Download Modern Saxophone Compositions and Composers Title Composer

Modern Saxophone Compositions and Composers
Title
Hard
Composer Instrument(s) Year
Christian
Lauba
(Jean Matitia)
Solo Tenor Sax
1988
Murasaki No
Fuchi 1
Ryo Noda
1981
Phoenix
Ryo Noda
Two Saxophones
in either Eb or Bb
or Shakuhachi
flute and
Saxophone.
Solo Alto
Saxophone
Solo Alto
Saxophone
1999
1988
The Angel of
Despair II
Hiroyuki Itoh
Maha
Mantras
Narong
Concerto for
Prangcharoen Alto/Soprano Sax
and Orchestra
2013
Mantras
Narong
Prangcharoen
2012
The Dawn of
Darkness
Narong
Prangcharoen
Concerto for
Soprano Sax and
Orchestra
Concerto for
Tenor Sax and
Orchestra
Christian
Lauba
Solo Alto
Saxophone
1996
Jean Matitia
(Christian
Lauba)
Solo for Alto Sax
and Piano
2010
Jungle
Au Bonheurs
des Dames
2014
Notes
Living up to its name-sake, this piece employs just about every extended technique normally used
for the saxophone (multiphonics, altissimo, slap-tonguing, with combinations of all in some places).
The score is mostly a graphic score with some normal notation on page 3. This piece is more of an
experience that a song one would hum walking down the street.
Ryo Noda is known for composing saxophone music that emulates traditional Japanese Shakuhachi
flute playing. This piece reflects that with a modern twist. He uses microtones and microtonal trills
extensively, along with places for improvisation and multiphonics. These are old techniques for the
Japanese, but are considered new in the west. This score is a graphic score that provides each
player with the other’s part.
Another Shakuhachi-style piece, Phoenix explores a very expressive way of playing contradicted by
very fast flourishes between. Very high altissimo is written as well, providing a challenge for the
performer. Multiphonics are present as well.
Mr. Itoh explains in the performance notes that this piece is based on the “notation of swayingtime.” It very precisely written in strange compound meters to give a sense of sway to the piece. He
goes on to explain that microtones provide “fragility” to the texture of the piece, as well as adding
“distortion and instability.” This piece is written in conventional means.
The composer combined his native Thai soundscape with Western symphonic tradition. The soloist
switches between Alto and Soprano sax and an interesting cadenza which requires playing both
instruments simultaneously. Also, there are parts of the cadenza that are written to that the soloist
harmonizes with themselves on one horn.
The basis on which the previous piece is based. It is essentially the same piece but is structured
differently and is a bit shorter. For example, the cadenza is more towards the end of the piece,
unlike the previous work which has the cadenza in the middle.
One of Prangcharoen’s more sinister sounding works, this piece combines more eastern influence
with western composing tradition. Also, this piece is more modern in style, with multiphonics, very
high altissimo, and interesting accompaniment. This piece is also available to be played as a solo
performance with fixed media motion score. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn1mqwgb3i0
Highly demanding in extended techniques, Jungle offers an interesting listening experience. It is, in
some ways, similar to Hard, with many sub-tone flourishes and multiphonics. It also makes heavy of
slap-tonguing. I think this piece is supposed to represent chaos as the movement rarely stops,
sometimes interrupted by a slap-tongue or microtonal trill. Part of a collection of works called Neuf
etudes pour saxophone.
Modern in a sense that it was composed in the style of Rudy Wiedoeft as a film suite. If you can find
the music, it is a wonderful piece, reminiscent of the 1920’s. There aren’t any extended techniques
in here, except maybe if one plays this on C-Melody instead of Alto, it would get higher than the
keyed range of the horn.
Lonely
Woman
Ornette
Coleman
Jazz quartet
(alto, cornet,
bass, drums)
1959
John Coltrane
11-man Jazz
ensemble
1965
Micrographia
Samuel
Andreyev
Solo Tenor Sax
1981
Echolocation
Takuma Itoh
Saxophone
Quartet
2009
Iannis
Xenakis
Saxophone
Quartet
1987
Alex Buess
Modular
Saxophone
Quartet (TTBB)
1991
Ascension
(Album)
Xas
Hyperbaton
This isn’t a written out solo, but it one of the most interesting pieces of jazz I’ve come across. It is
free jazz played with a simple head, but what’s interesting is Coleman’s use of non-tempered
intonation. Coleman didn’t believe in the use of the piano as it promoted the tempered scale and
chords. He preferred a completely unrestricted creativity even in regards to intonation. A
masterwork in free jazz, it exemplifies the raw sound of jazz.
This album is by far one of Coltrane’s most avant-garde works. It starts with what sounds like a
recording of a big band tuning. It does eventually move into a very strange solo by Coltrane.
Ascension is one of those albums that place more importance on each sound rather than music as a
whole; very primal in sound. Not for the average listener.
Full of trills, flourishes, and multiphonics, this piece is more reflective sounding others. I find to be
similar to the works of Ryo Noda: soft, reflective sections harshly interrupted by fast runs or slap
tonguing. Trills are very prominent in this piece and various dynamic levels, along with loud slap
tongue and flexibility on the instrument due to large intervals.
Echolocation explores the concept of delay, a common practice in electronic music. However, the
composer successfully emulates this by repeating a figure multiple times and has decay in the
loudness after a period of time. The texture is full of polyphony and polyrhythms under the
recurring theme throughout the piece.
This is more of a soundscape than anything else, employing some microtones, multiphonics, and a
very high extended tessitura of the saxophone, up to an eleventh on the baritone’s keyed range.
Additionally, it is a piece of extremes. The rhythm flows and is then chaotic, dynamics from stable
to moving, joint melody to disjoint, and regular/opposing/”every man for himself” orchestration.
Based on recordings, a lot of the piece is left up to the performers, with only general guidelines or
complete freedom granted by Xenakis. A fascinating piece, indeed, certainly one of few of its kind.
Dedicated to the XASAX Quartet, this piece is based on many musical styles for TTBB sax quartet.
Multiphonics, slap-tonguing, growling, and “dental” notes are used, meaning the bottom teeth are
in direct contact with the reed. The sound palette created is a fantastic listening experience and a
challenge for any quartets.