1  

 DEPARTMENT  OF  MUSIC  PRESENTS  

 Microtones  

A  Sound  Extension  of  the  Saxophone    

Lecture  Recital  by  Matthew  J.  Swallow  Friday,  March  22,  2013  

5:00  pm,  Souers  Recital  Hall  Abstract:       The  use  of  microtones  has  become  an  important  extended  technique  for  saxophonists  and  composers,  in  which  this  has  been  integrated  in  both  classical  repertoire  and  jazz  improvisation.    The  presentation  serves  mainly  as  a  guide  for  young  aspiring  saxophonists  and  composers  who  are  interested  in  learning  microtonal  notation  within  the  repertoire.    In  addition,  there  are  important  steps  to  executing  the  performance  of  this  extended  technique.    This  includes  a  helpful  guide  to  proper  tuning,  microtonal  scales,  repertoire  list,  etudes,  and  fingering  chart  references.    Microtones  are  an  important  sound  extension  found  in  many  saxophone  works.    Examples  of  microtones  can  be  found  in  multiphonics,  graphical  changes  of  pitch,  timbre/key  trills,  and  timbre  alterations.    The  following  compositions  will  be  examined:  Sequenza  VIIb  per  sassofono  soprano  by  Luciano  Berio,  Sketch  for  Alto  Saxophone  by  Ronald  Caravan,  Impressions  by  John  Coltrane,  Sonate  pour  Saxophone  Alto  et  piano  by  Edison  Denisov,  Sonate  pour  Saxophone  Alto  et  piano  by  Jindrich  Feld,  Graphic  IV  for  Alto  Saxophone  and  Celeste  by  Paul  Goldstaub,  Improvisation  I  pour  Saxophone  Alto  seul  and  Maï  pour  Saxophone  Alto  seul  by  Ryo  Noda,  and  Le  Frêne  Égaré  pour  Saxophone  Alto  by  François  Rossé.1            

Program           Lecture:  Microtones    

Sonate  pour  Saxophone  Alto  et  piano         Edison  Denisov     Movement  II:  Lento      

 Lecture:  Microtones  Found  in  Multiphonics  

 Le  Frêne  Égaré  pour  Saxophone  Alto           François  Rossé  

 Lecture:  Microtones  Found  in  Graphical  Changes  of  Pitch  

 Maï  pour  Saxophone  Alto  seul           Ryo  Noda  

 Lecture:  Microtones  Found  in  Timbre/Key-­‐Trills  

 Sketch  for  Alto  Saxophone             Ronald  L.  Caravan  

 Lecture:  Microtones  Found  in  Timbre  Alterations  

 Impressions               John  Coltrane                   Transcribed  by  Carl  Coan  Conclusion  

                                                                                                               1  Matthew  J.  Swallow,  Microtones:  A  Sound  Extension  of  the  Saxophone  Abstract.    Miami  University,  2013.      

  2  Presentation  Outline:  I.  What  are  microtones?     A.  Pitch  alteration  that  is  smaller  than  a  semitone  interval.  

B.  Originated  in  ancient  Greece  and  explored  within  the  15th  and  16th  Centuries.  C.  Early  music  did  not  use  equal-­‐tempered  intervals.  D.  Widely  used  in  20th  Century;  first  by  music  theorist  and  composer  Julián  Carillo.  

II.  What  do  microtones  look  like  in  today’s  musical  literature?      A.  There  is  currently  no  true  standardization  of  microtonal  accidental  notation.      

 Figure  1  

Note  the  consistency  of  both  the  ¼  and  ¾  sharped  quartertone  accidentals  compared  to  the  lowered  quartertone  symbols.    Refer  to  the  bibliography  for  complete  citation  of  the  authors.  

 B.  Some  saxophone  works  contain  a  key  noting  the  microtonal  accidentals.  C.  Many  works  require  use  of  a  comprehensive  saxophone  fingering  chart.      D.  It  is  imperative  to  become  familiar  with  the  various  accidental  symbols.  

III.  Microtonal  Scales/Temperament  A.  The  performance  of  saxophone  microtones  applied  with  false  fingerings.      

1.  Fingerings  vary  based  on  saxophone  size  and  specific  models.  2.  Limitations  due  to  physical  nature  of  the  instrument.  

