1
A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE INTERPRETATION
OF SELECTED MUSIC FOR SAXOPHONE
By Thomas Liley
SONATA FOR SAXOPHONE AND PIANO
BERNHARD HEIDEN All rights reserved, Thomas Liley
Biography
Bernhard Heiden was born in Frankfurt, Germany, August 24, 1910. Heiden began composing at an
early age. In addition to studying piano, violin, and clarinet, he studied at the Berlin Hochschule für
Musik from 1929 to 1933.
At the Hochschule, Heiden studied composition with Paul Hindemith, score reading with
George Szell and Alexander von Zemlinsky, piano with Max Trapp, and conducting with
Julius Prüwer. He had developed an interest in the latter area when he had had an opportunity
to conduct the school orchestra at the Goethe Gymnasium in Frankfurt. And indeed, in his
first years at the Hochschule, it was conducting in which Heiden was thought to excel. Hard
work, however, for the demanding Hindemith eventually won for Heiden the Mendelssohn
Prize in composition – at that time Germany's most coveted musical award. The prize-winning
work was a piano concerto.1
Heiden and his wife immigrated to the United States in 1935 and settled in Detroit where he taught at
the Art Center Music School. He was also active as a pianist, harpsichordist, and radio arranger. In
1942, following the demise of the Detroit Symphony, Heiden organized and conducted the new
Detroit Chamber Orchestra. During World War II he served as an assistant band director of the 445th
Army Band. After the war he studied with Donald Grout at Cornell University and received the
Master of Arts degree in musicology in 1946. In 1946 he joined the faculty of the School of Music at
Indiana University, serving as chairman of the composition department until his retirement in 1981.
In addition to the Mendelssohn Prize, Heiden has received the Fine Arts Quartet Composition Award
for his String Quartet No.2 (1951), a Guggenheim Fellowship (1966), and a grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts (1976).
Heiden's compositions that include the saxophone are:
Sonata for Saxophone and Piano (London: Schott and Co., 1937);
Duo for Saxophone and English Horn (n.p., 1938);
Diversion for Saxophone and Band (Shell Lake, WI: Etoile, 1943) ;
Solo for Alto Saxophone and Piano (New York: Associated Music Publishers, 1969);
Intrada for Woodwind Sextet (San Antonio: Southern, 1970)
Partita for Orchestra (New York: Associated Publishers, 1970);
1 David DeBoor Canfield, "Bernard Heiden: An Appreciation on the Occasion of His 75th Birthday," Saxophone
Symposium vol. 10, no. 4 (Fall 1985): p.6.
2
Four Movements for Saxophone Quartet and Tympani (Shell Lake, WI: Etolie, 1976); and
Fantasia Concertante for Alto Saxophone, Winds, and Percussion (n.p., 1987).
The Sonata was the first of Heiden's works for the saxophone and his first work to be published. The
Duo was written for Larry Teal and Lare Waldrop; it can also be played on C and B-flat instruments,
that is, on oboe and clarinet. Heiden's Diversion for Saxophone and Band was written when Heiden
was an assistant band director in the Army. The work was originally titled Solo for Saxophone and
Band but was changed to avoid confusion with the later Solo for Alto Saxophone and Piano and has
only recently been published after nearly a half-century.2
The Solo for Alto Saxophone and Piano was written for Eugene Rousseau on the occasion of the First
World Saxophone Congress in Chicago and was first performed December 16, 1969, by Rousseau
and Heiden. The Intrada is Heiden's solution to blend the widely varied colors of the woodwind
quintet by the addition of the saxophone; it is the result of a commission by the National Association
of College Wind and Percussion Instructors. Written for the opening of Indiana University's Musical
Arts Center in 1970, the Partita for Orchestra utilizes the saxophone soloistically, especially in the
third movement. The Four Movements was written for Indiana University faculty members Eugene
Rousseau and George Gaber and is unique in Heiden's music for saxophone in its use of quarter-
tones.
Compositional Background
The Sonata for Saxophone and Piano was Heiden's first composition for the saxophone, his first work
to be published, and in the opinion of Eugene Rousseau, the first substantive sonata for the
instrument. The score indicates that the work was composed in Detroit, where Heiden and his wife
Cola, an accomplished pianist, had settled after coming to this country and where he met Larry Teal,
the score's dedicatee.
Heiden's wife was rehearsing with Teal for a concerto appearance with an orchestra and
Heiden was impressed with his beautiful tone quality and musicianship; he promised to
compose a work for him and the result was the famous Sonata for Saxophone and Piano. 3
Teal and Heiden gave the first performance on April 8, 1937.
