General Knowledge Notes for 4th Grade Saxophone Piece: Study (by Harris) About the composer: Paul

Harris (b. 1957) is a British clarinet/saxophone player and teacher. He has written many teaching books and lecturers and teaches at many prestigious British schools. About the Piece: A study is a piece of music composed for practice. It will often repeat whatever it is the composer wishes to practice many times. This study seems to be practicing large intervals in particular. - allegro energico means fast and energetically - crotchet = 132 means that the piece is to be played at 132 crotchet beats per minute. - This piece is, roughly speaking, in ternary form. This is ABA structure. The first section is between bars 1-8. The middle section is between bars 9-18. The final repeated section is between bars 18-27. Notice that this last A section is not exactly the same as the first. This might be explained as a coda (which is like an ending section) at the end or as an altered A section : A. - This piece is in D Major. It modulates (that is, changes key) at bar 9, though. This section is in G Major and lasts until the return to D Major at bar 16. - The A#s in bars 22 and 26 are not a change of key but are a form of chromaticism. This is where notes are linked by rising or lowering semitones, regardless of the key. It helps create tension. - Note the contrast of staccato and legato (tenuto) throughout this piece. Piece: Hungarian Dance by Johannes Brahms (1833- 1897) arr. Mark Walton About the composer: Brahms was a German composer, performer and teacher. He was very influential in the development of Western music. He was known for composing according to a style which was more restrained and elegant than other influential composers of his time. Mark Walton arranged this for saxophone and piano. It was originally written just for piano. About the piece: Hungarian Dance is the fifth of ten dances written together. By dance it was not meant to be danced to but was based upon Hungarian dance music of the time. - allegro moderato means that the piece is to be played moderately fast. - Crotchet = ca 112 means that the piece is to be played at approximately 112 crotchet beats per minute. - Rit. Is short for ritardando and means you should gradually get slower. - A tempo means that you should return to your original tempo. - Piu mosso means, literally, more moved, or quicker. - This piece is in D Minor. The Bb in the keysignature and the C# accidentals give this away.

Bars 33 to 36 could be in G Minor as they have Bb and F#, although it could be explained as a sequence. A sequence is where exactly the same phrase is repeated, only starting on a different note. Sequences ignore keys. The form of this piece is ternary or AABA form. The first two A sections are at bars 1-16 and 17-32. The B section is at bars 33- 48. The final A section is at bars 49- 64.

Piece: Banana Rag by Nicholas Hare (b. 1940) About the Composer: dunno. Cant find out much about this guy on the internet. Seems to be a clarinetist and composer in Britain. About the Piece: A Rag is an early form of jazz which was popular from about 19001920 and was usually played on piano. If you can think of any reason in the music why it is a banana rag please tell me because I dont know. - crotchet = ca 112 (see above) - dal segno al coda means that you should go to the sign (dal segno) and play until the coda. - Leggiero means light. - Subito means suddenly. In this context it means suddenly forte. - Piu means more. In this context it means more forte. - The structure is roughly ABA or ternary. The first A section goes up to the coda mark and this is repeated as the final A section when you do the D. S. al coda. The section from bars 21 to 36 is the B section. This also ends with a short section to round off the piece the coda. It begins with a short piano introduction as well. - This piece is in G Major. The B section is in a different key, however: C Major. All of the accidentals throughout the piece are just examples of chromaticism (see above). Piece: Jumbuck Jive by Kerin Bailey (born 1949) arr. Peter Wastall About the composer: Kerin Bailey is an Australian composer who has written many pieces designed for woodwind students, often in a jazz style. Peter Wastall arranged it for saxophone and piano. About the Piece: A Jive is a kind of swing dance style from the 1950s. It was probably called Jumbuck to indicate it was written by an Australian, rather than having a connection to sheep. - medium swing means firstly that the piece should be played moderato. Swing means that the quavers have different values than what is written- quavers on the beat are twice as long as quavers off the beat (roughly speaking). - Crotchet = 120 means that the speed is 120 crotchet beats per minute. - This piece is in Binary or AB form. The first section is between bars 5 20 and the second section is between bars 21 36. The first four bars are an introduction and the final eight bars are a coda.

This piece is in D Major. The frequent F naturals are part of the D blues scale. While there is a fair amount of chromaticism (see above) there are a few modulations. From bar 21 to about bar 33 (most of the B section) the piece is in B Minor. (CHECK THIS).

Piece: Canzonetta and Giga by Leroy Ostransky About the Composer: Leroy Ostransky seems to be most well known by his writing books about jazz. About the Piece: A canzonetta is usually a song for voice and accompaniment and a giga was originally a dance in triple time. Here these two represent two contrasting sections of a single piece. The first is slower and in 4/4 and the second faster and in 6/8. Because of these two sections we say this piece is in Binary form or AB form. The canzonetta is in D minor and the giga is in G Major (see the key change at the top of the second page?). Andante con moto means a walking pace but with a sense of forward direction, or with drive. Ad lib. means it can be played freely with a changed or changing tempo. Molto rit. Means you slow down very much. In tempo means that you return to your original tempo. Espressivo means to play expressively. Dolce means sweetly. Con spirito means with spirit or with energy. Accel poco a poco means you should little by little get faster. The two beats missing in the first bar indicate it is an anacrusis. The opening timesignature is called cut common time and is the same as 2/2.