Project Description
Solo Alto Saxophone and Piano1988
32 min.
Listen Now
Masato Kumoi, alto saxophone, Aki Fuji, piano
On the album Simple Songs
Steven Jordheim, alto saxophone, Christine Dahl, piano
On the album The Music of David Maslanka (2000)
Preview Score
Movements
- Moderato
- Very Expressive
- Very Fast
Commissioned by
The Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano was commissioned by the North American Saxophone Alliance.
Description
Strongly influenced by music of the past – Franz Liszt, Francis Poulenc, Allan Pettersson – the Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano alternates between an innocent stroll in the park, and a fierce breaking of tonal and formal boundaries. The three movements are personal adaptations of old forms – the first a sonata, the second an ABA song form, and the third a rondo. Each movement has a turbulent, eruptive quality that takes this music away from its historical models and makes it very much a music of our time. The Sonata has become a standard piece in the saxophone repertoire.
Program Note
The Sonata was commissioned by the North American Saxophone alliance for its 1989 convention. It is in three large movements. The first is lyrical and reflective, with sudden energetic bursts. The song-like and soulful second movement is a broad soliloquy with its roots in the expressive madrigal style of the sixteenth century. The third is a large rondo that is at times fierce, mournful, playful, and turbulent, and at the end, ethereal.
Program note by David Maslanka
Further Reading
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. 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. 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.
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.
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.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 84, More Amazing Saxophone Performances
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three amazing performances of some of David’s best saxophone music: Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Wind Ensemble, "Very Fast" from Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano, and "Finale" from Mountain Roads.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 71, Slow Movements
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three of David’s compositions (of which there are literally dozens to choose from) that highlight some of his most beautiful writing in slower tempi: "Movement I" from Recitation Book, "Slow" from Symphony No. 7, and "Slow" from Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 49, New Performances of Sonatas
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature spectacular new performances of Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano, Sonata for Horn and Piano, and Sonata for Bassoon and Piano.
Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 8, The Sonata
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, spectacular performances of Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano, Sonata for Oboe and Piano, and Sonata for Bassoon and Piano.
David Maslanka: Works for Younger Wind Ensembles
Here are more than twenty works for wind ensemble, arranged in approximate ascending order of difficulty, with commentary by David Maslanka
Recording the Wind Ensemble Music of David Maslanka
Mark Morette of Mark Custom Recording shares his extensive experience in recording wind ensembles.
The Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano (1988) by David Maslanka: An Analytical and Performance Guide
Dr. Camille Olin's doctoral dissertation on David's Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano provides a performer's guide to the sonata, as well as an analysis of the harmonic structure, harmonic language, and unifying features of the work. An [...]
Interview with Russell Peterson
Russell Peterson, professor of saxophone at Lawrence University in Appleton WI, interviewed David Maslanka on 30 November 1998 after premieres of Mountain Roads for saxophone quartet, commissioned and performed by the Transcontinental Saxophone Quartet and [...]
