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Trying something crazy - it might not work, but it's fun to try new things I have a piece that I've arranged for band/orchestra and I was thinking it'd be cool to do a virtual band type recording Here's the link to the project drive - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cYfbUEXY9swZi-ZbNb6YI8oMmblUlloM?usp=sharing I have a piano track playing the melody at the correct tempo to keep everyone on track *IF YOU'RE PLAYING ANY OTHER INSTRUMENT OTHER THAN ALTO SAX, THOSE RECORDING INSTRUCTIONS/RECORDING ORDER ARE FOR YOU - ALTO SAX PLAYERS DISREGARD* Let me know if you have any questions

Good evening everyone! I'm ready to present a new piece I have been working on for the last couple of months or so: Adagio for Orchestra. It’s a relatively short piece, not as large in scope as some of my other works I have posted here. Admittedly I’ve had a little bit of writer’s block recently, so I toned things back quite a bit and instead focused on simple themes and experimenting with an expanded orchestra, including Euphonium and Saxophone with the usual instruments. I'm interested in any and all constructive feedback. I had a few goals in mind as I composed this, feel free to chime in on how well I accomplished them: Focus on simple, memorable themes. Experiment with orchestration, using auxiliary instruments to create some unique textures. Integrate Euphonium and Saxophone with the rest of the orchestra. Write something that would work as a middle movement of a larger work, such as a symphony. The piece is loosely structured in a binary form with repeat (ABAB). (0:00 - 1:09) – Introduction. Euphonium solo that is passed between and elaborated by other members of the winds, punctuated by sweeping string lines. Most of the thematic material from the piece is extracted from this opening solo. (1:09 – 2:41) – A Theme. A melancholy dirge carried by a bell-like ostinato played by harp, celesta, and piano, with rustling tremolo in the strings and an eerie chant in the winds. (2:41 – 5:00) – B Theme. A floating theme first presented by the oboe then embellished by the strings to the first big outburst of the piece. Material from the A Theme is elaborated here, then the strings carry the oboe theme to a new momentary high, before settling back into the recap. (5:00 – 7:11) – A Theme recap. The dirge returns, this time building to a euphoric climax, then drifting away into the upper register of the woodwinds and strings. (7:11 – 8:13) – B Theme recap. This time the clarinet sings the theme. I experimented with some polytonality/polymodality/whatever-you-want-to-call-it with the chords in the horns, trumpets, flutes, keyboards, and harp. I’m curious how well I pulled this off. (8:13 – 8:38) – Coda. Return of the Euphonium solo, this time drifting off into silence to end the piece. As usual, I have few specific questions I would like specific feedback on. Feel free to answer as many or as few as you wish: What effect does the music have on you? Does in conjure up an image? Or an emotional feeling? Does it tell you a story? This can be the piece as a whole, or a specific part or parts. What was your favorite part? What was your least favorite part? Do you have any comments or critiques on technique, e.g. harmony, melody writing, counterpoint, orchestration, voice-leading, etc.? How do you feel about the overall form? Is it effective? How well do you think the euphonium and saxophone are integrated with the rest of the orchestra? How do you feel about the harmony in the B theme recap (the nondiatonic chords against the melody in the clarinet)? Is it effective? Do you have any comments of the quality of the performance in the audio file? I really want this to be a decent representation of how the piece would sound if it were performed live, since it is unlikely it ever will be. Feel free to put your "conductor hat" on and critique the "orchestra". I have included a score and welcome any constructive feedback on its presentation. And if you're like me it's a lot more fun to follow along with the score. Are there any composers this reminds you of, that I might enjoy listening to? Sound libraries: Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra and Spitfire Percussion VSL – Eb clarinet, Bass clarinet (in the intro only), Alto sax, Bassoon (for the solo only), Bb Trumpet (for the solos only, and some reinforcement in louder sections), Euphonium, Piano Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy! If you liked something I did and want me to explain how I did it, feel free to ask as well. -gmm

