Saxophone Sonata Extended Techniques
Joseph R. Connor of Lawrence University demonstrates extended techniques for performing the Maslanka Saxophone Sonata.
Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano – Some Thoughts on Performance
David Maslanka wrote this in February 2013
A lot of work has been done over many years to evolve a controlled and “beautiful” saxophone tone. There is a need for this kind of tone in my music, but there is also the push to the extreme. I am drawn to saxophones because of their wide-ranging vocal quality, which feels like a real extension of the human voice. Saxophone sound can break the heart with its softness and tenderness, and completely overwhelm with its power. “Beauty” cannot be confined to a narrow box labeled “beautiful.” Beauty is in the rightness of the musical moment, and that rightness can be a piercing cry at fff.
I think the strong appealing element of the Sonata is that it feels like an intimate journey and story for two people. There is a very close relationship between the saxophone and the piano. The piano does support the soloist in the traditional sense, but also leads and pushes. Intimacy is the key word, but that doesn’t mean just soft and sweet. It encompasses the full range of dialogue and emotions between two people. When this is established between the two players, the audience is immediately drawn in.
Fundamental issues in good music performance never change: careful attention to tempos, dynamics, articulations, and balances. If these things are carefully attended to, then 90% of the problem of what is called “interpretation” is solved.
First movement
m. 62: same tempo Q=90-96, no backing down; the ff is wild. […]
The Saxophone Sonata V2: Steven Jordheim’s Forward
Maslanka Press has released a beautiful new edition of David Maslanka’s Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano. Learn more —
Steven Jordheim, an early champion of the work and former teacher of saxophone at Lawrence University, wrote a forward and performance guide included in the new edition. Here is his forward.
Commissioned by the North American Saxophone Alliance and composed in 1988, David Maslanka’s Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano gives to the concert repertoire of the saxophone a monumental, riveting work that both rewards its performers and deeply affects audiences. At the time, he was living in Inwood, the northernmost neighborhood of Manhattan. Inwood Hill Park, which runs along the Hudson River, contains pronounced ridges, caves, and valleys. As Maslanka walked the park, contemplating the creation of this piece, he encountered a beast in his meditation. His first reaction was to run away, but in subsequent encounters he confronted it. Ultimately the beast devoured him. The work’s unironic tonal language, traditional three-movement structure, and dramatic interplay between saxophone and piano make it intensely accessible to all. Hearing the work at its 1989 premiere, I knew that the Sonata would become an important piece in Maslanka’s oeuvre. Its music engages and moves audiences deeply, and indeed the Sonata has become a frequently performed and recorded work.
No other piece that I’ve played demanded as much of me as a performer technically, expressively, physically, or emotionally. To deliver the Sonata as Maslanka intended, “on […]
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 40, World Premiere of Symphony No. 8
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature Alex Teater's signed program and tenor saxophone sheet music from the World Premiere of David's Symphony No. 8.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 122, New Performances of Popular Symphonies
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we are excited to feature amazing new performances of three of David's most popular symphonies: Symphony No. 4, Symphony No. 7, and Symphony No. 8.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 39, Wind Symphony Alumni Ensemble: Concert Recording
We are excited to feature a complete audio recording of the concert that took place on Friday, July 16, 2022 in Naperville, IL by Dr. Stephen K. Steele and the Wind Symphony Alumni Ensemble. This special event featured Angel of Mercy, Requiem, and Symphony No. 10 - The River of Time.
Stephen K. Steele & Wind Symphony Alumni Ensemble Perform to Thunderous Applause
Stephen K. Steele & Wind Symphony Alumni Ensemble Perform Symphony No. 10, Angel of Mercy, and Requiem in Naperville, IL on July 15, 2022 to a Standing Ovation of Thunderous Applause.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 38, The Life & Influence of Thich Nhat Hanh
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature the podcast Wind & Rhythm and their new episode on David's music inspired by the late Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 121, Michigan State University Bands
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature various ensembles from Michigan State University playing recent performances of David's music: Symphony No. 5, Hymn for World Peace, and Symphony No. 8.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 120, Mother Earth
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we showcase a traditional performance, an arrangement, and a score study session of On This Bright Morning.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 119, Recent Performances of On This Bright Morning
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we showcase three extraordinary performances of On This Bright Morning.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 118, Recent Performances of Mountain Roads
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we showcase three extraordinary performances of Mountain Roads.
