A Commissioning And Recording Project Of New Works For Saxophone Focused On Extended Techniques

This commissioning and recording project contains new works for the saxophone focused on extended techniques. This document serves as a guide for saxophone teachers and students looking for new pieces to teach or perform that include extended techniques. These works were pedagogically created to be accessible to the saxophonist who is interested in learning or improving upon their ability to perform the following five extended techniques: altissimo, slap tongue, microtonality, multiphonics, and vocalizing. Seven composers, listed in alphabetical order in this document and on the CD, Corey Dundee, Kathryn Koopman, Samuel Lipman, Joel Love, Shawna Pennock, Alan Theisen, and David Vess, were given musical guidelines on how to utilize each extended technique within their compositions. These guidelines suggest limitations for using each technique to ensure the composers create accessible pieces for saxophonists interested in learning and applying these various techniques into repertoire. The result was a collection of pieces with varying degrees of difficulty. Some pieces are appropriate for a younger undergraduate saxophonist (Koopman, Lipman, Pennock), and some are appropriate for an advanced undergraduate or graduate saxophonist (Theisen, Love, Dundee, Vess). The American Band College Music Grading Chart was used to designate a difficulty level to each piece based on its meter, time signature, note/rest value, and rhythm. This document contains summaries of the pieces, brief information about each composer, and a discussion of the musical guidelines given to the composers for each extended technique followed by examples of the musical guidelines utilized within each piece.