    B.  Microtonal  Scales    1.  Quartertone  Scale  2.  Eighth-­‐tone  Scale  

C.  Knowing  the  intonation  tendencies  of  your  instrument    1.  The  tuner  should  be  in  between  -­‐50/+50  cents  flat/sharp  for  quartertones.  2.  The  eighth-­‐tones  should  be  around  -­‐25/+25  cents  flat/sharp  on  the  tuner.                                    (1)                                                                                                                                                        (2)  

 3.  Apply  the  microtonal  fingerings  to  the  repertoire  until  you  feel  competent.  

! 2!

similar!from!another.!!However,!there!are!variants!in!several!works.!!Gardener!Read!states,!

“If!a!fellow!composer!cannot!easily!read!another’s!microtonal!work,!what!can!we!

reasonably!expect!from!performers,!dedicated!though!they!may!be!to!experimental!

composition!and!fully!adept!at!interpreting!avantJgarde!notation?”3!!For!the!performer!

interested!in!microtonal!music,!it!is!his/her!responsibility!to!be!aware!of!the!diverse!

notations!that!current!exist!in!several!works.!!This!applies!not!just!for!saxophone,!but!also!

other!instruments!including!strings!and!other!wind!instruments.!!The!chart!below!in!figure!

1!shows!discrepancies!in!quartertone!notation!between!various!saxophone!and!clarinet!

resources.!!Refer!to!the!bibliography!section!for!the!authors.!!It!is!imperative!to!become!

familiar!with!these!symbols!as!they!are!commonly!used!in!various!works!throughout!the!

twentieth!century.!!Lack!of!prior!knowledge!of!these!symbols!can!create!difficulties!in!

Quartertone!Accidental!Variants!in!Clarinet/Saxophone!Resources!by!Author!! Weiss/Netti! Londeix! Caravan! Leonard! Farmer! Rehfeldt!QuarterJ!tone!Sharped!(1/4)!

µ

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µ! µ !!!!l µ! l (k j)!QuarterJ!tone!Sharped!(3/4)!

 Â! Â! Â! Â! l!QuarterJ!tone!Lowered!(1/4)!

B !

L (K J)!QuarterJ!tone!Lowered!(3/4)!

!n/a!

! !!! !! !!!!!! !n/a! L!

Figure!1!Note*the*consistency*of*both*the*¼*and*¾*sharped*quartertone*accidentals*compared*to*the*lowered*quartertone*

symbols.**Refer*to*the*bibliography*for*complete*citation*of*the*authors.*****

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!3!Gardner!Read,!20thBCentury*Microtonal*Notation,!(Westport,!CT:!Greenwood!Press,!1990):!3.!!!

È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207

Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215

Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

à á â ã ä å æ ç 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

è é ê ë ì í î ï 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239

ð ñ ò ó ô õ 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247

ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207

Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215

Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

à á â ã ä å æ ç 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

è é ê ë ì í î ï 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239

ð ñ ò ó ô õ 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247

ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207

Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215

Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

à á â ã ä å æ ç 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

è é ê ë ì í î ï 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239

ð ñ ò ó ô õ 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247

ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207

Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215

Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

à á â ã ä å æ ç 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

è é ê ë ì í î ï 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239

ð ñ ò ó ô õ 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247

ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

‘ ’ “ ” • — – 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151

˜ ™ š › œ Ÿ 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159

¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ ¦ § 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167

¨ © ª « Æ ® ¯ 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175

° ± ² ³ ´ Î ¶ 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183

¸ ¹ º » ¼ ½ ¾ ¿ 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191

À Á Â Ã Ä Å Æ Ç 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199

È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207

Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215

Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

à á â ã ä å æ ç 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

è é ê ë ì í î ï 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239

ð ñ ò ó ô õ 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247

ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207

Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215

Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

à á â ã ä å æ ç 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

è é ê ë ì í î ï 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239

ð ñ ò ó ô õ 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247

ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207

Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215

Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

à á â ã ä å æ ç 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

è é ê ë ì í î ï 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239

ð ñ ò ó ô õ 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247

ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207

Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215

Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

à á â ã ä å æ ç 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

è é ê ë ì í î ï 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239

ð ñ ò ó ô õ 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247

ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207

Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215

Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

à á â ã ä å æ ç 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

è é ê ë ì í î ï 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239

ð ñ ò ó ô õ 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247

ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207

Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215

Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

à á â ã ä å æ ç 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

è é ê ë ì í î ï 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239

ð ñ ò ó ô õ 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247

ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

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È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207

Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215

Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

à á â ã ä å æ ç 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

è é ê ë ì í î ï 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239

ð ñ ò ó ô õ 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247

ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

! 5!

the!saxophone!size!(soprano,!alto,!tenor,!&!bari)!and!the!specific!models!(Yamaha,!Selmer,!