Hello! I thought I would share a piece I wrote back in late February-March for SATB saxophone quartet, my first experience writing for an all-brass ensemble, which taught me a lot as a strings player. The title comes from my experience with a neurological condition, synesthesia, where two or more senses are automatically interconnected. In my case, I associate each musical key with a color and see those colors in my mind's eye. This piece begins and ends in F minor, which is deep purple or violet for me. The score is attached below. I would love to hear any constructive criticism. I've been told there are no glaring technical issues, but I am curious how I could best bring out the saxophone's unique strengths. Thank you! 01 - Full score - Violet.pdf

https://flat.io/score/5f1d77bd319f3e32ff6caa7d-music-that-is-not-clickbait

Hello! Here is my newest composition. I wanted to try a very different approach than what I normally do in my composing process. I made a sketch of material and let two saxophonists play this material in very free ways. When they submitted their recordings the actual composing started with very static material since I cannot change the recorded material that much. It was an exercise in structure and arch building, but I also see it as a proper composition. I want to create an additive film to accompany the composition. Do you have any ideas for themes, scenes? I would love to hear your comments! 2 [Echt] Saxophone duo.mp3 - Maarten Bauer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ybKehseRc hello . im korean student ( sax player ) I went to travel Europe last month , shoot a video sax playing on the castle. I'm practicing in Korea and tell me what you hear How are you listening? good ? or not good? im wondering. enjoy and please reply ! thank you !

Hi! I am working on a piece for saxophone and piano. Saxophone part is not a problem, but it would be great if someone dropped an eye on the piano part. I have too little knowledge of what is correct as in for space between chords (so they wouldn't be spaced too far from each other), usual piano patterns, etc. Basically the question is-can it be played? Sheet music and mp3 example in attachment. Thank you beforehand!

Here is piece for alto saxophone and piano that I wrote to play with my sister. Any feedback would be appreciated!

As an experiment, I wanted to compose a piece for soprano saxophone, as my friend plays the instrument. It begins in a drifting, dream-like state with the strings providing a variety of colors. From the conclusion of the dream-state, an idea in the saxophone is presented. In a story type manner, this faster theme is progressed until it devolves back into the dense strings again with the initial iota being reiterated. This becomes an intense outburst at full volume until it ends quietly. The music begins again, replicating the three-movements of a concerto on a miniature scale, reintroducing previous themes. The music ends with a repetition of the intense contrary theme, re-notated from before. Let me know what you think! Also, I finally re-organized all my music, so I have proper opus numbers now.

A small concerto (concertino) in a movement. It has a classical style mixed with a "romantic orchestration" It was composed back in 2015 for a 2016 premiere with the High school Concert Band from Escuela Libre de Musica The composition has some novice errors hehe, also I'm conducing, so I apologize for the dancing. I included the audio .midi and the premiere back in 2016 with the Escuela Libre de Musica Concert Band and Angel Cuyar as soloist. As always, feedback is welcomed!

Are you able to play this?

hi, I'm new here in this forum and that's my first publish here. This piece is called "Take it Easy ". it's electronic chill music with piano and saxophone. Tell me what do you think!

Hello composers! This will be the place where I will share one classical composition including saxophones per week. The videos are not mine! As a saxophonist, I notice that still many composers do not use the saxophone in classical music. The most important reason for this is because they do not know how to apply the instrument. I often get the question if I could give some study advices for saxophone writing. My answer is always that one has to listen and study the works of our predecessors. This topic is meant to inspire and stimulate composers to write more music for the saxophones. Contents Graham Lynch - Unreal Promenade for Saxophone Ensemble (2015). Jean Françaix - Cinq Danses Exotiques for Alto Saxophone and Piano (1961). Georges Bizet - Suite No.1 from the drama l'Arlésienne (1872). Claude Debussy - Rhapsodie for Saxophone and Orchestra (1901 - 1911). Slava Kazykin - ''Bachiazzola'' for Saxophone Quartet (n.d.). Mark Watters - Rhapsody for Baritone Saxophone and Wind Orchestra (2001). Iannis Xenakis - XAS (1987). Mozart / Arr. Niels Bijl - String Quartet No.15 in D minor, Kv. 421a. Paul Creston - Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano, Op.19 (1939). Erwin Schulhoff - Hot Sonata (1930). Carter Pann - The Mechanics for Saxophone Quartet (2013). #1 Graham Lynch - Unreal Promenade for Saxophone Ensemble (2015). More information in the description of the video. Best wishes, Maarten Bauer