Before his acquaintance with Teal, Heiden had a different impression of the instrument:
The saxophone was still for me and around that time in Europe, an instrument of popular
music. I was not familiar with really any literature for saxophone in a serious field. 4
It was about this time that Hindemith, Heiden's teacher, wrote a series of sonatas for wind
instruments. Heiden continues:
I remember showing the piece to Hindemith when he came to Detroit on a visit in 1939. I
played it for him and he liked it very much and recommended it for publication through
Associated Music Publishers, who were his publishers at that time. They were the American
2 Canfield, "Interview," p. 8.
3 Canfield, "Interview," p. 7.
4 Canfield, p. 7.
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representatives for Schott and Schott of London. It was published in 1941 and was the first
piece of mine that ever was published. I sold the piece outright for $75.00, which constituted
three months rent for us and seemed an enormous amount of money. 5
Analysis
Perhaps the two most important qualities of Heiden's compositional style are the obvious
craftsmanship of his work and the influence of Hindemith. The latter quality diminished somewhat
after his immigration to the United States, while the former remains evident.
Yet as little as his recent works resemble those of his teacher, certain stylistic traits have been
retained and further developed. These include an impeccable sense of counterpoint, driving
rhythms (in fast movements) , exciting musical climaxes, and an unfailing sense of line. His
harmonies over the years became more dissonant, but Heiden maintains even in his most
recent works a sense of harmonic continuity found in the music of few composers today. 6
According to Baker's Biographical Dictionary, Heiden's music follows Hindemith’s theories of
polyphonic texture and neo-Classical structure.
The Sonata, which stands at a pivotal juncture in Heiden's career, exhibits each of the characteristics
described above. Newly arrived from Germany and separated from Hindemith, Heiden found it
necessary to develop more fully his own musical personality while drawing upon the lessons of his
teacher. The result in 1937 was his first composition to be published and "the saxophone sonata that
Hindemith would have written.”7
A contrapuntal texture is prevalent in the sonata. Chord sonorities are often tertian, although quartal
harmonies occur in all three movements. Octaves in the piano are frequently employed to signal the
close of a section as well as the end of each movement. Crossrelations, especially between the
saxophone and piano, and rhythmic displacement of melodic material are distinguishing
characteristics of this neo-classical composition.
First movement
The first movement of the Sonata provides an unusually clear twentieth-century example of sonata-
allegro form. Major sections are articulated by changes of tempo and there is a typically contrasting
second theme and a recapitulation. One twentieth-century device is the diminished fifth relationship
between Theme I and Theme II in the exposition; the themes are at a perfect fifth in the
recapitulation.
The tonal area of B-flat is announced by Theme I. The opening five notes span the interval of a
minor third, which is characteristic of many of the themes in this sonata.
5 Canfield, pp. 7, 9.
6 Canfield, "Appreciation," p. 6.
7 Master class with Eugene Rousseau, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 10 March 1980.
4
Example 3.1. Heiden, Sonata, Mvt. I, mm. 1-4.
Heiden SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO. Copyright 1943 by Schott & Co., Ltd.
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of
European American Music Distributors Corporation, sole U. S. agent for Schott & Co., Ltd.
A typically vigorous first theme of four-measure phrases is presented, and is notable for the
prevalence of dotted rhythms. There is a great deal of major/minor third ambivalence throughout the
sonata; an early example is found in m. 2. The use of quartal harmony (m. 12) and of melodic fourths
(mm. 7 and 8) is noteworthy. Closing out the first theme area, the first phrase of a transitional
passage is constructed of alternating 2/4 and 3/8 measures; an accented F pedal is prominent. In the
second phrase of the transition (m. 35) minor thirds are prominent as saxophone and piano exchange
material. A ritard helps to complete closure of the first theme area.
Theme II is in the key of E major, with a much slower harmonic rhythm – a pedal E is maintained for
the first seven measures (mm. 42-48) and, later, for ten and a half measures to close the second theme
area (mm. 58-68). Perhaps to compensate for the slower harmonic rhythm, phrases are three bars in
length, slightly shorter than in Theme I. The interval of a minor third is again important.
Example 3.2. Heiden, Sonata, Mvt. I, mm. 42-47
Heiden SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO. Copyright 1943 by Schott & Co., Ltd.
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of
European American Music Distributors Corporation, sole U. S. agent for Schott & Co., Ltd.