Yanagisawa,!etc.).!!The!following!books!contain!detailed!microtonal!fingering!charts!for!

saxophone!stretching!the!full!range!of!the!instrument!along!with!separation!of!the!different!

horns!(soprano,!alto,!etc.):

Hello!**Mr.*Sax,*ou*Paramètres*du*Saxophone!by!JeanJMarie!Londeix!!!The*Techniques*of*Saxophone*Playing!by!Marcus!Weiss!and!Giorgio!Netti!Extended*Technique*for*the*Saxophone!by!J.!Michael!Leonard!

Just!as!it!was!stated!earlier,!some!finger!combinations!work!better!than!others!

based!on!the!saxophone!size,!model,!and!other!possible!variants.!!Therefore,!it!is!

imperative!to!experiment!with!different!fingerings!and!match!the!closest!possible!pitch!

with!the!tuner!that!can!obtain!pitch!in!between!a!half!step!interval.!!When!studying!

quartertones,!it!is!essential!to!have!a!tuner!in!front!of!you!to!ensure!accuracy!of!pitch.!!In!

figure!6,!as!the!quartertone!sound!is!in!between!half!steps.!!The!tuner!needle!should!line!up!

in!between!J50/+50!cents!flat/sharp.!!If!for!some!reason!the!fingerings!used!do!not!match!!!

!

Figure!6!Chromatic*tuner*indicating*proper*tuning*of*quartertones;*

Red*Arrow*=*quartertone*¼*flat;*Yellow*Arrow*=*quartertone*¼*sharp*!

close!to!the!needles!on!the!tuner,!try!using!other!fingerings!and/or!make!additional!

adjustments!to!overall!voicing!and!lip/jaw!just!like!tuning!traditional!tone/semitone!

pitches.!!This!similar!concept!is!used!for!mastering!the!eighthJtones,!but!should!be!worked!

out!once!fluent!in!quartertones!pitches.!!Due!to!the!complication!of!precise!tuning!of!these!

! 6!

notes,!it!is!important!to!have!a!solid!aural!concept!of!the!quartertones.!!The!eighthJtones!

occur!in!between!the!quartertones!and!the!half!steps.!!This!is!what!the!scale!look!like!back!

in!figure!5.!!This!order!should!look!the!same!when!working!through!the!pattern!with!the!

tuner.!!The!eighthJtones!should!be!J25/+25!cents!flat/sharp!as!seen!in!figure!7.!!After!

learning!the!essential!microtonal!fingerings!that!work!for!your!particular!saxophone,!the!

!

Figure!7!Chromatic*tuner*indicating*proper*tuning*of*eighthBtones*and*quartertones;*

Blue*Arrow*=*eighthBtone*flat;*Green*Arrow*=*eighthBtone*sharp*!

next!step!is!to!find!studies!that!aid!in!continual!development!of!this!extended!technique.!!

Here!are!a!few!method!books!that!contain!supplemental!exercises!for!quartertones.!!The!

method!book!by!Steven!Mauk!also!has!timbre!changes/false!fingering!exercises.!!These!are!

most!commonly!used!in!jazz!transcriptions,!which!will!be!covered!later.!!!

Saxophone!Quartertone!Method!Books:!Preliminary*Exercises*&*Etudes*in*Contemporary*Techniques*for*Saxophone!by!Ronald!L.!Caravan!Saxophone*WarmBUps:*Materials*for*the*Contemporary*Saxophonist!by!Steven!Mauk!!! There!is!one!more!aspect!to!the!overall!microtonal!spectrum.!!So!far,!quartertones!

and!eighthJtones!have!been!covered.!!The!next!focus!will!be!the!uses!of!timbral!fingerings!

and!trills.!!The!purpose!of!this!extended!technique!is!to!create!tones!of!many!different!

colors,!which!may!be!used!in!particular!works!for!saxophone.!!In!addition,!these!are!

commonly!used!for!compensating!intonation!issues!with!the!particular!instrument!being!

used,!especially!on!long!notes.!!It!can!also!be!used!for!stylistic!purposes,!such!as!jazz!

  3  IV.  Selected  Works  for  Saxophone  with  Microtones  

A.  The  Sonate  pour  Saxophone  Alto  et  piano  by  Edison  Denisov  first  of  its  kind  in  the  avant-­‐garde/contemporary  realm.      1.  Composed  in  1970  and  premiered  by  Jean-­‐Marie  Londeix.    2.  The  Denisov  Sonate  sparks  future  compositions  with  the  uses  of  microtones.      

