In the early twentieth century, the saxophone was a new instrument in the United States. However, its popularity quickly grew as the instrument was featured in many genres of music, most notably military bands and jazz bands. Instrumental manufacturers sold millions of saxophones as demand for the instrument increased. However since the saxophone was so new, there was a lack of quality instruction. As a result, the general playing level of saxophonists was low. Saxophonist Henry Lindeman published one of the first comprehensive method books for the instrument in the United States in 1934. The book was the product of Lindeman’s extensive research into the fundamentals of saxophone playing. The book was a success after it was published, and Lindeman’s reputation as a teacher grew. The Lindeman Method discusses all of the fundamental aspects of saxophone playing in great detail including the following: breathing, posture, embouchure, tone production, finger technique, vibrato, melody playing, and articulation. Lindeman’s book had a lasting effect on how saxophone is taught, as all of his fundamental concepts are generally still approached in the same manner in modern saxophone pedagogy. Lastly, the method book itself continues to be used, thanks to Lindeman’s students and their students and so forth.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

abstract: During the twentieth-century, the dual influence of nationalism and modernism in the eclectic music from Latin America promoted an idiosyncratic style which naturally combined traditional themes, popular genres and secular music. The saxophone, commonly used as a popular instrument, started to develop a prominent role in Latin American classical music beginning in 1970. The lack of exposure and distribution of the Latin American repertoire has created a general perception that composers are not interested in the instrument, and that Latin American repertoire for classical saxophone is minimal. However, there are more than 1100 works originally written for saxophone in the region, and the amount continues to grow. This Modern Latin American Repertoire for Classical Saxophone: Recording Project and Performance Guide document establishes and exhibits seven works by seven representative Latin American composers.The recording includes works by Carlos Gonzalo Guzman (Colombia), Ricardo Tacuchian (Brazil), Roque Cordero (Panama), Luis Naón (Argentina), Andrés Alén-Rodriguez (Cuba), Alejandro César Morales (Mexico) and Jose-Luis Maúrtua (Peru), featuring a range of works for solo alto saxophone to alto saxophone with piano, alto saxophone with vibraphone, and tenor saxophone with electronic tape; thus forming an important selection of Latin American repertoire. Complete recorded performances of all seven pieces are supplemented by biographical, historical, and performance practice suggestions. The result is a written and audio guide to some of the most important pieces composed for classical saxophone in Latin America, with an emphasis on fostering interest in, and research into, composers who have contributed in the development and creation of the instrument in Latin America. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2011

Under mitt tredje år som musiklärarstudent på Musikhögskolan Ingesund är jag den enda som har klassisk saxofon som huvudinstrument. Mitt intresse för saxofonkvartettspel har alltid varit stort men när det nu inte finns någon möjlighet till kvartettspel har intresset och längtan efter att få spela kvartett vuxit ännu mer. Därför handlar detta arbete om saxofonkvartett. Syftet har varit att ta reda på de utmaningar jag upplever när jag spelar på de fyra olika saxofonerna i kvartetten och när jag studerar in respektive saxofons stämma i ett kvartettstycke. För att genomföra studien har jag främst använt loggbok där jag har skrivit om mina upplevelser och sedan delat upp dem i olika kategorier; fysiska utmaningar, stämmornas utmaningar och instrumentens utmaningar. Resultatet visar bland annat på skillnader vad gäller instudering av varje saxofons respektive stämma och saxofonens roll i kvartetten. Det visar också på skillnader i hur jag använder min kropp för att få fram den optimala klangen på varje saxofon. I arbetets diskussionskapitel jämförs mina upplevelser med forskning och information från litteratur till stor del skriven av andra saxofonister. / During my third year as a music teacher student on Musikhögskolan Ingesund I am the only one who studies classical saxophone as my major subject. My interest of playing saxophone quartet have always been great but when there is no opportunity for quartet playing, the interest and the desire to play quartet has grown even more. Therefore, this work is about saxophone quartet. The purpose has been to find out the challenges I experience when I play the four different saxophones in the quartet and when I study the respective saxophone's part in a quartet piece. In order to complete the study, I have mainly used a logbook where I have written about my experiences and then divided them into different categories; physical challenges, the challenges of the parts and the challenges of the instruments. The results show, among other things, differences in the studying of each saxophone´s part and the saxophones role in the quartet. It also shows differences in how I use my body to get an optimal sound on each saxophone. In the discussion of the work, my experiences are compared with research and information from literature mainly written by other saxophonists.

Abstract Jeanine Rueff ́s Sonata is a dodecaphonic piece for an unaccompanied saxophone. The aim of this thesis is two fold: First I will do an analysis of the Sonata to try to discover if she used some characteristic series (original, inverted, retrograde, inverted-retrograde...) in her style or, otherwise, she wrote free form. Then, I am going to talk about this technique and the evolution from classical music to atonality and, eventually, I am going to perform the piece in my final master recital. Key words: Saxophone, Jeanine Rueff, twelve-tone technique, classical saxophone, analysis, musical research, Daniel Deffayet.

UNRAVEL, a work for alto saxophone and interactive electronics. Examines works for saxophone and electro-acoustic music. Analyzes modes of interactivity using Robert Rowe's guidelines, with sonogram, score, and programming examples. Investigates hybrid serial-parallel signal-processing networks, and their potential for timbral transformations. Explores compositional working methods, particularly as related to electro-acoustic music.

The ability to sight-read well is held as a highly regarded and important skill in music performance and education. Over the past 90 years, researchers have investigated several aspects of music sight-reading, especially those attributes possessed by skilled sight-readers. A significant and recurrent finding from this body of research is the relationship between sight-reading and rhythm recognition. Though these studies have found positive effects and correlations between rhythm recognition and sight-reading, they have been limited and indirect. The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the effects of (a) practicing rhythms on a single pitch and (b) practicing rhythms with full-range scales and their direct effects on sight-reading ability in saxophonists at the college level. The primary objective in this research was to determine if one method was more effective than another in developing sight-reading skills. The participants (N = 74) consisted of college students who were enrolled in saxophone lessons at a university in the southwestern United States. Participants were administered a sight-reading pre-test at the beginning of an 8-week treatment period. After pre-testing, students were blocked into two groups. The first treatment group was assigned to practice rhythms on a single pitch and the second treatment group was assigned to practice rhythms combined with full-range major scales. After the treatment period, participants were administered a sight-reading post-test. A 2-way mixed ANOVA was used to determine if there were differences between treatment groups, differences from pre-test to post-test, and if there was a significant interaction between treatment and time. There was no significant difference between treatment groups, F (1, 72) = .035, p = .852, partial η2 = .000028. There was a significant effect for time, indicating that both treatment groups improved from pre-to post test, F (1, 72) = 83.499, p < .001, partial η2 = .537. There was no significant interaction between treatment and time, F (1, 72) = .322, p = .572, partial η2 = .004.

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.

This study examines the effects of imitating other musicians on one’s instrument as well as how this impacts one’s playing. Furthermore, it seeks to illuminate the question of what the ear notices first when listening non-analytically to music with the goal of copying a certain way of playing. The result of the work would be demonstrated at a concert with mostly original music. A selection of musicians and recordings to imitate was made, and the imitation happened on 8 different occasions with varying constellations and different musicians participating. During the process it was made clear that the musician’s ear mainly picks up on the overall feeling and attitude of soloists, but also some small details such as nuances in timbre and intonation. In the preparation of the concert some songs were more or less tailored to a certain way of playing, inspired by the recordings. The resulting concert clearly shared some characteristics with some of the recordings, as well as having little in common with others.

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