The Red Door: Clarinet Works of David Maslanka – A conversation with Jeremy Reynolds and Matthew Maslanka
This conversation is about the album The Red Door: Clarinet Works of David Maslanka (2021)
Works discussed:
Three Pieces (1975)
Fourth Piece (1979)
Little Symphony (1989)
Eternal Garden (2009)
Trio No. 1 (1971/2012)
Trio No. 2 (1981)
A Litany for Courage and the Seasons (1988)
Matthew Maslanka: My name is Matthew Maslanka. I’m David Maslanka’s son. I’m being joined by Jeremy Reynolds who is professor of clarinet at University of Denver Lamont School of Music. And he has just released a two-CD set of basically everything dad ever wrote for chamber clarinet. And it is just a stunning piece of work. And I am grateful to be able to talk with you about it today.
Jeremy Reynolds: So thank you. Matthew, thank you so much. This has been a long time coming. And thank you for speaking with me. And anytime I can talk about your dad’s work and working with him and stuff. It’s always my pleasure. So it’s great. Fantastic.
MM: Why don’t you tell me a little bit about how this thing came to be?
JR: Yeah. So a very good friend of mine, Peggy Dees, who your dad also knew quite well. She was integral in getting Eternal Garden off the ground. She was I think the leader of the commission project. And she contacted – No, we met actually doing a recording session down in Florida for I think it was Carl Fischer. And we became really good friends and she roped me into the commissioning project for […]
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 117, Recent Performances of Give Us This Day
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we showcase three extraordinary performances of Give Us This Day.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 116, Recent Performances of Symphony No. 4
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we showcase three recent extraordinary performances of Symphony No. 4.
Rehearsing Alex and the Phantom Band and Saint Francis: Middle Tennessee State University (Oct 2016)
In October 2016, I (Matthew Maslanka) accompanied my father to Middle Tennessee State University where I photographed and recorded his masterclasses and rehearsals. This is his rehearsal on October 25. He helped produce his final CD during this visit.
Audio Recording (1:22:57)
(transcript below)
Reed Thomas
Good afternoon, everybody. So, the plan for next couple of days, we’re going to start with some sections of Alex and the Phantom Band, then we’re going to move on, once we’ve had the chance to dress and get ready, we’re going to move to St. Francis. And the second movement, first, then we are going do the first movement and during those times Dr. Maslanka is going to be working with you. Helping, so we can make sure that we produce the music in a way that is the best of our ability. (inaudible)
So we are very privileged to have him here to work with us this week. So if you will please welcome Dr. David Maslanka.
David Maslanka
Thank you, it’s an honor and will evolve as a pleasure as we get going together. My whole need in the music making is just that, that we make music together, as opposed to technical chunks of this and that. We’re going to make music all through the rest of our week together today. So I want to start, not take too much time with you now just to let you know who I am. And we’ll start with our friend, Alex here. This is a neat little […]
Masterclass: Middle Tennessee State University (Oct 2016)
In October 2016, I (Matthew Maslanka) accompanied my father to Middle Tennessee State University where I photographed and recorded his masterclasses and rehearsals. This is his first masterclass, on October 24. He helped produce his final CD during this visit.
Audio Recording (1:05:22)
(transcript below)
David Maslanka
Thanks for that. Thanks for for being here.
I wanted to tell you a little bit about composing and to show you some things concerning Bach chorales. This has been a foundational thing for me for a long time.
A huge amount of things have happened in the 20th century and in our own time. The options that you have for technical things in music are extraordinary. You have to kind of not look at certain things in order to be able to focus on something that you might really want to do. And it might seem like a complete backward kind of motion to take something like the Bach chorales and make them a center of the life. And I’ll just tell you a bit about that.
I’ve written a lot of music. Now there’s something about I think about 150 opus numbers at this point, and still very alive and very much interested in writing.
But composing makes me nervous. And does that make any sense? Composing makes me nervous. Because I don’t know what’s going to happen. And I don’t know what’s supposed to happen. Right? I don’t start I can’t start with a pre plan of any kind. I simply have to open and trust […]
Liner Notes for David Maslanka’s Final CD
This is a portion of the liner notes for David Maslanka: Works For Wind Ensemble, his final CD. The disc will be released on January 8, 2021.