Hello! Here is my latest composition with a theme, on which I have always wanted to write music: DINOSAURS! This short one-movement sonata is composed for alto saxophone and piano. I will perform this piece for the pre-study composition on alto saxophone accompanied by a pianist. The sonata is kind of programmatic: The setting is a restful valley full of dinosaurs (including tryceratops). Baby dinosaurs are playing and having fun, but then the dinosaurs smell danger. There is panic, because the dinosaurs are not sure where the predators will come from, they only hear their heavy footsteps. Suddenly an enormous tyrannosaurus runs out of the forest. A friendly baby triceratops flees and runs as fast as it can. It is catched by the predator, but luckily the tyrannosaurus has become tired. The baby escapes and all dinosaurs continue with their restful life in the beautiful valley. I hope you like it! Feel free to comment! Maarten

Hey everyone! Can you please check out my new composition? Sheet music still needs some clean up, adding letters etc. What I'm most concerned about is piano part. What do you think about it? Also, maybe there is someone who would like to test this out? Any feedback appreciated! Thank you!

Hello everybody, You may have already seen the two other topics about this quartet. One is about the sketch, which I had to make for the selection rounds of the composition competition. The other one was about how to create a climax and how to continue and finish the piece. Finally, I have finished the piece and to be honest I hate it. I have heard it so many times and it was terribly hard to finish the piece and include a climax. @Luis Hernández I hope that there are more vertical lines and there is a clear climax. The piece is about Europides' Medea. More information in the PDF attached to this post. The notes on page still have to be changed. There are a few themes and motives exposed in the beginning and during the piece I develop them in many ways. I have, for example, included a Fugato structure, where the theme is a based on a motive in the beginning. I am very sorry that the instruments sound so fake. . . If anybody knows a decent soundfont for saxophone (quartet), please let me know! Thanks for listening! Feedback and comments would be very nice! Maarten

Hi I didn't want to bother in the Saxophone Repertoire with this. I've been studying a little the saxophone family, and following @Maarten Bauer's advice, I wrote this only to practice. Because I always have doubts. Bars are lacking. The intention is to be played freely. I can put the bars, but perhaps it's a mess. Double sharps or flats, and Eb# or B# have been avoided. That is why there are F - F# and C - C#..., is this better? The piece uses the double harmonic scale and Messiaen's 4th mode. If I respected the scale, I would use E#, B#, etc... The notation is transposed. I've read the best tesitura is between F (first space in the stave) and A above the stave... Written in transposition. So, I tried no to go out very much. SAX SOLO Partitura completa.pdf

Hello everybody, This was my first saxophone quartet that I composed one and a half year ago. . . (Opus 8). When I composed it, I was into composing for max. four months. I There are mistakes everywhere and when I wrote this I did not understand how to modulate (LOL), so there are quite subite transitions to other keys. I thought it would be fun for you to see how I am developed in one and a half year. The Mozart and Haydn influences are evident. I find this piece now uggly, but still I think at some places the music is pretty nice. The uggliest parts in my opinion are the endless repetitions, which makes the music too monotonous and boring. What do you think? Maarten

