in middle school.

Special thanks to performers!

Spontaneous Escapade for Tuba Quartet

A piece for brass quintet performed by "Thornbergs Hornburgs", a brass quintet at Western Michigan University.

Adagio in Ab for Brass Quintet

A twelve tone piece written for string trio, performed by Thomas Hanawalt, Lukas Stanley, and Sam Hickey.

Ay! Tonality! for String Trio

The premiere performance of my piece for two bari saxes, Phantom Voltage, performed by the Moira Duo.

Phantom Voltage for Bari Sax Duo

Chocolate Bunny is a virtuosic piece for trombone and fixed media. Inspired by Hans Zimmer’s “Time” from the movie Inception, the piece repeats the same harmonic content ubiquitously, adding new textures and ideas in the fixed media part and developing the melody in the trombone part as the piece progresses. This piece is divided into two distinct sections, the first depicting a more traditional style, with classical instruments imitated in the fixed media part and lyrical playing in the trombone. The second section is more unconventional, featuring EDM and dubstep elements in the fixed media, as well as extended techniques, a wider use of range, and an improvisatory section in the trombone part. The piece ends with a brief recapitulation to the very beginning of the piece, with an intentional lack of resolution in the trombone.

Chocolate Bunny for Trombone and Fixed Media

Candy Cane for Flute and Fixed Media is the unofficial sequel to Chocolate Bunny, my solo for trombone and fixed media, both of which are testaments to the fact that I don’t know how to name my pieces. This electroacoustic work shows off the full capabilities of the flute, featuring extended techniques, an expansive use of range and dynamics, and virtuosic playing. As a whole, the piece displays a transformation of styles, starting with an ethereal, atmospheric introduction that slowly develops and builds into a rock and roll groove. A modal use of harmonic content unifies the piece, with a large emphasis on the lowered second scale degree (borrowed from the Phrygian church mode).

Candy Cane for Flute and Fixed Media

Program Notes:
Polar Vortex for Saxophone Quartet is a two movement work with loose programmatic ties to a winter storm in Michigan two years ago. The piece follows the timeline of that winter, beginning with optimism and peacefulness at the first snowfall that quickly leads to chaos and mayhem in the heart of the storm

The first movement, Snowfall, finds its mood through slow moving melodic and textural figures directly mimicking a short flurry of snow. Modulations provide interest to an otherwise calm and stable piece.

The second movement, Bloodthirsty Blizzard, heavily contrasts this first movement. With a much faster tempo, intense and jagged rhythmic activity, and a ubiquitous use of subito dynamic changes, this movement depicts the heart of the storm, or the polar vortex itself. The whole movement aggressively and constantly modulates throughout different keys and expands upon motivic material from the very beginning. A huge emphasis is on the octatonic, or diminished, scale and the work extends this emphasis by outlining a diminished chord through tonal centers of each major section.

Available for purchase through Murphy Music Press:
http://www.murphymusicpress.com/products/q-132

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https://www.facebook.com/chrisevanhass/

Polar Vortex - Mvt I. Snowfall for Saxophone Quartet

Polar Vortex - Mvt II. Bloodthirsty Blizzard for Saxophone Quartet

Nebulous for Trombone and Piano, performed by Chris Evan Hass and David Sorenson at a CMU Composition Studio Recital in 2017.

Program Notes:
When Ben Zindler first approached me to write a piece about both the universe and the process of formulating an idea, the title Nebulous immediately came to my mind. I found that the double meaning of this word fit perfectly into what I imagined of the piece: the vastness and complexity of outer space, combined with the constant development and, often times, ambiguity behind the creation of an idea. Musically, I set out to evoke these qualities through the juxtaposition of intricate, note-heavy lines with slow-moving melodic passages, a constant, almost minimalistic, repetition of established material, and the use of short, fragmented motives to create larger landscapes. Additionally, the formal structure of this piece evokes the diversity behind idea creation by sometimes clearly displaying the expansion and growth of material, while other times including unclear and inconsistent transitions between sections.

Available for purchase at:
hassmusic.com/solo/violentshadows

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Nebulous for Trombone and Piano

The premiere performance of my band version of 'Vanquish', performed by the Cypress Symphonic Band for their "Monsters, Myths, Legends, and Heroes" 2017-2018 concert series.

You can purchase the piece (digital download) for $60 at my website: https://hassmusic.com/largeensemble/vanquish

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Recordings

Vanquish for Concert Band (Grade 4)

The Sinta Quartet's performance of Volcanic Ash at the Grand Prize Concert of this year's Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

Program Notes:
Volcanic Ash is a boisterous and lively piece for saxophone quartet, fusing the harmonic language of Middle Eastern music with the form, rhythms, and overall intensity found in heavy metal. The piece features constant meter changes, low open fifth 'power chords', and sweeping arpeggios, but is complemented by a calm and reflective chorale. Volcanic Ash was written for Sinta Quartet's Composition Competition in 2017, taking Dan Graser's advice of writing a quartet that is "harder, faster, and louder" than my first saxophone quartet, Polar Vortex, in an attempt to challenge the incredibly talented ensemble. 