The final eight measures of the second theme area involve a pedal E. Above this is a contrapuntal
motion of an almost complete chromatic scale, hidden by octave displacement (mm. 61-68). The
triadic closing theme (m. 69ff) plays on the major/minor third ambivalence noted earlier, shifting
from E-flat major to D major and from F major to D-flat minor; a minor third (m. 71) is expanded to
a major third (m. 72) to bring the exposition to a conclusion above a second inversion chord.
The closing theme takes on greater significance in the development. Triadic outlines in dotted
rhythm, often agogically accenting a minor third, permeate almost the entire treatment of the first
theme area, often with major/minor shifts and chromatic "sliding." The filled-in interval of a minor
third is also prominent. The transition theme is this time in the piano (above a trill in the saxophone,
m. 99); when the saxophone takes the lead (m. 105) it has an accented D pedal which in m. 114
begins to move down a fifth to G and to close manipulation of the first theme area.
A brief development of the second theme area begins in the tonality of A (m. 119) as the two
instruments trade phrases. Material related to the second part of the transition (found originally in
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mm. 36-41) draws the section to conclusion. The development is set off from the re-transition by a
poco ritard and a tempo (mm. 132-133). Material is drawn from the exposition's closing theme.
A strong sense of recapitulation accompanies the return to the tonality of B-flat with Theme I. A
second statement of Theme I (m. 151) is treated sequentially – the second beats of mm. 151, 153,
155, and 157 (the pitches F, G, A, and B-flat) lead to Theme II on C (m. 159). The second theme
area is now in the tonality of F, in a fifth relationship to the central tonality of B-flat; the dotted
rhythm of Theme I has now invaded the accompaniment of both themes. In the final statement of
Theme II the minor third is now a major third.
Example 3.3. Heiden, Sonata, Mvt. I, mm. 171-173.
Heiden SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO. Copyright 1943 by Schott & Co., Ltd.
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of
European American Music Distributors Corporation, sole U. S. agent for Schott & Co., Ltd.
The section concludes in a manner similar to the conclusion of the exposition, both melodically and
in the final second inversion chord, this time at a relative major relationship to the final chord of the
exposition.
A section marked poco meno mosso (mm. 183-188) uses material from the second phrase of the
transition and sets up a coda marked a tempo (rom. 189ff) which recalls the first theme area. Each of
the outer movements has a similar episode in which a very brief and lyrical section in slower tempo
serves to prepare a concluding push to the end of the movement. The major/minor third ambivalence
recurs in mm. 191-192 (G vs. G-flat) and in mm. 196-197 (C vs. C-flat). The second phrase of
Theme I in augmentation brings the movement to its conclusion.
Second movement
This movement, with a tonal center of C, may be described as a five-part rondo (A-B-A-C-A). The A
theme is similar to Theme I of the first movement in the importance of the minor third and that in
each theme there is an expansion of intervals.
Example 3.4. Heiden, Sonata, Mvt. II, mm. 1-7.
Heiden SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO. Copyright 1943 by Schott & Co., Ltd.
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of
European American Music Distributors Corporation, sole U. S. agent for Schott & Co., Ltd.
The interval of a perfect fourth is important to the accompanying harmony. Elisions (mm. 16 and 31)
add to the sense of propulsion, as does a displacement of the downbeat (compare mm. 6 and 7 with 9
and 10, and mm. 16-18 with 19-21). In mm. 6-7 and 9-10 Heiden also inverts the piano texture. A
secondary motive (mm. 17-18) is also subject to rhythmic displacement.
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Example 3.5. Heiden, sonata, Mvt. II, mm. 17-22.
Heiden SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO. Copyright 1943 by Schott & Co., Ltd.
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of
European American Music Distributors Corporation, sole U. S. agent for Schott & Co., Ltd.
The principal theme makes a brief excursion to the tonality of F (m. 31) before restating the original
tonality of C (m. 37). Material begins to change harmonically (m. 44) and melodically (m. 45).
Displacement of the downbeat and inversion of the piano texture are again important.
A contrasting B section (mm. 58ff), in the tonality of A (a relative minor relationship to the opening
tonality of C), emphasizes melodic intervals of a fourth. This was foreshadowed by the harmonic
fourths of the A section. Pedalpoint is important, notably a tonic pedal (mm. 58-61) which is a foil
for more expansion of intervals.
Example 3.6. Heiden, Sonata, Mvt. II, mm. 58-61.
Heiden SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO. Copyright 1943 by Schott & Co., Ltd.
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of
European American Music Distributors Corporation, sole U. S. agent for Schott & Co., Ltd.
The second phrase of the B theme appears to be drawn from m. 2 of the A theme.
Example 3.7. Heiden, Sonata, Mvt. II, mm. 62-66.
Heiden SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO. Copyright 1943 by Schott & Co., Ltd.