Sacred Spaces
By Matthew Maslanka
Dr Reed Thomas makes a mean paella. For as seriously as he takes it, I suppose he should, but it was still a revelation to eat. The secret, I’m told, is in the heat and timing. He had a simply enormous pan that cooked over a charcoal pit, low and slow. Adding the rice and stock up front, he gradually added the other elements – shrimp, saffron and asparagus, among a host of other delicious treats – at exactly the right intervals. After pulling the pan off the fire, while the paella cooled enough for us to eat, we gathered for some pictures — and then we dug in. The socarrat, the lovely toasty caramelised Valencia rice at the bottom of the pan, was delightfully crunchy, flavoured with not only the seafood stock, but also every one of the layers of goodness on top.
Dr Thomas also runs a hidden gem of a band programme an hour outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro punches well above its weight; the ensembles there show remarkable training and professionalism.
I started publishing the music of my father, David Maslanka, in 2012. I’m the guy who prepares the music for printing, gets it printed, distributed and sold; and manages the licensing. I also accompanied Dad around the […]
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 37, Conor Bell’s New Dissertation on David’s Bassoon Music
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature Conor Bell's new dissertation on David's Bassoon Music.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 36, Anthony Joseph Lanman’s Interview of Matthew
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature Anthony Joseph Lanman's interview with Matthew on his podcast, 1 Track from Matthew's home in New York, NY earlier this year.
Interview with Tiffany Woods (2003)
In May 2003, Tiffany Woods emailed David a series of questions in the course of writing a paper. She was a student at the University of North Carolina Greensboro and taking a Band Literature course with Dr. John Locke. David wrote a thorough response. The interview has been excerpted from their correspondence and interleaved here. It has been lightly edited for spelling and style.
Tiffany Woods: I’ve read your interview with saxophonist Russell Peterson and first I want to talk a little about your compositional process and you referred to what you termed “active imagining.” While to some degree this makes sense in terms of a ‘programmatic’ piece, such as A Child’s Garden of Dreams and maybe even the Mass, when you sit down to “compose a symphony” does the same concept still apply?
David Maslanka: “Active Imagining” is a term used by the psychologist Carl Jung. It is a way of moving the conscious mind into the space of the unconscious. They closest thing to it that most people do is daydreaming. The difference is in being aware that it is happening, and in finding ways to deepen the experience. The result is that it is possible to approach the unconscious directly and to ask for the direction or energy that wants to become music. The process applies equally to all kinds of music. It isn’t about whether the music has a story, but about opening the channel […]
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 115, New Uploads of Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three new uploads of the Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 35, Damon Talley’s Interview of David
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature one of David's very last interviews. In April of 2017, Damon Talley - Director of Bands at LSU - had the opportunity to sit down with David and discuss Symphony No. 4 during a residency with the LSU Wind Ensemble.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 114, Schwäbisches Jugendblasorchester
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature Toni Scholl and the Schwäbisches Jugendblasorchester des Allgäu-Schwäbischen Musikbunde in a new live performance of Symphony No. 8.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 34, Julian Velasco’s Interview of Gary Green
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature Julian Velasco's interview of Gary Green from the Wharton Center in East Lansing, MI from October 24, 2017.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 113, Amazing New Student Performances
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we are excited to feature three amazing new student performances of David's music: Give Us This Day, Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble, and The Seeker.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 33, John Floridis’s Interview of David
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature an episode from Montana Public Radio's Musician's Spotlight featuring John Floridis interviewing David about his music and background as a composer.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 112, Angels
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we are excited to feature three of David's works that make either direct or indirect reference to angels: Symphony No. 4, My Lady White, and Angel of Mercy.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 32, Julian Velasco’s Interview of David – Part 2
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature Part 2 of Julian Velasco's interview of David from his home in Missoula, MT in 2016.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 111, Freshly Uploaded to the Web!