B.  Microtones  are  also  found  in  multiphonics,  graphical  changes  of  pitch,  timbre/key  trills,  and  timbre  alterations.  

1.  Multiphonics  with  Microtones  a.  There  are  some  notations  of  a  chord  indicating  how  the  chord  should  sound  like.    However,  some  chords  contain  the  microtonal  notations  (Figure  2).  

 Figure  2  

Multiphonic  chord  with  microtones  from  Per  Bloland’s  Of  Dust  and  Sand  for  Saxophone  and  Piano  with  Electromagnets  

 b.  Multiphonics  with  microtonal  accidentals  does  not  mean  that  the  whole  chord  is  considered  a  microtone.      

2.  This  element  is  found  in  François  Rossé’s  Le  Frêne  Égaré  pour  Saxophone  Alto.      V.  Graphical  Changes  of  Pitch  

A.  Instrumentalist  alters  the  pitch  in  a  similar  manner  to  a  glissando  or  portamento.        B.  Figure  3  is  performed  with  a  combination  of  false  fingerings  and  voicing.    

 Figure  3  

Graphical  pitch  change  with  microtones  in  Improvisation  I  pour  Saxophone  Alto  seul  by  Ryo  Noda        

C.  In  Noda’s  Maï  pour  Saxophone  Alto  seul,  the  change  of  pitch  is  also  guided  with  microtonal  accidentals.    

VI.  Timbre/Key-­‐Trills       A.  Trills  between  pitches  under  a  half  step  up/down  with  false  fingerings.         B.  The  trills  do  not  tune  to  the  traditional  temperament  (Observe  Figure  4).  

! 15!

O,*Aderyn*Pur*for*Flute*and*Alto*Saxophone*with*Tape*(in*movt.*IV*only)!by!Claire!Polin!Movement!III:!Melospiza;!Top!Staff=Flute;!Bottom!Staff=Alto!Saxophone;!uses!quartertones!

!*Of*Dust*and*Sand*for*Alto*Saxophone*and*Piano*with*Electromagnets*by!Per!Bloland!!Excerpt!uses!quartertones,!which!evolve!into!multiphonics!

*******

  4  

 Figure  4  

Graphic  IV  for  Alto  Saxophone  and  Celeste  by  Paul  Goldstaub;  uses  timbre  trills  with  provided  fingerings      

C.  Even  with  no  symbols,  fingerings  change  pitch,  thus  helps  change  the  timbre.  VII.  Timbre  Alterations  

A.  Provides  different  colors  of  pitch.    This  can  brighten  or  darken  a  note.      B.  Some  of  these  features  can  be  found  in  both  avant-­‐garde  and  jazz  genres.    C.  The  Sequenza  VIIb  per  sassofono  soprano  by  Luciano  Berio  features  the  use  of  

timbre  alterations.      D.  John  Coltrane’s  solo  uses  markings  (+)  for  timbral  alterations  (Figure  5).    

 Figure  5  

Excerpt  of  Carl  Coan’s  transcription  of  John  Coltrane’s  solo  in  Impressions  at  the  Konserthuset  in  Stockholm,  Sweden;  November  1961  

 E.  May  have  to  experiment  with  different  fingering  combinations.  F.  Timbre  also  changes  with  use  of  different  mouthpieces  (classical/jazz).  G.  Impressions  use  timbral  alterations  to  rearticulate  repetitive  notes.  

VIII.  Conclusions  A.  Since  the  1970s,  microtones  have  been  important  within  saxophone  works.      B.  Microtones  are  found  in  multiphonics,  graphical  changes  of  pitch,  timbre/key  

trills,  and  timbre  alterations.  C.  Awareness  of  inconsistencies  of  microtonal  accidental  symbols.  D.  Understanding  the  intonation  tendencies  of  microtones.  E.  Prior  study  to  this  extended  technique  can  accelerate  learning  related  

compositions  at  a  faster  rate.         1.  Mastered  by  studying  fingerings,  scales,  and  etude  books.                2.  “Individualize  your  sound”.  