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of
European American Music Distributors Corporation, sole U. S. agent for Schott & Co., Ltd.
Saxophone and piano exchange the B theme, first at the interval of a perfect fifth (m. 67) and then
contrapuntally at the interval of a diminished fifth (m. 79) before the saxophone finishes its phrase.
Sequential motion in both parts provides rhythmic energy for a return to the second A section at m.
106. In this brief restatement a descending figure first heard in m. 119 is treated sequentially to lead
to the new tonal center of A-flat for the third theme area. As expected, the C section (mm. 133ff)
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provides the greatest contrast within the context of a rondo. Its more lyrical theme makes extended
use of a dotted rhythm to circle a minor third above and below a central note.
Example 3.8. Heiden, Sonata, Mvt. II, mm. 133-140.
Heiden SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO. Copyright 1943 by Schott & Co., Ltd.
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of
European American Music Distributors Corporation, sole U. S. agent for Schott & Co., Ltd.
The theme is used in an imitative texture (m. 149) and, later (m. 166), in combination with the A
theme. Use of pedalpoint against a rhythmically insistent counterpoint is frequent. At m. 178
material is exchanged, the saxophone taking material from the A theme and the piano taking material
from the C theme.
Sequential treatment is again employed to lead to a recapitulation of the A theme (m. 209) in its
original tonal area of C. The piano, however, simultaneously provides a contrapuntal statement of the
B theme. This interplay continues until m. 224, at which point the piano recalls the C theme. This
recollection is alternated with a fragment of the A theme in the saxophone. The texture recedes to a
quiet conclusion except for the open fifths C and G played fortissimo by the piano at the very end.
Third movement
The third movement, marked Adagio followed by Presto, presents a slow introduction and another
five-part rondo (A-B-A-C-A), this time more greatly modified than in the second movement. The C
section is almost developmental in character. Like the first movement, the Adagio returns briefly
before the conclusion. Although some consider the Adagio and the Presto to be separate movements,
Heiden has stated:
I consider the last movement of the Sonata to be one movement; the return of the thematic
material makes it so.8
The Adagio introduction may be considered a compound ternary structure with a tonal center of F
minor. The first A section begins a motive which, like so many other motives in this work, spans a
minor third; the dotted rhythm and the "circling" effect bring to mind the C theme of the preceding
Vivace movement. The minor sixth interval (m. 1) will prove to be distinctive and the perfect fourth
first heard in m. 3 has significance throughout the movement.
8 Ronald Caravan, "Bernhard Heiden’s Sonata for Saxophone: Some Observations on Its Form and Content," Saxophone
Symposium vol. 10, no 4 (Fall 1985): p. 15.
8
Example 3.9. Heiden, Sonata, Mvt. III, mm. 1-5.
Heiden SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO. Copyright 1943 by Schott & Co., Ltd.
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of
European American Music Distributors Corporation, sole U. S. agent for Schott & Co., Ltd.
A second phrase (m. 6) has a certain "open" feeling because of the prevalence of the interval of a
fourth both melodically and harmonically. In mm. 8-9 the second phrase recalls mm. 3-4, and
especially the A motive an octave higher and displaced by a dotted quarter-note. The interval of a
fourth (B-flat to E-flat, m. 4) is expanded to a fifth (B-flat to F, m. 9) to restate the motive on a new
pitch level of F with quartal harmony. The A theme is presented rather completely at that pitch level
(mm. 11-13) before winding to a close (m. 14).
The major/minor third ambivalence noted in the first movement is particularly evident in the B
section as three times a G-sharp/A-natural is played within the context of an F chord (mm. 14-15). In
m. 18 the saxophone plays the contrasting material from the piano, but in mm. 19-20 expands the
piano's perfect fifth of mm. 15-16 to a minor sixth, already identified as an important interval in the
Adagio.
The return of the A theme (m. 22) is differently harmonized as the piano descends to an F
major/minor seventh chord which functions as a dominant to the B-flat tonality of the Presto. The
saxophone's final three pitches are in augmentation of the previous three; the fermata sustains the
saxophone's A-flat against the F major/minor seventh in the piano to preserve the major/minor
ambivalence.
The A theme of the first section of the rondo (m. 28) is a stream of sixteenth-notes, which exhibit
several characteristics found in other themes of the Sonata: an initial distance of a minor third, a
circling effect, a tendency to expansion, and an interchange of major and minor thirds. The pitch
contour is similar to the A theme of the Adagio. Identifiable with the tendency to expansion is a step
progression in the theme, spaced at equal distances of ten sixteenth-notes.
