For Joseph Connor

Migrations
For Alto Saxophone

Nebal Maysaud
Acknowledgements
This piece was composed in honor of my uncle, who has waited 6 years so far, and has many more ahead of him,
before his application for a green card to the United States can move forward.

I would also like to thank a special friend who has helped me throughout the year. Andras David has been one of
my best friends for over 10 years, I had the pleasure of meeting him when he first came to this country in middle
school. He is loving without requesting love in return, he is careless and firm in his values and doesn’t expect any
special treatment for that. He was there for me through a major depressive episode (all of 2018) and he has always
been empathetic and caring towards those less fortunate than him. For this reason, I would like to dedicate part of
this piece to him.

And finally, there’s Joe Connor. One of the finest musicians and kindest people I know. I hope he can forgive me
for how unorganized I was in the commission process. But throughout our long-distance collaboration, I think we
came up with something that has deep beauty and meaning. This piece is inspired mainly by his playing. I would
get almost overwhelmed by how beautifully he can play a melody, and I hope by the end he can let that shine.

Program Notes
This piece is in 5 sections, each part pertaining to a specific aspect of the petition for U.S. immigration. The
piece starts with an atmosphere entirely influenced by Marcos Balter’s Wicker Park. I wanted to create the same
sound world but with a different meaning. Mainly, I wanted to express the feeling of being unable to release your
voice. The active suppression of one’s own life in a country without opportunity.

The second part is a “choose your own adventure” style movement where one trill moves across various choices.
It’s indicative of the bureaucratic system in submitting your application. One must gather hundreds of dollars,
get all of their documents, proof of a job, income, education, and most importantly, a relative in the United
States. Many Americans do not understand that if you don’t already have relatives in this country, you have to be
very rich and well educated to have any chance at all of applying to live in this country.

The 3rd movement represents the agonizing 6-23 year wait.

The 4th movement is the final stage of immigration and that is the interview. You are called the embassy at a
certain time and you have to show up, present all of your information, make your case, and convince the
interviewer that you will be a positive asset, not a drain, to the U.S. economy.

After the interview, you can leave for the U.S. and with all the problems this country has (and there are many), it
can still be the first opportunity for one to sing their own voice.

Performance Notes

• The flat with a slash symbol ( ) is the traditional Arabic notation for a half-flat. Tuned in between flat
and natural.
• Similarly, a sharp with only one vertical line ( ) is an Arabic half-sharp and is tuned in between sharp and
natural.
 for Joseph Connor
Migrations Nebal Maysaud
In Five Parts b. 1995 ASCAP

I.
Hectic, strictly, exhausting q = 92
very breathy, as much air as sound, trills as fast as possible,

Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~


grace notes before the beat

æ æ ææ ææ ææ Ó ææ
œ œ ˙™ œ wœ œ œ™ œ œ œ ˙ œ ˙œ
& 4 ‰ æJ æ Œ ‰æ æ ææ ææ
4 b œ œ ˙ œ œ
æJ æ
Ó Ó
n pppp n n. ppp n. pppp

œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ µ œ # œ
Ÿ~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~n œ Ÿ~~~~~ Ÿ~~ Ÿ~~ Ÿ~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~
b Ÿœ œ
~~~ œ œ Ÿœ œ œ b œ œ n œ ææ ææ
œ œ œ  ˙
3
œ œœ
ææ æ æœ
>r >

æ ææ æ æJ ‰ nœ
>r

& ææJ
7 b œ œ œ
œœ

J æ æ
5
ppp p pp p ppp pp

With each repeat,

>Ÿœ~~~œ µ>Ÿœ~~~~~~
™ œ >œ œ œ œ
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Tempo
Ÿ~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~ Ÿ˙~~~~~~~ Ÿ˙~~~~~~~
 œ b œ œ œ
get quieter and slower

ææJ ææ ™™43 Œ bæ˙ œ ææ ™™ 44

œ œ
ææ æ ææ bæœ æœ
˙b œ nœ œ
ææ ææ ææ æœ
10 3x

æ ææ
œ
æ
Œ
& æ
5 5
p p+ n pp n pp + p

™
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ 
~~~~~~~ >œ œ b œ Ÿ~~~~~~~~
b œ æ
bœ œ œ œ œ ˙
æ ææ ææ æ 朙 æœ
>œ œ 
œ
æ
œ b˙ œ œ b œ
æ æ ææ æ æ
œ
ææ æ
œ
ææ ææ ææ bæœ
œ œ

æ æJ
15

&æ ææ
œ
3
p+ mp

Ÿ~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~

Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
œ œ b œ œ œææ œ æ
wæ nœ
18
b œ
& 朙 ææ
œ
3

æJ æ
∑
pppp

Copyright © 2019 Nebal Maysaud

 II.
Start airy, as quiet as possible. Slowly cresc. to fff, gradually making the notes clearer. Key clicks, breathy sounds, over/undertones should slowly give way to traditional playing
as the music gets louder. Move between cells according to the arrows. Each cell lasts 3-7 seconds. Start in the upper left corner and end anywhere on the page.
Play as much as possible under one breath. Notes are in treble clef.

 
  
 


















   

 









 




 
 

   
 




 

 
  
 




 









 III.

with each repeat, get

quieter, go slower and
make the rests longer

Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
b ˙ œ
repeat

˙ b œ
& ™™ Œ ææ ææ ™™
6-23x

Œ
n p+ n
 IV.
Hectic. Slowly building
towards clarity e = ca. 64

≈ b
Molto rubato, no sense of time

Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~ Ÿ>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

rall.

b œ œ
Ÿ~~~~~ b œ
œ nœ U
æ ææ æ
œœ œœ œœ œ
&æ ææJ ææJ æ Œ
pppp airy pp ppp p mp clear pppp airy

Ÿ~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ≈

œ œ 
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ nœ
& ææ
nœ
>r

ææ ææ
3
œœ
J Œ
3
mp clear pppp airy

Ÿ~~~~~ > Ÿ~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~ > Ÿ~~

bœ ≈ œ b Ÿœ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
™œ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
n Ÿ˙ b œ
œ œ œr œ œ >œœ œ œ œ œr œ œ œœ œ œ b œ ææ
4
r
nœ J Œ
æ æ æ æ æ
&
5
mp cl. mp ¼ mf pppp

b
airy

Ÿ~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~

slow

ææ
vib.
œ œ œ œ™
6 nœ œ
nœ œ ‰ œ
& J J J
mp espress.

œ  ≈
œ œ
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
œ œ œ b œ œ œ
Ÿ~~~~~~~~
œ r b œ ™ œ Ÿ˙~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
œ
7 œ
œ œ
œœ b œ
& J ‰
3 fp fp f mp mf

Copyright © 2019 Nebal Maysaud

 V.

œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œb ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œb œ n ˙ œ œ ˙ b ˙ ™ œ ˙™
Ÿ~~~~~
Freely, singing e = 120
˙
& J œ J œ Œ
5 3 5 3
mf with passion mp mf + mp f f +

b b ™
m bœ
œ œ œ œ™ œ œ œb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Ϫ
rall. accel.
b œ
œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ ™ œJ J
3 œ™ œ œ œ™
J J J
& 3 3
7
mp f ff | mp ff sempre

œ œ œ b œ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ
rit.
Ÿ
œœ œ œ œj œ œ œj Ÿœ œ œ
J œb œ œ œ
Ϫ
œ
6
J J
& 5
3
f mf 3

Ÿ~~~~~~~~ b
w œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ™ œ œ

8

&
bœ œ w
mp f