‘Minibeasts’ is a three movement work for saxhorn quartet which was commissioned by international renowned Baritone soloist and conductor Katrina Marzella for Saxhorn Fest. 2019. The work is written for a quartet of two tenor horns and two baritones with a piano accompaniment.

The music is based on the bestiary; an early compendium of various animals. Bestiaries date as far back as the second century and became popular in England and France during the middle ages. The books contained detailed descriptions and illustrations of species native to Western Europe, exotic animals as well as mythical animals. The natural history and illustration of each beast was usually accompanied by a Christian moral lesson. ‘Minibeasts’ takes the concept of a bestiary in the form of a musical work.

The piece is inspired by three miniature creatures and aims to capture their behaviours and characteristics in three movements:

1. Spider: The Webspinner

2. Mantis: The Prophet

3. Dragonfly: The Pond Dasher

The three movements are preceded by a short piano introduction as we first open our musical bestiary. The first movement features the tenor horns, the second movement features the baritones and the third movement is a finale for the entire quartet.