Available for purchase through Murphy Music Press:
http://www.murphymusicpress.com/products/q-133

More information about Volcanic Ash:
https://hassmusic.com/chamber/volcanicash/

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Volcanic Ash for Saxophone Quartet

Outburst for Unaccompanied Alto Saxophone, performed by Michael Hanna at my Master's Composition Recital in 2018.

Program Notes: 
Inspired by Eddie Van Halen’s Eruption, this unaccompanied solo for alto saxophone sets out to quickly and efficiently punch the listener in the face, exploring the different ranges, colors, and extended techniques of the saxophone in the process. Special thanks to Michael Hanna for assisting in the creation of this piece, and for teaching me all of the strange, interesting, and unusual sounds that the saxophone can make!

Available for purchase through Murphy Music Press:
http://www.murphymusicpress.com/products/u-113

Follow my Facebook page for updates on my music:
www.facebook.com/chrisevanhass/

Master's Composition Recital

Outburst for Unaccompanied Alto Saxophone

The premiere performance of Violent Shadows for Bass Trombone and Trombone Quintet, performed by AJ Muusse and members of the CMU Trombone Studio at my Master's Composition Recital in 2018.

Program Notes:
Violent Shadows was originally written for AJ Muusse in 2017. The wind ensemble version of the piece was written in 2019 for Evan Clifton and a consortium of 9 bass trombonists. Inspired by progressive rock, Violent Shadows showcases the different characters of the bass trombone, from the loud and aggressive side commonly associated with the instrument to the more pure and lyrical side.

Throughout the piece, the solo and accompaniment parts work in opposition to one another. The piece begins with an energetic and fierce A section, featuring a call and response between the soloist and accompaniment where the echoed response is often melodically and rhythmically inverted. This conflict calms down in the slow and reflective B section, but some rhythmic tension persists as the bass trombone's lyrical melody often moves on contrasting beats from the accompaniment. The two halves of the ensemble fully come together in a grandiose statement of the B section, but this unification is cut short by an embellished recapitulation of the opening section and a quick, harmonically dissonant coda.

A version for bass trombone and piano is now available for purchase at:
https://hassmusic.com/solo/violentshadows

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Violent Shadows for Solo Bass Trombone and Trombone Quintet

Olympian Suite, performed by the Tempered Brass Quintet based out of Michigan State University.

Program Notes:
A three movement suite depicting the Olympian brothers - Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon, ruling over their respective assignments of the sky, underworld, and sea.

The first movement of this piece, "Hades: The Unseen", was originally written for and performed by the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet as part of CSU's Summer Arts Program in 2016. This piece was later expanded to include additional movements about Zeus and Poseidon, and the full suite was premiered in 2018 by the Fuoco Fino Brass Quintet.

Available for purchase at:
hassmusic.com/chamber/olympiansuite

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Olympian Suite for Brass Quintet

The premiere performance of Snowfall, performed by the MSBOA District XVI Honors Band under the direction of Dr. Matthew Younglove.

Program Notes:
Based on the first movement of my saxophone quartet Polar Vortex, Snowfall depicts the mysticism and serenity of falling snow. The piece alternates between two contrasting sections. The first section directly represents snow flurries through swelling woodwind tremolos, while the second introduces more stability and features a slow and lyrical melodic line. These two sections work together to portray a peaceful and sentimental scene.

Available for purchase at:
https://hassmusic.com/largeensemble/snowfall/

Follow my Facebook page for updates on my music:
www.facebook.com/chrisevanhass/

Snowfall for Concert Band (Grade 2)

A MIDI rendering of my piece Asylum Lake for orchestra, written in 2015.

Program Notes:

Ever-changing orchestration and color choices emphasize shape and provide diversity through this slow and ominous work. Consisting of only one main melody, this piece segments, extends, and transforms melodic content to a variety of different textural, rhythmic, and harmonic components. All of this material works together to create a very dynamic, if unique, orchestra piece. The name Asylum Lake is taken from a lake in Kalamazoo, MI that resembles the color, power, and mood behind this piece.

Available for purchase at:
https://www.hassmusic.com/largeensemble/asylumlake/

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www.facebook.com/chrisevanhass/

Asylum Lake for Orchestra (Grade 4)

The premiere performance of my piece for jazz ensemble, Scatterbrain, performed by the Holland Concert Jazz Orchestra in 2019.

Program Notes:
Scatterbrain is a disjointed exploration of several different styles and genres of jazz music, including bebop, funk, and blues. When I started writing this piece I got so excited about all the possibilities and ideas I could employ in my first piece for jazz ensemble, which caused me to be unfocused and distracted throughout my writing process. I ended up writing several disparate ideas, all of which I wanted to incorporate in the piece, so I decided on the title Scatterbrain in order to explain the lack of continuity in my writing process and justify the inclusion of these contrasting sections in the piece. In addition to these various sections, the piece is held together by a mixed meter rock-influenced theme, typically featured as a rhythm section soli, which is the only repeating material in the whole piece and acts as connective tissue between the more unrelated sections. Scatterbrain was written in 2019 for Jordan VanHemert and the Holland Concert Jazz Orchestra as a part of the Millenium Composers Initiative collaboration concert.