Example 3.10. Heiden, Sonata, Mvt. III, mm. 28-39.
Heiden SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO. Copyright 1943 by Schott & Co., Ltd.
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of
European American Music Distributors Corporation, sole U. S. agent for Schott & Co., Ltd.
While the tonal center is clearly B-flat, neither a major nor a minor third appears until m. 32. Cross-
rhythms are frequent, as found in mm. 33-42.
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A brief piano interlude contrapuntally prepares a restatement of the head of the A theme in the
tonality of C (m. 60). The almost simultaneous presence of a major and a minor triad in the
saxophone part is again found (mm. 69-74). A passage in canon at the fifth is initiated by the piano
(m. 87) and joined by the saxophone (m. 90); cross-rhythms are again employed.
The first contrasting section B (mm. 102ff) presents a repetition by the saxophone of its material from
mm. 10-13 of the Adagio. The piano harmony at the beginning and end of this segment are also the
same as the introduction.
A transition (mm. 114-130) leads to the second A section (mm. 131ff). The piano's imitative texture
is based on the theme of that section and returns to the original tonality of B-flat with a dominant
pedal (m. 131) while the saxophone presents the A material. Again, counterpoint and cross-rhythms
are prevalent.
The second contrasting section C (mm. 146ff) is quite lengthy in comparison to the other sections and
is developmental in character. Like the B section before, the C section repeats a passage from the
Adagio, although this time in transposition down a fifth from F to B-flat -- mm. 146-158 are the
equivalent of mm. 14-18. The saxophone also repeats material, but at the original pitch level -- mm.
158-168 is the same as mm. 18-21. The saxophone presents the A theme (mm. 28-51) a perfect
fourth lower (mm. 169-192; mm. 189-190 is an exception) while the piano develops sequentially a
more sparse version of the C material. There is a reversal of sorts (mm. 193-203) as the saxophone
plays a perfect fifth higher material from mm. 6-9 of the Adagio and the piano recalls the A theme,
first sequentially as the saxophone plays in a different order mm. 71-78. In m. 213-218 the piano
presents mm. 87-92 a major second lower before moving sequentially to m. 225. The saxophone
(mm. 218-238) recalls mm. 1-5 of the Adagio a perfect fourth higher. The duple figure in the
pianist's left hand (m.224) creates a feeling of arrival (m. 225) at which point the piano takes the
saxophone's material (begun in m. 218) in a canon at the octave. The saxophone (m. 245) takes up
the Adagio material where it had left off, playing mm. 6-14 of the Adagio first a minor third higher
and then (m. 252) at the original pitch; B-flat, then C, pedals dominate the piano accompaniment. A
hemiola in the pianist's left hand leads to an interlude marked Adagio.
The return of the Adagio (mm. 260-264) is an exact restatement of mm. 10-13 displaced by three
eighth-notes until the pitch A-flat is sustained (mm. 263-264). The last sonority of the Adagio has
dominant seventh qualities, although with C-flat rather than C-natural; there is no major/minor
ambiguity as there was in the final measure of the introduction.
The final A section (mm. 265ff), marked Presto molto vivace, returns to B-flat and begins as an exact
recapitulation of the A theme. A dominant pedal (mm. 274-277) marks departure as does a repetition
by the saxophone (m. 276) which is taken by the piano (m. 278). The A theme is expanded by the
saxophone to three-bar phrases over an accompanimental texture not heard since the end of the first
movement. The final cadence is a chromatic descent in the piano -- interrupted by minor thirds --
from F to a B-flat major chord.
Common Interpretative Practices
Recordings of Heiden's sonata by Brian Minor, Sigurd Rascher, Eugene Rousseau, and Donald Sinta
were selected for study. The pianists on the recordings were, respectively, the composer's wife Cola
Heiden, Russell Sherman, Helmut Deutsch, and Nelita True. There is no recording by Larry Teal, to
whom the work is dedicated, or by Heiden himself as pianist. Sinta, however, is Teal's best-known
student and was selected to succeed Teal upon his retirement from the University of Michigan.
10
The performances were timed, and there was found to be a difference of one minute and fifty-one
seconds between the longest and the shortest (Rousseau -- 15'32" and Minor -- 17'23"). The greatest
difference between the timings of a single movement was fifty-four seconds in the first movement,
Rascher playing 5'43" and Minor 6'37".
TABLE 3.1.
