Stetson University Archives

SCHOOL OF MUSIC DAMON WILLE, SAXOPHONE Joni Bjella, Piano Studio of James Bishop April 17,2011 3:30 P.M. Lee Chapel, Elizabeth Hall Pierre Max Dubois (1930-1995) Concerto for Saxophone and String Orchestra Lento-Allegro Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Rhapsody for Saxophone and Orchestra James Di Pasquale (b. 1941) Sonata for Tenor Saxophone and Piano Andante~Allegro moderato Adagio non troppo Allegro con brio This program is presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Music Education. Out of courtesy to all, please follow these requests. Turn off all cellular phones, beepers, and other electronic devices. Do not leave or enter the hall while music is being performed. Do not operate flash photography during the performance. Any recording must be authorized by the performer and the School of Music. ( STETSON UNIVERSITY ( Pierre Max Dubois is a French composer who was a student of Darius Milhaud and was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1955 A member of an intellectual group reacting against Wagner's ideas and Impressionism named Les Six, he carried its ideas into the mid-20th century Other members of this group include Milhaud and Poulenc. Typical of the Dubois style Concerto pour Saxophone alto et Orchestre a Cordes is, after a long opening cadenza, lighthearted and harmonically interesting. He uses the piano with the saxophone to create interesting melodic texture throughout the ternary allegro portion. Ehse Hall was a wealthy, amateur saxophonist who had taken up the instrument long before it was fashionable to help curb a respiratory problem she was encountering. She had commissioned a large array of works from various composers - including Claude Debussy She pressed Debussy for a completion date by traveling to Paris. He is quoted having said "The Americans are proverbially tenacious., the saxophone lady has arrived, and is inquiring about her piece. Of course, I have assured her that it is the only subject that occupies my thoughts...so here I am, searching desperately for novel combinations calculated to show off this aquatic instrument." Debussy did not finish Rapsodie pour Saxophone alto et Orchestre a cordes before he died. In 1911 he presented three or four staves of music to Ehse with much of the scoring incomplete. Today, there are several editions of the work as many people have interpreted the sketches left by Debussy in different ways. The work was finally premiered on May 11, 1919 featuring Yves Mayeur on saxophone. James Di Pasquale, an American-born composer, has worked on many different types of projects. He has written music for TV shows such as Columbo, Hawaii- Five-0 and Trauma Center, earning him three Emmy's and six nominations. His music appeared m films such as Armed and Dangerous and Showdown. Di Pasquale also worked with leading jazz artists such as Gerry Mulligan, Ella Fitzgerald and Henry Mancini. His Sonata for Tenor Saxophone and Piano shows evidence of this jazz experience by incorporating syncopated rhythms and swing style articulations. 1 .

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