This document annotates 23 unaccompanied alto saxophone compositions, including original works and transcriptions. Selection of these pieces was based on the following criteria: (1) works which are commonly performed, (2) works by major composers, and (3) works which are important in terms of innovative performance techniques. Each annotation provides a synopsis of the composition, biographical information about the composer, pertinent information about the composition (dedication, duration, etc.), discussion about various performance considerations, a brief analysis, and concluding statements about the work including a qualitative assessment. Compositions annotated in the document include: Caprice en forme de valse by Paul Bonneau, Mai/ by Ryo Noda, Sonate by Jeanine Rueff, Suite Francais by Pierre Max Dubois, and the Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 by J. S. Bach arr. Londeix, and arr. Ricker (both editions are discussed). At the conclusion of the document, a bibliography of approximately 300 unaccompanied compositions for the alto saxophone (including commonly performed transcriptions) is listed, providing the title, composer, and publisher (if available).

The subject of the dissertation was chosen as a result of observing a need to provide the college saxophone major in the first or second year of study with a reference text focusing primarily on problem solving. Sources exist describing accepted fundamentals of saxophone performance; however, these noticeably omit solutions to a vast number of problems which inevitably arise for some students during their course of study. It was the aim of the dissertation to fill this void by offering practical solutions to a breadth of performance problems encountered during private studio and class saxophone teaching experience at Ball State University.Solutions to performance problems were formulated through the development of original and learned techniques and procedures, and by synthesizing applicable pedagogical information by other saxophonists and instrumentalists whenever possible. The resultant compilation of knowledge gleaned through personal experience, experimentation, and research of other disseminated information has produced a unique and comprehensive problem-solving reference for saxophone.The format of the dissertation is designed for easy reference. Causes of performance problems are systematically arranged under the following categories: mouthpiece, reed, ligature, instrument, and player. A solution follows each performance problem cited, which generally consists of a corrective physical or mechanical adjustment, a rehearsal technique, or some other course of action required to correct the problem. Subjects addressed include: (1) mouthpiece--designs, defects, selection; (2) reed--designs, conditioning, positioning, deficiency and defect adjustments; (3) ligature--designs, placement, tension; (4) instrument--mechanical adjustments, altissimo vent key adjustment, defective neck, dents; (5) player-tone production, technical problems, air control, tonguing, vibrato.The final chapter functions as a checklist when the cause of a problem is uncertain. Under four categories of performance-problem. symptoms (poor tone quality, intonation problems, response problems, squeaking), the reader may isolate the specific problem by symptom, then refer to the main body of the dissertation for the solution to the fundamental problem. Conclusions follow each topic.The text should contribute to the library of the saxophone instructor and the graduate assistant as a problem-solving reference manual for students. Woodwind instructors required to teach saxophone without extensive performance experience on the instrument should find the text to be a helpful teaching aid as well.

No description available.

Johannes Brahms’s Sonata No. 2, Opus 99 is considered an important work of the cello repertoire. With the lack of Romantic-era transcriptions, specifically Brahms, the purpose of this project was to create a new transcription to add to the alto saxophone repertoire. The paper examines Brahms’s own transcription of Sonata Nos. 1 and 2, Opus 120 as an example of a clarinet to viola transcription. Additionally, the paper discusses in detail the necessary changes to the music, as well as offering technical suggestions for the issues encountered when transcribing from a stringed to a wind instrument. The paper concludes with a complete transcription of Brahms’s Sonata No. 2, Opus 99 for alto saxophone and piano.

This dissertation analyzes the original composition Radial, which is scored for alto saxophone solo, small orchestra and live electronics. Multiphonics are a common feature on the aural surface of Radial. This analysis will show that alto saxophone multiphonics are also a primary structural element in the work, hierarchically organizing the timbres, harmonies, instrumental interactions and large-scale form of the score. Interestingly, no source suggests how multiphonics can be an independent organizational force. Numerous book length multiphonic catalogues for diverse instruments give fingerings for these sounds and describe them as harmonies so that they can be fitted into harmonic contexts, and a small but significant scientific literature on multiphonics discusses the acoustic principles underlying these sounds, but no document considers their independent structural potential. After providing a general account of multiphonics and their relation to harmonic and inharmonic sounds, this dissertation will propose an answer to that problem by drawing together concepts from American experimental music, spectralism and cognitive music theory, with Radial reviewed as an example of this method in action. Historical issues and a broad range of implications for this research will also be discussed.

No description available.

Thesis (M.M.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor:Mark Engebretson; submitted to the School of Music.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Oklahoma, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references and discography (leaves 136- 137).

Sechs Bagatellen / Gyorgy Ligeti -- Short stories / Jennifer Higdon -- Quatour pour saxophones en quatre parties, op. 102 / Florent Schmitt -- Saxteto / Victor Marquez-Barrios. / text

Sechs Bagatellen / Gyorgy Ligeti -- Short Stories / Jennifer Higdon -- Quatuor pour saxophones en quatre parties, op. 102 / Florent Schmitt -- Saxteto / Victor Marquez-Barrios. / text