Timings of the Saxophone Sonata by Heiden
Movement Minor Rascher Rousseau Sinta
I 6'37" 5'43" 5'56" 6'16"
II 3'16" 3'21" 3'06" 3'13"
III 6'30" 6'36" 6'30" 7'00"
Total 17'23" 15'40" 15'32" 16'29"
Heiden does not use metronome markings to indicate tempos, but employs only standard Italian terms
such as allegro, vivace, adagio, and presto. Relatively few tempo changes within the movements are
indicated, none at all in the second movement. There are, however, additional tempo changes
interpolated by the performers, which are discussed below.
TABLE 3.2.
Tempos of the Saxophone sonata by Heiden
Movement/Tempo Minor Rascher Rousseau Sinta
First movement
"Allegro"
Exposition
Theme I MM=124 152 138 138
Theme II 116 140 136 120
Development
Theme I 140 152 152 148-152
Theme II 130 148 140 124
Recapitulation
Theme I 126 156-160 140 140
Theme II 126 152 140 140
"Poco meno mosso" 80 80 96 80
Coda 128 156-160 144 148-152
Second movement
"Vivace" MM=160 148 160 154
Third movement
"Adagio" MM=38-40 34 34 28
"Presto" 78 88 84 88
"Adagio" 36-38 34 36 30
"Presto molto vivace" 92 96-100 84 90
The following generalizations concerning tempos may be made –
First movement: A great range of tempos is used to interpret allegro. The second theme is often
played more slowly than the first theme in the exposition and in the development, but not in the
11
recapitulation. The presentation of the first theme by the piano at the beginning of the development is
often considerably faster than the initial presentation by the saxophone in the exposition. The Poco
meno mosso (mm. 183-188) is a substantially slower tempo, even to the point of approaching half
tempo. The coda (mm. 189-203), marked a tempo, is slightly faster than before, perhaps the result of
an accelerando which may begin at approximately m. 194.
Second movement: The tempo remains constant throughout, with very little or no change at the
appearance of the various themes. If vivace is understood as being quicker than allegro, then
Rascher' s first-movement tempo should be slower or his second-movement tempo should be still
faster. (It should be noted that this performance is the only one studied in which the pianist does not
[cannot?] play Theme I faster in the development of the first movement.)
Third movement: The opening Adagio is also subject to interpretation by a broad range of tempos.
The return of the Adagio (mm. 260-264) is at the original tempo. The coda (mm. 265-297), marked
presto molto vivace is sometimes played faster than the presto before and sometimes with an
accelerando beginning at approximately m. 281.
The first theme of the first movement presents several questions of articulation. Throughout the
Sonata Rousseau most consistently performs the articulations as they are written. The performance of
the first movement by Sinta is unique in that he consistently tongues the eighth-note which follows
the four anacrustic sixteenth-notes; m. 1 is an example. The tongued eighth-notes of m.3 are played
broadly by Minor and Rascher and much more distinctly by Rousseau and Sinta; the same is true in
similar occurrences at mm. 11 and 139. The downbeats of mm. 25-28 form a whole-step motion but
each of which are approached by different articulations: by a slur into m. 25, tongued downbeats in
mm. 26 and 27, and a slur into m. 28. Sinta articulates the measures as written, Rousseau tongues the
first three downbeats, Rascher slurs into all four measures, and Minor articulates as written except for
the addition of a slur into m. 27. All the saxophonists slur the octave B-flats of m. 27 to match the
slurred octave C's of m. 28. All performers also observe the ritard in m. 41; Rascher does the most
and Minor, the least.
The sixteenth-notes of m. 12 begin a sequential pattern; only Rousseau slurs into the downbeat of m.
16 as is previously indicated at a different pitch level in m. 14. Only Sinta tongues the B on the
second beat of m. 17; the others slur into it in the same manner as is written two beats later.
The second theme is interpreted rather uniformly in these recordings. Minor chooses to emphasize
the third beat G-sharp in m. 56 and the first beat E in m. 57. In the closing theme Minor breathes
after the half-note in m. 68 and the other saxophonists breathe after the half-note in the next measure;
in addition, Sinta breathes after the dotted half-note in m. 67, before where may be heard the pick-up
note to the closing theme. The fermata to close the exposition in m. 75 is approached with no ritard
by Minor and Rascher and with a slight slowing by Rousseau and Sinta.
The development presents relatively few differences of interpretation. In mm. 83-85 and m. 91,
however, Rascher and Sinta depart from the score. Sinta breaks the slurs in mm. 83 and 91 to
breathe, and Rascher slurs each dotted eighth- and sixteenth-note pattern in each of the five bars. The
poco ritard in m. 132 is observed in all performances; Minor's performance slows the least. Rascher
and Sinta add a slight accelerando to approach the recapitulation in m. 137.