  5  IX.  Appendix    List  of  Saxophone  Music  Literature  With  Microtonal  Uses    Saxophone  Solos  (with  accompaniment)  Canto  IV  for  Alto  Saxophone  by  Samuel  Adler  Digital  pour  Saxophone  Soprano  seul  by  Thierry  Alla  Three  Novelties  for  Alto  Saxophone  by  Allan  Blank  Steps  Approaching  for  Alto  Saxophone  and  Percussion  Ensemble  by  Ray  Andrews    Call  to  Worship  by  Ronald  L.  Caravan  Sketch  for  Alto  Saxophone  by  Ronald  L.  Caravan  Three  Pieces  for  Saxophone  by  Ronald  L.  Caravan  Sonate  pour  Saxophone  Alto  et  piano  by  Jindrich  Feld  Sonate  pour  Saxophone  Alto  et  piano  by  Edison  Denisov  Dimensions  III  for  Saxophone  and  Tape  by  Ed  Diemente  Music  for  Saxophone  and  Percussion  by  Bruce  L.  Faulconer  Symmetrics  for  Saxophone  and  Four  Percussion  by  Karl  Korte  Neuf  Études  pour  Saxophones  en  4  cahiers,  Volume  4  by  Christian  Lauba.      Improvisation  I  pour  Saxophone  Alto  seul  by  Ryo  Noda  Maï  pour  Saxophone  Alto  seul  by  Ryo  Noda  Two  Pieces  for  Tenor  Saxophone  and  Piano  by  Allyn  Reilly  Le  Frêne  Egaré  by  François  Rossé  Three  Movements  for  Saxophone  Alone  by  Faye-­‐Ellen  Silverman  Lamentation  for  Alto  Saxophone  and  Piano  by  Richard  Alan  Strawser  Divertimento  No.  6  for  Alto  Saxophone  and  Strings  by  John  Weinzweig  Duets  With  Saxophone(s)  or  Various  Instruments  Of  Dust  and  Sand  for  Alto  Saxophone  and  Piano  with  Electromagnets  by  Per  Bloland    Graphic  IV  for  Alto  Saxophone  and  Celeste  by  Paul  B.  Goldstaub  Saxoclone  for  Alto  and  Tenor  Saxophones  by  Geoge  Heussenstamm  Dialogue  for  Saxophone  and  Two  Channel  Tape  by  Karl  Korte  Périples  for  Saxophone  and  Electronics  by  Paul  Méfano  O,  Aderyn  Pur  for  Flute  and  Alto  Saxophone  with  Tape  (in  movt.  IV  only)  by  Claire  Polin  Saxophone  in  Ensemble  Literature  Scherzoid  for  Saxophone  Quartet  by  Philip  Ahern  The  Flight  of  Icarus  for  Saxophone  Quartet  by  Stacy  Garrop  Sinfonia  No.  6  for  Two  Orchestras  by  Hans  Werner  Henze  Apotheosis  of  this  Earth  for  Concert  Band  by  Karel  Husa  Music  for  Prague  1968  for  Concert  Band  by  Karel  Husa  Five  Situations  for  Four  Saxophones  by  Frank  McCarty  Strong  Song  for  Saxophone  Quartet  and  Chamber  Wind  Ensemble  by  Ralph  Carl  Verdi  Jazz  Solo  Transcriptions  The  Michael  Brecker  Collection  transcribed  by  Carl  Coan    Michael  Brecker  transcribed  by  Carl  Coan  John  Coltrane  Solos  transcribed  by  Carl  Coan      

  6  Saxophone  Microtonal  Resources    Comprehensive  Saxophone  Microtonal  Fingering  Charts  Hello!    Mr.  Sax,  ou  Paramètres  du  Saxophone  by  Jean-­‐Marie  Londeix      The  Techniques  of  Saxophone  Playing  by  Marcus  Weiss  and  Giorgio  Netti  Extended  Technique  for  the  Saxophone  by  J.  Michael  Leonard  Saxophone  Quartertone  Method  Books  Preliminary  Exercises  &  Etudes  in  Contemporary  Techniques  for  Saxophone  by  Ronald  L.  Caravan  Saxophone  Warm-­‐Ups:  Materials  for  the  Contemporary  Saxophonist  by  Steven  Mauk  Microtonal  Scales  Quartertone  Scale  with  the  Ronald  Caravan  accidental  notation  system  (Refer  to  Figure  1  for  accidental  key)  

   Eighth-­‐Tone  Scale  (Marcus  Weiss  System-­‐Top  Scale,  Phillip  Rehfeldt  System-­‐Bottom)  

   

Eighth-­‐Tone  Accidental  Key  

               

! 3!

practicing!the!music.!!Therefore,!can!produce!a!timeJconsuming!learning!curve.!!After!

comparing!repertoire!and!reference!sources,!there!is!a!consistency!of!microtonal!notation!

with!both!sharped!quartertones!(1/4!&!3/4).!!These!symbols!in!figure!1!are!the!most!

common!found!in!today’s!musical!literature!in!all!wind!instruments.!!Figure!2!below!

demonstrates!a!traditional!quartertone!scale!ascending!and!descending!using!the!

appropriate!common!microtonal!accidental!notations.!!!

