Julian Wagstaff - Catalogue
Catalogue
Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano (2005)
Programme Note available
Julian Wagstaff
First performance:
Johanne McMullan; Andrew Johnston, Reid Concert Hall, Edinburgh, 25 May 2005
Score : unpublished / Location: hard disk (pdf file) [enquire]
CD Rom / location: sound archive - YELLOW [enquire]
Score : unpublished / Location: ref library [enquire]
View performance history...
Programme Note availableJulian Wagstaff
First performance:
Johanne McMullan; Andrew Johnston, Reid Concert Hall, Edinburgh, 25 May 2005
Work Details
Category: chamber duo
Duration: 12'
Instrumentation: A-Sax Pf
Duration: 12'
Instrumentation: A-Sax Pf
SMC Holdings
Score : unpublished / Location: hard disk (pdf file) [enquire]
CD Rom / location: sound archive - YELLOW [enquire]
Score : unpublished / Location: ref library [enquire]Programme Note
My Saxophone Sonata was composed in late 2004 for the saxophonist Johanne McMullan, then a final year student at Edinburgh University, for her degree recital.
It is in many ways a continuation of my exploration of the interface between the "serious" and the "popular" in music, the first manifestation of which was my 2002 Piano Quintet.
The first movement (Prelude) is driven by a harmonic logic which is essentially quartal, and a melodic one based around the whole-tone scale. The Chorale and Passacaglia is derived entirely from three distinct twelve-note rows, and is an attempt to re-discover Schoenberg's early twelve-tone discoveries through a jazz-inflected aesthetic. The rondo finale is an up-tempo chromatic work-out, the tonal centre of which is continually shifting. The piece covers the entire register of the alto saxophone, thus comprehensively demonstrating the technical capabilities of the instrument. In addition, the characteristic melodies contained within the piece ably demonstrate the lyrical capacity of the alto sax.
My Saxophone Sonata was composed in late 2004 for the saxophonist Johanne McMullan, then a final year student at Edinburgh University, for her degree recital.
It is in many ways a continuation of my exploration of the interface between the "serious" and the "popular" in music, the first manifestation of which was my 2002 Piano Quintet.
The first movement (Prelude) is driven by a harmonic logic which is essentially quartal, and a melodic one based around the whole-tone scale. The Chorale and Passacaglia is derived entirely from three distinct twelve-note rows, and is an attempt to re-discover Schoenberg's early twelve-tone discoveries through a jazz-inflected aesthetic. The rondo finale is an up-tempo chromatic work-out, the tonal centre of which is continually shifting. The piece covers the entire register of the alto saxophone, thus comprehensively demonstrating the technical capabilities of the instrument. In addition, the characteristic melodies contained within the piece ably demonstrate the lyrical capacity of the alto sax.
View performance history...