Each of the saxophonists adds a crescendo in m. 152 to parallel the crescendo in m. 154. Both
Rousseau and Sinta slur into the triplets in mm. 156 and 158; Minor tongues the first note as written
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and Rascher seems to tongue the first time and slur the second. The close of the section before the
Poco meno mosso is variously approached. Minor makes no slowing of tempo, Sinta a slight ritard,
Rascher and Rousseau more so. All performances add a fermata to the note before the written
fermata on the quarter-rest in m. 182. The saxophone passages in the Poco meno mosso are
interpreted to increasing degrees of freedom by Minor (rather strict) through Rousseau, then Sinta, to
Rascher (the least strict). The piano fermata (m. 187) is given time by the saxophone in all
performances except Minor's. Sinta interprets mm. 184 and 187 each in the same way; that is, the
pianist's half-note fermata in each measure is held for two beats before the saxophone entrance.
The allegro conclusion presents problems of where to breathe which receive varied solutions. Minor
and Rousseau breathe at the ends of mm. 197 and 200. Rascher and Sinta breathe on the downbeat of
m. 194 and after the fourth beat of m. 197; Rascher also breathes after the first beat of m. 197. Sinta
changes the articulation by tonguing the first notes of the third beats of mm. 191 and 192. Rascher
chooses to tongue each note of mm. 198-200. None of the saxophonists plays the final note slap-
tongue as written.
In the second movement, only Rousseau observes the articulations indicated. Minor, Rascher, and
Sinta add a slur into the downbeats of mm. 3 and 4 and all similar measures in this rondo movement.
Minor and Rascher extend the slur of m. 8 into the second beat of this and all similar measures. Sinta
changes the articulation of m. 8 and all similar measures by removing the slur and tonguing all notes.
The pianist's final chord is played softly in the Rousseau performance and loudly in the others.
The question of where to breathe is important in the adagio of the third movement. It should be noted
that Rousseau's phrasing, which differs from the other saxophonists, was determined upon in
agreement with the composer. In the first phrase (mm. 1-5) Minor, Rascher, and Sinta breathe
between the G and the C of m. 3; Rousseau breathes after the C on the downbeat of m. 4. Similarly,
in m. 12, Minor, Rascher, and Sinta breathe between the A and the F-sharp; Rousseau breathes after
the F-sharp. In m. 23 Minor, Rascher, and Sinta again breathe between the E and the C-sharp;
Rousseau breathes on the downbeat of the next measure. Minor, Rascher, and Sinta breathe between
the G and the C of m. 24; Rousseau again breaks the slur in order to breathe on the downbeat of m.
25.
Minor makes almost no ritard in m. 27, which is marked poco ritard, and Sinta makes a little more.
Rascher and Rousseau make rather large ritards, extending back into m. 26. Both Rousseau and Sinta
make use of the color of the saxophone sound without vibrato in mm. 18-19; they repeat the color
when the material returns in mm. 158-162.
Questions of articulation come to the forefront in the presto section of the third movement,
specifically as to whether one should slur into or tongue the accented downbeats of mm. 39 and 77.
In these related passages the saxophone score indicates that the downbeats should be tongued
although the piano score shows an articulation at m. 39 and a slur into m. 77. Rousseau tongues the
downbeat in each measure and the other saxophonists slur into the downbeat in each measure. In
addition, Rascher slurs into the accented downbeats of mm. 47 and 53. Accents in the presto section
are generally played with separation in these performances, although Minor is an exception and
Rousseau lengthens the notes in mm. 54-55. Sinta seems to give the clearest sense of articulation
throughout the section, especially when the articulation shifts from one beat to another as in mm. 60-
87.
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The return of the adagio (mm. 260-264) causes a return of attention to problems of where to breathe.
The passage is an almost exact repetition of mm. 10-14 shifted by one beat within the measure. Each
of the saxophonists except Rascher offers the same solutions by breathing at the same points in the
phrase as before.
The short coda, marked presto molto vivace (mm. 265-297), begins as a repetition of the presto (mm.
28ff). Mm. 274-275, which correspond to the earlier mm. 38-39, are repeated in mm. 276-277; the
repetition is emphasized in the score by accents on the downbeats. These accents are only slightly
noticeable in just one performance, that done by Sinta. The fortissimo-piano in m. 289 is also given
little emphasis in these recordings, although the performance by Sinta makes the most of this contrast
of dynamics.
Errors and Discrepancies
Saxophone score
The tempo, dynamic, and articulation indications listed below are found in the piano score and should
be included in the saxophone score.
