5 Nostalgic Pieces for saxophone alto and piano. Piano score and part

“Only saxophone can display tenderness and passion, setting off the restrained force”.

Agree: how precise in his definition of possibilities of the instrument (the instrument’s possibilities) is G. Bizet. Saxophone is a delicate Parisian thing (Adolphe Sax, although he was a Belgian by origin, invented and patented his instrument, or, to say more exactly, the whole family, the whole line of instruments, in the Forties of the XIX century just in Paris).

French composers didn’t ignore it of course. The new instrument combined in itself the technical virtuosity of a clarinet, the dynamic power of a trompet and the hearty melody of corn.

The first, who noted saxophone, was H. Berlioz and after him more then imposing list of composers: G. Meyerbeer, K. Saint-Saens, L. Delibes, J. Massenet, C. Debussy, M. Ravel, S. Prokofiev, I. Stravinsky, R. Strauss, B. Bartók, P. Hindemith, G. Gershwin, A. Berg, at last, the ex-rector of Saint-Petersburg Conservatoire, which your humble servant had the honour to graduate, A. Glazunov. Being in remote Parisian emigration, he composed not only the cello concert (the theme from which was used later by the French composer Michel Legrand for his musical “Les parapluies de Cherbourg”, but the concert for saxophone with string orchestra also.

But in spite of all above mentioned examples the participation in symphony orchestra was not attached to saxophone — it was rather difficult to indicate an exact place of the “newarriver” among wooden-wind instruments. 

Then the jazz era had come. Saxophone was caught by Afro-Americans: H. Hawkins, Ch. Parker... However I suppose there is no need to absorbe in history of instrumental musical performance — everybody, who trains to play saxophone knows it much better and exact than me. 

In these five nostalgic pieces I’d like to show saxophone like a lyrical one, which is capable to draw nearly human voice, like only cello can, may be, refusing not in the least from jazz elements in harmony and swing moments in rhythmical organization of musical material.

Vladimir Korovitsyn

Contents:

Preface
1. Sentimental Journey
2. Serenade in the Night
3. Courteous Cavalier
4. Nostalgia
5. Under the Happy Star’s Rays