SCHOOL OF MUSIC SENIOR RECITAL BRIAN ANTHONY KUPERMAN, SAXOPHONE Betty Jo Couch, piano Studio of James Bishop
November 4, 2007 5:30 P.M. Elizabeth Hall
Leslie Bassett (b. 1923) Music for Saxophone and Piano Fast Slow Moderato Fast
Paule Maurice (1910-1967) Tableaux de Provence Farandoulo di chatouno Cansoun per ma mio La Boumiano Dis Alyscamps l'amo souspire Lou Cabridan
This recital is given in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music Education.
Out of courtesy to the performers, and those seated next to you, it is requested that all electronic devices be turned off. Please no text messaging during the performance.
STETSON UNVERSTY Leslie Bassett is an American composer, born in Hanford, California. He attended California State, in Fresno, the University of Michigan, and Ecole Normale de Musique, in Paris. Bassett joined the 13th Armored Division Band as a trombonist and arranger during World War II. He has written works for orchestra, wind ensemble, as well as chamber and solo repertoire. In addition to instrumental work, Bassett has written electronic music and is one of the founders of the University of Michigan's Electronic Music Studio.
Bassett's Music for Saxophone and Piano is not serial; however, it employs similar chromaticism and coherence. The saxophone uses a wide dynamic range, as well as improvisatory qualities of jazz, although all the music is notated. The piano part utilizes uncommon performance practice such as dampening strings with the hands or tape in order to create a pizzicato articulation, as heard in the opening of the first movement.
The work is written in four movements. The opening movement is quick, blending duple and triple subdivisions to create a sense of speeding up and slowing down within a steady tempo. The second movement begins slow and very quietly (quarter note = 42, pp) and reaches a climax through a quick series of metric modulations which, along with increase in dynamic, reach the climax. The third movement is an unmetered play between the saxophone and piano. It avoids a tonal center until the resolution in the final chord. The final movement is similar in tempo and style to the first. It builds intensity as it reaches the cadenza, which Bassett directs the performer with instruction like "violent." The piece closes with a quick presto to the finale.
Paule Maurice is one of a few female composers whose works are now part of the standard saxophone literature. Born in Paris in the early part of the 19,h century, she attended the Paris Conservatory, studying harmony under J. Gallon and H. Challan, and composition under H. Busser. Maurice later became Professor of Sight Reading at the Paris Conservatory and Professor of Harmonic Analysis at the Normal School of Music.
Maurice's work, Tableaux de Provence, was composed for saxophone and orchestra between 1948 and 1955. Maurice dedicated the work to her friend and saxophonist Marcel Mule. The piece was premiered in Brest, France by Jean-Marie Londeix, under the direction of Pierre Lantier, Maurice's husband. Perhaps the best description for the piece comes from Maurice herself.
"Farandoulo di Chatouno (Dance of the Young Girls), written in the hypo-lydian mode, expresses the joy of youth. The solo instrument has most of the rhythmic interest, and shares a few interspersed dialogues between the oboe and the flute."
"Chanson pour ma mie (Songfor My Beloved) opens with notes based on guitar tuning pitches. The saxophone then introduces a tender and poetic phrase over and accompaniment reminiscent of a serenade."
"La Boumiano (The Gypsy Girl): a strongly emphasized rhythm expresses the fiery temperament of the gypsy people."
"Des Alyscamps I' ame Souspire (From the Graveyard Alyscamps, a Soul Sighs): the saxophone sings a plaintive, nostalgic melody. This piece is constructed in the form of a lied."
"Le Cabridan is a large, buzzing insect native to the Provence region of France... It is written in the form of perpetual motion work whose continuous motion is briefly interrupted by a short cadenza. The reprise of the theme...seems to depict the rapid escape of the insect, which disappears in a general diminuendo."
SO