Spring 2014 DMus CD Scholarly Notes Essay

• Author / Creator

  Low, Chee Meng

• The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax (1814–1894), a Belgian musical instrument maker. The saxophone is capable of producing a wide variety of tone qualities and many sophisticated types of articulation or attacks . Furthermore, it has the possibilities of playing a wide range of dynamics, extremely wide intervals, playing outside the tempered scale, bisbigliando , multiphonics, and playing sounds and noises unique and irregular, such as key-clicks, pad sounds, and breath effects. Electronic enhancement also adds an infinite number of variations to this already wide range of possibilities unique to the saxophone. In choosing the repertoire for the CD recording project, the author has explored a wide range of pieces that best described the above-mentioned characteristics. The author also chose to commission a composer with a request for new repertoire. Another goals was to select a set of pieces from the repertory that is written for solo saxophone, hoping to present the instrument as it is, without any form of accompaniment. The outcome is this recording that consists of the following pieces, performed on various sizes of saxophone: Aeterna for alto saxophone by John Anthony Lennon (b.1950), Steady Study on the Boogie for alto saxophone by Christian Lauba (b.1952), Mysterious Morning III for soprano saxophone by Fuminori Tanada (b.1961), a newly commissioned work Terra Nemo for baritone saxophone by Piotr Grella-Możejko (b.1961), and Strata for tenor saxophone by Colin Labadie (b.1984).

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Recording
  • Saxophone

• Graduation date

  Spring 2014

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Music

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3MH44

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.