More information about the piece:
https://hassmusic.com/largeensemble/scatterbrain

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Scatterbrain for Jazz Ensemble (Premiere)

The premiere performance of my Concerto for Baritone Saxophone, performed by Taylor Huitema and Zhao Wang in 2019.

Program Notes:
Concerto for Baritone Saxophone is a three movement neoclassical work written in 2018. The three movements utilize traditional classical forms: the sonata, rounded binary, and rondo forms, respectively, and feature harmonies and melodic phrases similarly indicative of the classical era. The piece shows off the versatility and different personalities of the baritone saxophone, from mellow and pure lyricism to powerful and commanding aggression. The piece also explores the baritone saxophone’s different registers, employing a range from the lowest note on the instrument to the upper echelon of the altissimo register.

Though the piece is divided into three movements, several motives, themes, and harmonic progressions reappear throughout. The piece contains two five-note motifs that are introduced in succession as the baritone saxophone’s first statement of the opening cadenza. The first motif is an ascending arpeggio and the second motif is a step-wise mordent centering around one note. These motifs are used both melodically and accompanimentally and are applied to the various contexts of the different movements. The piece also features a principal harmonic progression, from the tonic (I or i) triad to the submediant (vi or VI) triad. This progression is similarly manipulated to fit different musical contexts and is used to create non-diatonic harmonies, bitonal polychords, and even dictate tonal centers of larger sections of the piece as a whole.

A special thank you to Taylor Huitema and the 31 other members of the consortium commission who not only helped initiate this project, but also provided invaluable feedback on the piece along the way.

More information about the piece:
www.hassmusic.com/solo/barisaxconcerto/

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Concerto for Baritone Saxophone (Premiere)

The premiere performance of Duality, performed by the Ann Arbor Pioneer High School Symphony Band in 2019 under the direction of David Leach.

Program Notes:
The concept behind Duality is based on the philosophy of Yin and Yang, which describes how seemingly opposite or conflicting forces often interconnect and complement one another. The piece consists of two unique and contrasting sections which are formed by splitting each musical element into absolute, black and white dichotomies (fast and slow tempos, loud and soft dynamics, etc.). Simplifying and splitting musical elements in this way leads the initial section of the piece to be aggressive and chaotic while the other is calm and reflective. Additionally, the aggressive section of the piece consists primarily of variations of a descending melodic theme and minor harmonic progression, but mirror images of these components are created through inversion and negative harmony and are employed in the latter section of the piece.

These contrasting sections initially function independently, but the opposing elements meet and clash with one another later in the piece which leads to tension and apprehension as the incompatible melodies try to occur simultaneously.  The roles of each melodic line seemingly change during this conflict, causing the traditionally chaotic descending melody to be elongated and played over an unstable variation of the formerly calm ascending melody. Through this discordance, the two contradictory forces slowly learn to understand one another and work together, giving rise to a triumphant recapitulation of the calm and reflective melody fused together with energetic material from the initial chaotic section. The piece concludes optimistically, but a final statement of the descending melody implies lingering tension between the two opposing forces.

A huge thank you to David Leach and the 2019-20 Ann Arbor Pioneer High School Symphony Band for breathing life into this work. It was an honor to write this piece for my alma mater and rediscover the passion, enthusiasm, and standard of excellence that continues to flourish within the walls of Pioneer High School.

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Duality for Wind Ensemble (Grade 6)

Chris Evan Hass (b. 1993) is a self-described ‘composer, arranger, conductor, and friend’ hailing from Ann Arbor, MI.  Praised as “beautifully expressive” (the WholeNote) and “thrillingly off-kilter” (Double Reed Journal), Chris’ music aims to delight and inspire, often taking direct influence from his favorite artists and genres.

Marked by rhythmic complexity and luscious harmonies, Chris’ music has been performed worldwide by some of today’s finest musicians. This includes members of the New York Philharmonic, U.S. Naval Academy Band, Sinta Quartet, Dallas Winds, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, U.S. Army Band, Eastman Saxophone Project, and U.S. Air Force Band. His compositions have been performed at prestigious conferences including the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, Texas Music Educator’s Association Conference, and the Indonesia Orchestra and Ensemble Festival. As a prominent voice in the saxophone and brass community, Chris’ chamber works are frequently featured at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and have become staples at instrumental showcases like the International Trombone Festival, World Saxophone Congress, and the International Trumpet Guild. 

As an educator, Chris has traveled internationally to rehearse and conduct ensembles ranging from 6th grade beginning bands to collegiate and professional ensembles. Chris teaches private composition and low brass lessons, music theory courses, and has given presentations on composition, networking, and freelancing at universities across the United States.

Chris holds degrees in Composition from Central Michigan University (M.M.) and Western Michigan University (B.M.) where he studied with David Gillingham, Evan Ware, and Christopher Biggs. Chris currently resides in Jackson, MI with his wife, son, and three dogs (Pesto, Basil, and Olive).

Chris Evan Hass, Composer

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