Brian Berdan

Chamber Literature

Set on a path: Early Saxophone Chamber Literature

The Saxophone was bullied out of the Orchestra setting shortly after its introduction to

the music world. Saxophone players had to look to willing composers and even the inventor of

their instrument, Adolphe Sax for Orchestral and Chamber music alike. Without Orchestral

composers such as Berlioz, Puccini, and Ravel, the Saxophone’s already limited place in the

saxophone world would be even smaller. And if it were not for the minds of Sax, Mule, Bozza,

Glazunov. and Singelée, the world of Saxophone chamber music would be in its infancy today.

The contributions of Adolphe Sax to the Saxophone cannot be understated. Sax is single

handedly responsible for both the invention and the longevity of the Saxophone. Though the

Saxophone was not initially picked up as an Orchestral instrument as Sax had originally

intended, military ensembles saw the versatility of the Saxophone, and began employing them in

their ensembles. Even with implementation from military ensembles, Sax had to turn to like

minded composers to make repertoire for his instrument. Among those like minded composers

was Jean-Baptiste Singelée, a French Composer whose works for Saxophone included both

concertos and quartets. One such quartet is “Allegro de Concert” which is still part of the

standard repertoire for Saxophone quartet. In historical significance, this piece is written in a

SATB arrangement, (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass), this would later become the standard

arrangement for Saxophone quartet. Sax also spent a 7 year stint at the Paris Conservatoire as a

Saxophone teacher. Smith’s Thesis shows us that this stay at the Conservatoire could have

contributed greatly to the life of the Saxophone, and its establishment as a standard instrument.
This was where the SATB format was established, as well as the restructuring of the make-up of

the French Military Ensembles. Without his position at the Conservatory, and his push for like

minded musicians to compose for his instrument, we may not even think of playing the

saxophone in a classical setting, let alone in a chamber setting.

Marcel Mule was a large proponent for the Saxophone quartet. He helped to establish the

Saxophone quartet known as “Le Quatuor de Saxophones,” an ensemble made of French

Saxophone players that helped to popularize the medium of Saxophone Quartet. Mule went on to

write standards for solo Saxophone such as “Tableaux de Provence” as well as “Concertino da

Camera” One piece that Mule’s Quartet established as standard repertoire for Saxophone

Quartet was Eugene Bozza’s “Allegro et Scherzo” As Cottrell put it, the pieces that Mule

composed, as well as played with his quartet, “established the bedstone of French Saxophone

Repertoire.” Without which, The modern Saxophone portfolio would have many more

transcriptions, etudes stolen from the like of Ferling, and much more “non-native” works.

Further East in Russia, the Romantic Composer Glazunov was also making his mark

early in the life of the saxophone quartet. “Saxophone Quartet, Op. 109” was written in 1932

and also became a staple in the works of Le Quatuor de Saxophones.

These staples of Saxophone Quartet literature show were able to convey all of the

strengths that the saxophone has as a classical instrument. In Bozza’s Allegro, the Saxophone’s

potential for flourishing technique and variety of timbres is showcased. Glazunov’s Quartet

shows off the potential for lyricism and blend that the instrument offers in its opening measures

alone.

The Saxophone’s reputation as a marching and jazz staple left a lot of composer’s

hesitant to write for the instrument. However, through the passion of people like Sax, and the
musical execution of Mule and Le Quatuor de Saxophones, paved the way for the world of

Saxophone chamber literature. Without the establishment of the potential of a Saxophone

Quartet as a medium, perhaps we would not see any further original chamber music for

saxophone until the likes of Philip Glass. These early efforts helped to save the progeny of

classical saxophone chamber music.

References:

Cottrell S. The Saxophone. New Haven: Yale University Press; 2013.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=518267&site=ehost-

live&scope=site. Accessed March 10, 2020.

Raumberger, Claus, and Karl Ventzke. "Saxophone." Grove Music Online. 2001. Oxford

University Press. Date of access 10 Mar. 2020,

<https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.00

01/omo-9781561592630-e-0000024670>

Bate, P., & Horwood, W. (2001). Sax family. Grove Music Online. Retrieved 10 Mar. 2020, from
https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.000
1/omo-9781561592630-e-0000024666.

Smith, Georgina. “Something Old, Something New: the Development of the Saxophone
Quartet and Interpreting Alexander Glazunov's Quartett Fiir Saxophones Op. 109 .”
University of Tasmania, University of Tasmania, 2011, pp. 5–8.

“Why Is There No Saxophone in the Orchestra?” Youtube.com, David Bruce Composer, 3 Mar.

2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsfPS7pXg1E.