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The woodwind section in Mozart’s late symphonies
Introduction The woodwind section of the symphony orchestra has long held a place of preeminence. Woodwind historian Anthony Baines gushes: “…the woodwind [section] is a small cluster of musicians in whom the greatest virtuosity in the symphony or opera orchestra is concentrated. It is the orchestra’s principal solo section… They are stars because composers for …
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Woodwind doubling in musical theater orchestras: Taking the insanity out of Crazy for You
Crazy for You is a Broadway-style stage musical by Ken Ludwig. The show, which premiered in 1992, uses songs written by George and Ira Gershwin for musicals in the 1930’s. In January and February, 2003, the Brigham Young University Department of Theatre and Media Arts and School of Music produced the show. Synthesis, BYU’s award-winning …
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Paul Hindemith and the Trio Op. 47: Steps toward a mature style
Paul Hindemith was born in Hanau, Germany, in 1895. Unlike most of his composer contemporaries, who came from the privileged classes, his origins were humble ones. Hindemith’s father, Robert, was a manual laborer and amateur zither player, who, despite a necessarily tight budget, saw that Paul and his siblings received musical training. Robert Hindemith raised …
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A jazz improvisation curriculum: Junior high through college
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in EducationThe following is a suggested curriculum for teaching jazz style and improvisation to students from junior high school through college. The materials listed are geared toward the developing saxophonist, but may be substituted or adapted to meet needs of other instrumentalists. The curriculum assumes the student has a basic command of the instrument, and should …
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Ideas for directing student jazz bands
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in EducationThe following is a summary of lessons learned from observing rehearsals of jazz big bands. A great debt is owed here to Dr. Ray Smith of Brigham Young University, director of the Synthesis big band. A picture is worth a thousand words The student jazz group should be exposed to recordings (or, when possible, live …
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Multi-instrument method in Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s “Creole Love Call”
View the transcription The artist1 Roland Kirk was born in 1935. As an infant, he was blinded, possibly by negligent medical care. He attended the Ohio State School for the blind, where he played in the school band. At the age of sixteen, he led a dance band that performed around the Midwest. It was …
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Sidney Bechet’s “Summertime”
View the transcription Sidney Bechet may be jazz’s most unfairly forgotten genius. Once the favorite son of his native New Orleans, as well as his many adopted European hometowns, Bechet’s recordings are now too often overlooked. Bechet, born in 1897, was a true virtuoso of the clarinet, and played a major part in establishing the …
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Essential saxophone recordings: A work in progress
Seminal Early Concert Soloists Mule, Marcel Marcel Mule: Le Patron of the Saxophone (Clarinet Classics, compilation 1996) Marcel Mule: Le Patron of the Saxophone: Encore! (Clarinet Classics, compilation 2000) These compilations also feature recordings by the Mule Saxophone Quartet. Wiedoft, Rudy Kreisler of the Saxophone (Clarinet Classics, compilation [year?]) Leeson, Cecil Rascher, Sigurd Regrettably, recorded …
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Dvorák’s “New World” and jazz music: Heirs to a common heritage
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in MusicianshipIn 1892, Czech composer Antonín Dvorák came to the United States. He came at the invitation of a Mrs. Jeannette Thurber, a wealthy music lover who wanted him to head up her latest pet project—a conservatory of music meant to rival the famous conservatories of Europe. Dr. Dvorák, already known for his use of traditional …
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The modern saxophonist: The changing career climate of the concert saxophone artist
The neglected saxophone Despite the saxophone’s widespread acceptance in jazz and popular music styles, its acknowledgment as a viable solo instrument in classical music has been slow. Few composers have included it in orchestral scores. Only in recent years have conservatories and university music departments begun to recognize the saxophone on a somewhat equal footing …