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we are exited to feature new performances of three works just uploaded to the web in the past seven days: Symphony No. 10: The River of Time, Recitation Book, and Illumination.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 31, Julian Velasco’s Interview of David – Part 1
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature Part 1 of Julian Velasco's interview of David from his home in Missoula, MT in 2016.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 110, Images of Hell
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three of David's works that reference Hell: Hell's Gate, A Child's Garden of Dreams, and O Earth, O Stars.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 30, Jim Tevenan’s Interview of David
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature an episode from Spokane Public Radio's From The Studio featuring Jim Tevenan interviewing David about his music. The Whitworth Wind Symphony had just performed David's Symphony No. 4.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 109, Lawrence University Conservatory of Music
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three ensembles from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in performances of David's music: Symphony No. 4, Crown of Thorns, and Tears.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 29, David on Dreaming and the Unconscious Mind
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature a speech David gave on matters of dreaming and the unconscious mind before a performance of A Child's Garden of Dreams by the James Madison University Wind Symphony.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 108, Keitaro Harada
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature Keitaro Harada's interviews of Scott Hagan and Kevin Michael Holzman on David's Symphony No. 10 and Symphony No. 4.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 28, David in Rehearsal with Mike Fansler and the WIU Wind Ensemble
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature a video of David in rehearsal with Mike Fansler and the Western Illinois University Wind Ensemble from December 2011. The rehearsal footage captures an amazing realization of the "Doxology" from Symphony No. 4.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 107, Electrifying Saxophone Performances
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three electrifying new performances of works for saxophone: Recitation Book, Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble and Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 27, David on Composition and the Creative Process
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. his week, we are excited to feature an interview David gave to BizMontana on matters of composition and the creative process.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 106, Dances
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three compositions in which David experiments with dance forms: Montana Music: Three Dances for Percussion, Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble, and Concerto No. 2 for Piano and Wind Ensemble.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 26, Joseph Lulloff Performs Saxophone Concerto in Lucerne
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature a classic performance of the Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble with Gregg Hanson leading Joseph Lulloff, Alto Saxophone and the University of Arizona Wind Ensemble from the 2001 World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) Conference.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 105, Amazing Performances from China
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three amazing performances from China: Alex and the Phantom Band, Tone Studies, and Mother Earth.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 25, This Is The World Recording Session
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature pictures from Albany Record's 2011 recording session of David's This is the World.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 104, Recordings of Lesser-Known Works
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature recordings of three lesser-known works of David's: Images from "The Old Gringo," Little Symphony on the name BArnEy CHilDS, and Orpheus.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 24, David on Matters of Tempo and Dynamics
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature an address David gave on matters of tempo and dynamics from a masterclass given at Illinois State University.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 103, LandesJugendBlasOrchester
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature Stefan Grefig and the LandesJugendBlasOrchester in a new magnificent performance of Symphony No. 10: The River of Time, and a classic performance of Traveler.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 23, Onsby Rose’s Symphony No. 10 Presentation
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature a video of Onsby Rose giving a presentation discussing the highlights from his dissertation on Symphony No. 10: The River of Time.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 102, Recent Performances of Symphony No. 7
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three recent extraordinary performances of Symphony No. 7.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 22, University of Arizona Wind Ensemble at CBDNA (2014)
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature a classic performance of Requiem with Gregg Hanson and the University of Arizona Wind Ensemble from the 2014 Western/Northwestern Division CBDNA Conference.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 101, Light Around the World
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we examine three of David’s works that make reference to light: First Light, Illumination, and On This Bright Day.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 21, David’s Final Public Address
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature David's last known public address which was given at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford on May 6, 2017.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 100, More New Performances of Percussion Music
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three new outstanding performances of some of David’s works for percussion: Crown of Thorns, Hohner, and This is the World.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 20, David at Lawrence University
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature pictures from David's residency at Lawrence University with Andrew Mast and the Lawrence University Wind Ensemble in 2010.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 99, Even More New Performances of Chamber Music
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three new performances of chamber works: Quintet for Winds No. 3, Song Book for Alto Saxophone and Marimba, and Sonata for Bassoon and Piano.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 19, University of Arizona Wind Ensemble at CBDNA (2008)
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature a classic performance of Give Us This Day with Gregg Hanson and the University of Arizona Wind Ensemble from the 2008 Western/Northwestern Division CBDNA Conference.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 98, New and Classic Recordings of David’s Symphonies
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature two new performances of favorite symphonies: Symphony No. 4, Symphony No. 7, and the recording of the premiere performance of "Allegro Molto" from Symphony No. 2.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 18, Composer Garrett Hope’s Interview of David & Matthew
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature an episode from the podcast The Portfolio Composer featuring composer Garrett Hope interviewing David and Matthew about the genesis of Maslanka Press.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 97, Playing in Quarantine
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three amazing examples of how a few talented musicians have used technology to play David's music and make it available on the internet for us to enjoy.
From the Maslanka Archive – No. 17, Score Study With Stephen Steele
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature pictures of Stephen Steele using scores to prepare a studio recording of David's music.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 96, Beautiful Solo Saxophone Performances
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three beautiful new solo performances of works for alto saxophone: Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble - Movements I and III, and Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano - Movement I.