ABSTRACT
Saxophonists aspiring to perform significant classical repertoire will quickly discover the challenges of high register passages in the third and fourth registers. Many of the early saxophone concerti, namely those composed between 1930-1960, are the foundation of the saxophone’s solo repertoire, and have guided composers and performers alike to explore the capabilities of the instrument in this regard.1 All saxophonists face the great task of representing these works with the artistic integrity their composers intended and can therefore benefit from an anthology that contains selected high register passages in their correct context, unaltered by unorthodox performance practice, subjective reasoning, or publication error.
This treatise examines high register passages from the alto saxophone concerti of Lars-Erik Larsson, Jacques Ibert, Frank Martin, Henry Brant, Carl Anton Wirth, Ingolf Dahl, Erland von Koch, and Frank Erickson. Historical and analytical facts regarding each composer and work are given, and the included concerti are taken from the most current published editions available.
