French composer Fernande Decruck (1896-1954) composed over forty works for the saxophone, but her music fell into obscurity soon after her death. In recent years, the Sonate en ut# pour saxophone alto (ou alto) et orchestre (1943) has been rediscovered, performed, and recorded by prominent concert saxophonists. This document takes a historical approach by examining Decruck's biography, as well as a theoretical approach to provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of her work through analysis. The first four chapters of this document provide biographical background on Decruck, her career, professional associations, and her husband, Maurice Decruck, saxophonist and music publisher. Additionally, an examination of her saxophone output includes a brief discussion of her compositional development. Fernande Decruck dedicated her sonata to French saxophone virtuoso Marcel Mule, but a version for solo viola also exists. From the discrepancies between the versions, one might infer that portions of the work were composed originally for the viola. There are also two versions of the accompaniment: one for full orchestra and the other for piano. Analysis comprises the bulk of this study. The work is composed in a traditional four-movement setting: a sonata-form opening movement, a slow second movement, a movement entitled "Fileuse" (spinning song), substituting for the traditional scherzo, and a rondo-like finale. The work incorporates trends of Impressionism through its harmonic vocabulary, chordal planing, and pentatonic scales. It also demonstrates a sophisticated application of polytonal techniques in several passages. In addition to analysis of each movement, common interpretive practices are discussed, based upon available commercial recorded performances, and performance suggestions are given. There are several notation errors within the parts, as well as some significant differences between the two accompaniments. These errata and discrepancies between the solo parts are listed and discussed.

I det här arbetet har jag sett på Fernande Decrucks Sonate en Ut# och utforskat saxofonens position i den klassiska musiktraditionen. Sonate en Ut# är en sonat för saxofon (eller viola) och orkester av den franska kvinnliga organisten och kompositören Fernande Decruck (1896–1954). Syftet med arbetet var att som saxofonist instudera och interpretera sonaten och att reflektera över saxofonen som klassiskt instrument. Saxofon är ett träblåsinstrument skapat av den belgiska instrumentmakaren Adolphe Sax, som tog patent på instrumentet i 1846. Trots att saxofonens klassiska repertoar är relativt stor har inte saxofonen fått fullständigt genomslag som ett klassiskt instrument och räknas ofta som ett jazzinstrument. Under mitt arbete har jag använt mig av partitur, en inspelning, litterära källor och nätresurser till analysen och agogiska tekniker till instuderingen. Jag upptäckte att saxofonen har potential att fungera i ett klassiskt samspel med rätt teknik och att saxofonen har potential att föra den klassiska musiken framåt. / In this study I have looked at Fernande Decruck's Sonate en Ut# and explored the position of the saxophone in the classical music tradition. Sonate en Ut# is a sonata for saxophone (or viola) and orchestra by the French female organist and composer Fernande Decruck (1896-1954). The purpose of the study was to interpret the sonata as a saxophonist and to reflect on the saxophone as a classical instrument. The saxophone is a woodwind instrument created by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax, who took out a patent for the instrument in 1846. Although the saxophone's classical repertoire is relatively large, the saxophone has not gained full recognition as a classical instrument and is often considered a jazz instrument. During my study I have used scores, a recording, literary sources and online resources for the analysis and agogic techniques for the interpretive work. I discovered that the saxophone has the potential to work in a classical ensemble with the right technique and that the saxophone has the potential to move classical music forward.

Master of Music / Department of Music / Anna Marie Wytko / In 1838, Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax created the saxophone. The saxophone was officially patented on June 24, 1846. Sax became the first Professor of Saxophone at the Conservatoire de Paris. This conservatoire has been and continues to be a historically important school of music in Europe. There have been four saxophone professors at the Conservatoire National Supèrieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris since the instrument’s creation. These professors include: Adolphe Sax (1814-1894), Marcel Mule (1901-2001), Daniel Deffayet (1922-2002), and Claude Delangle (born 1957). Each instructor has championed the saxophone to new heights by refining pedagogical approaches and by advocating for the creation of new saxophone compositions. The music examined in this document represents pieces composed for each of the four saxophone professors who have taught at the Conservatoire de Paris. Paul-Agricole Génin’s composition Variations sur un thème espagnol: pour saxophone alto et piano was inspired by Adolphe Sax, Fernande Decruck composed Sonata in C-Sharp for Alto Saxophone and Piano (1943) for Marcel Mule, Ida Gotkovsky wrote Variations pathétiques: pour Saxophone Alto et Piano (1980) for Daniel Deffayet, and Sequenza IX for Alto Saxophone (1980) by Luciano Berio was dedicated to Claude Delangle. All of these pieces demonstrate how composers continually strive to expand the boundaries of the skilled saxophonists’ musical style, technical facility, and overall flexibility on the saxophone. This master’s report, presented as extended program notes, includes biographical information about the composers, a historical and stylistic overview of the selected compositions, and a harmonic and formal analysis of the music with respect to performance considerations.