First movement
mm. 15-16: slur from G to C
m. 17: slur first D to B
m. 27: slur octave B-flats
m. 35: add accent to F
m. 119: the B is an eighth-note, not a quarter-note
m. 152: add crescendo
m. 203: omit "+"
Second movement
mm. 1, 37, and 106: first note is "f," not "fp”, second note is "p"
Third movement
m. 20: the second G is an eighth-note, not a quarter-note
mm. 38-39: slur into B-flat
mm. 76-77: slur into E-flat
m. 206: add accent to B
m. 218: "mp crescendo," not "mf"
m. 225: add "f"
mm. 253-254: move "crescendo" from m. 253 to m. 254
m. 289: place "ffp" under B
Piano score
First movement
mm. 15-16: add slur G to C in saxophone part
m. 152: add crescendo to saxophone part
m. 156: add crescendo to saxophone part
Second movement
mm. 1, 37, and 106: first note is "f," not "fp”, second note is "p"
Third movement
m. 15: final right hand chord is C-G-sharp-A-C (add sharp to G, natural
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to A, and natural to C)
mm. 76-77: add slur into E-flat in saxophone part
m. 206: add accent to B in saxophone part
Fingerings and Suggestions
First movement
Tempo of MM=126 (minimum)
m. 16: Right Side Key 1 (RSK 1) B-flat fingering
m. 20: observe decrescendo to assume an accompanimental role
m. 41: make only a slight ritard
mm. 58-60: covered C-sharp fingering (octave key and ring finger of left hand, first, second,
and third fingers of right hand); lift left hand ring finger to play high C-sharp
m. 81: RSK 1 B-flat fingering
mm. 91-104: bis key B-flat fingering, trill to C by using RSK 1 and 2
m. 104: play as
mm. 133-136: accelerate into the recapitulation at m. 136
m. 152: play a crescendo into m. 153
m. 181: Left Side Key 1 (LSK 2) D fingering
m. 182: Right Side Key 4 (RSK 4) E fingering
m. 185: use low D-flat key to play A-flat
m. 188: play a tempo on beat 4
m. 194: it is possible to accelerate
m. 203: omit slap-tongue
Second movement
Tempo of MM=144 (minimum)
m. 11: Right Side Key 2 (RSK 2) C fingering;
Right Side Key 3 (RSK 3) D fingering
m. 12: RSK 4 E fingering
mm. 23-29, 31, 42: covered C-sharp fingering
mm. 47-48: leave the A-flat key open for the grace notes; LSK 1 B-flat fingering
m. 49: LSK 1 B-flat fingering
m. 66: "5" A-sharp fingering; LSK 2 D fingering
mm. 71-73: leave the low C-sharp key open through G-sharp
m. 85: LSK 1 B-flat fingering
m. 90: side key G-flat fingering
m. 104: side key G-flat; covered D-flat fingering
m. 111: covered C-sharp fingering
m. 116: RSK 2 C fingering; RSK 3 D fingering
m. 117: RSK 4 E fingering
m. 121: give full value to the half-note
m. 131: "5" B-flat fingering, then bis key fingering
m. 161: covered C-sharp fingering for the eighth-note
mm. 162-163: side key F-sharp fingering
m. 183: covered C-sharp fingering
m. 188: RSK 2 C fingering; RSK 3 D fingering
m. 189: RSK 4 E fingering
m. 198: covered C-sharp fingering
15
m. 214: covered C-sharp fingering
m. 219: RSK 2 C fingering; RSK 3 D fingering
m. 220: RSK 4 E fingering
m. 234: covered C-sharp fingering
mm. 237-239: "5" A-sharp fingering
Third movement
Tempo of MM=42-48 for the adagio
m. 1: LSK 2 D fingering
m. 2: covered C-sharp fingering
m. 10: give full value to the E-flat
m. 14: LSK 2 D fingering; RSK 3 E-flat
m. 19: RSK 3 E-flat fingering
m. 22: LSK 2 D fingering
m. 23: covered C-sharp fingering
Tempo of MM=84-96 for the presto
mm. 63-64: LSK 2 key only for sixteenth-note D's; bis key B-flat fingering
mm. 79, 96: covered C-sharp fingering
mm. 96-100: maintain tempo
m. 113: covered C-sharp fingering
m. 161: RSK 3 E-flat fingering
m. 264: LSK 2 D fingering; RSK 3 E-flat fingering
m. 282: bis key B-flat fingering with RSK 1 and 2 for C fingering
m. 288: same fingering as m. 282 for first C
m. 293: “5" B-flat fingering
m. 297: lightly tongue the last note
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APPENDIX OF SUGGESTED FINGERINGS