So I have a few saxophonist friends, and I got the idea to write a sax quartet. I sent each movement to one of these friends after I wrote it to check the parts, and she told me it all looked pretty good, with a few caveats (like how playing constant fast staccato quavers can get tiring in the third movement - so I put some tenutos in). The first movement, 'Prelude', grew entirely out of the first bar, which I just wrote without thinking and then really liked. It has some complex syncopations but my friend says the rhythms look fun and not too difficult. The second movement, 'Fugue', is definitely more a quotation-marks "Fugue" than a real fugue, but I don't feel too bad about that. The idea came to me in bed one night when I was trying to think of a contrasting middle movement, and then I just had fun with chord progressions. I kept the quaver movement running throughout the movement but tried to use voice swapping and countermelodies to keep it interesting. The third movement, 'Dance', was borne out of two separate ideas that again both came to me in bed at night as I was trying to sleep - the chord pulses at the start, and the staccato quaver chords, the latter of which is still one of my favourite ideas I've had recently. I was worried the offbeat 5/4 parts would come off too cheesy so I tried to keep the structures fresh and unexpected. I've sent the piece to a few people so far, and I think at least one will try and get a quartet to perform it at some point.

Hello everybody, I have won a composition competition with my saxophone sketch, which I already posted on the forum, and I can now finish my piece. I really need your help / suggestions / feedback! I will share my worries about the music in points, so that you can answer and discuss these. Extra information: The piece must be around 5 minutes long. The other post with the sketch can be foudn here: http://www.youngcomposers.com/t34939/sketch-saxophone-quartet/ The music ''ends'' at m.88. From m.88 there are sketches: Mm.90 - 97: Possible climax? Do you think this could be a nice climax for the piece or not? What should be a good way to create a climax in such an already heavy piece? Mm.138 - 143: Very tonal fragment based on the main theme to bring some lightness, but also humour. Do you think this would be nice to have in the music or does it ruin the whole mood and atmosphere of the piece? Although I like how I develop the themes that I give in the ''exposition,'' I don't like the music. It sounds boring and too repetitive to me and I have doubts wether I have over-developed the themes or not. There is no clear climax either. The most important element of this piece is the sudden dynamic shifts. I have thought about adding a second movement, so that the music isn't boring anymore, but this can also break the flow of the music in the first movement. The sketch was very interesting and very finished, but I feel like the music that I composed after finishing the sketch is of lower quality than the quality of the sketch. What do you think about the composition? I am looking forward to your responses! Maarten

Hi everybody, I am writing a piece for a composition competition in Holland. The piece is to be written for a Dutch professional saxophone quartet. They firstly want to have a sketch of the piece that takes no longer than one minute. I called the piece Medea. Medea is a Greek witch in the story called Medea by Euripides. In class we were studying the Latin translation of the tragedy and in my opinion it is very impressive. In the part we have read Medea was furious with everybody she knows. In the Messiaen masterclass I learned a new composing method, which I wanted to apply. I used the third mode and tried to create harmony with a lot of dissonances, but also with rest points. This is my third Saxophone Quartet. Feedback would be very helpful! Maarten Saxophone Quartet Gr.pdf

This is my first ever composition for the duo of Alto Saxophone and (French) Horn in F. I had composed a soliloquy for Alto Saxophone around 3.5 years ago. I had also composed a solo for Horn in F more than 5 years ago. These "Three Sententiae for Saxophone and Horn, Op. 289" are composed in response to a call for pieces for this ensemble. I found the combination a rather challenging one to compose for. I include a title page as well as a description of the 'sententia' for those who are unfamiliar with it. The score is the transposing score, the actual pitches sounding a major sixth lower than written for the alto saxophone and a perfect fifth lower than written for the French Horn in F.

Instead of arranging a piece for a full band, I tried doing a slightly different style. Inspired by Adrian Quince, I had high woodwinds (oboe), low woodwinds (bassoon), saxophone, high brass (trumpet) and low brass (tuba). The ending still isn't completely final because I still am not sure what to do with it. Any feedback/suggestions? https://musescore.com/user/15379306/scores/3341871 small band piece.mid

Hi all, I have (finally) completed my Quartet for Piano and Winds. I have completed the first and second movement in August, but I was not able to compose a third movement, until last week. When I listened to Mozart's Quintet for Piano and Winds, K.452. I decided to compose a Quartet, which could be played by my friends and me. This is the reason why it is written for Bb Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, F Horn and Piano. I have tried to compose the third movement in the same style as the other two movements. Feedback and sharing your opinions would make me very happy! Enjoy! Kind regards, Maarten Bauer