Composer Michael Markowski (b. 1986) claims that he is “fully qualified to watch movies and cartoons” on the basis of his bachelors degree in film from Arizona State University. Despite this humility regarding his musical training (and glossing over the performance of his joyRIDE at Carnegie Hall when he was a high school senior, and his Frank Ticheli composition prize for Shadow Rituals the following year), he has gained attention as a composer of unique and sophisticated works for wind bands at all levels, film, and other media. His works are being performed across the United States and around the world, leading to an ever-growing list of commissions and guest appearances. Learn more about him at his website, IMDB, the Wind Repertory Project, Metropolitan Music Community, the Everything Band Podcast, and United Under Arts.
Finding the Words began its life as a saxophone quartet in three movements, written for a consortium and premiered in 2019 by the Sursum Quartet. Markowski adapted the second movement, “Undefined,” for flex band in 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its character captures at least a piece of what it’s like to be alive during this time. Markowski describes the movement as “offering humility. To me, this heartbreaking song seems to express some kind of emptiness — perhaps a longing to find meaning, purpose, or importance. Even as the music searches for this fulfillment, though, in the end, it will remain tragically unfulfilled and Undefined.“
Here is but one realization of the flex version:
Here is the saxophone quartet version (note, “Undefined” is in G here, but in D in the flex band version):
See more about this piece in any version at Markowski’s website.