!Figure!2!

Quartertone*scale*ascending*and*descending*between*F*and*B*natural;*notation*accidentals*based*on*Ronald*Caravan*

*Considering!that!the!previous!accidentals!in!figures!1!and!2!are!the!most!common!in!

the!saxophone!repertoire,!there!are!several!more!quartertone!accidentals!that!can!take!

some!time!to!decipher.!!In!most!compositions,!the!composer!includes!a!key!to!aid!the!

performer.!!The!fourth!movement!of!Jindrich!Feld’s!Sonata*for*Alto*Saxophone*and*Piano!

uses!a!completely!different!system!of!quartertone!accidentals!as!seen!in!figure!3.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

Quartertone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Quartertone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Quartertone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Quartertone!¼!Sharp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¾!Sharp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¼!Flat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¾!Flat!

!Figure!3!

From*“Explanation*of*Notation*Symbols”*key*for*Sonata*for*Alto*Saxophone*and*Piano*by*Jindrich*Feld*

Even!though!this!not!widely!used,!there!are!also!microtones!in!which!the!performer!

is!asked!to!play!pitch!that!is!sharped!by!an!eighthJtone.!!There!is!a!similar!scenario!as!the!

& 44 ! ! ! ! !

&

6

˙ ˙µ ˙# ˙Â ˙ ˙µ ˙# ˙Â ˙ ˙µ ˙# ˙Â b˙ ˙

&

13

˙b ˙ B ˙ ˙b ˙b ˙ B ˙ ˙b ˙b ˙ B w

&19 ! ! ! !

&23 ! ! ! !

&27 ! ! ! !

Score

! 4!

quartertone!accidental!notation.!Observe!the!eighthJtone!variants!between!The*Techniques*

of*Saxophone*Playing!(Weiss/Netti)!and!New*Directions*for*Clarinet!(Rehfeldt)!in!figure!4.!!

!! Weiss!Netti! Rehfeldt!!

EighthJtone!!Sharped!

} +!!

EighthJtone!!Flat!

{ J!!

Quartertone!plus!EighthJtone!Sharped!

L J!!

Semitone!(HalfJstep)!plus!EighthJtone!Sharped!

l! +!Figure!4!

It!is!also!important!to!understand!the!differences!between!the!specific!eighthJtone!

notations.!!Since!this!is!a!complicated!system!of!accidentals,!here!is!an!example!of!an!

eighthJtone!scale!ascending!using!the!notation!concepts!of!Weiss/Netti!and!Rehfeldt.!!!This!

is!shown!in!figure!5.!!!

!Figure!5!

EighthBTone*Scales*Ascending*between*F*and*G*natural;*Top*Scale*symbols*based*on*Marcus*Weiss*&*Giorgio*Netti;*Bottom*Scale*symbols*based*on*Phillip*Rehfeldt**

!The!performance!of!saxophone!microtones!is!applied!with!the!use!of!false!

fingerings.!!!There!are!several!fingering!combinations!that!can!be!used!to!execute!the!sound!

effects!as!desired.!!Some!saxophone!fingerings!will!work!better!than!others!depending!on!

& 44 ! ! ! ! Ó Ó

&

6

w wU wµ wL w# wl w wX w

&15 ! ! ! !

&19 ! ! ! !

&23 ! ! ! !

&27 ! ! ! !

Score

& 44 ! ! ! ! Ó Ó

&

6

w w+ wL w- w# w#+ wl w- w

&15 ! ! ! !

&19 ! ! ! !

&23 ! ! ! !

&27 ! ! ! !

Score

! 4!

quartertone!accidental!notation.!Observe!the!eighthJtone!variants!between!The*Techniques*

of*Saxophone*Playing!(Weiss/Netti)!and!New*Directions*for*Clarinet!(Rehfeldt)!in!figure!4.!!

!! Weiss!Netti! Rehfeldt!!

EighthJtone!!Sharped!

} +!!

EighthJtone!!Flat!

{ J!!

Quartertone!plus!EighthJtone!Sharped!

L J!!

Semitone!(HalfJstep)!plus!EighthJtone!Sharped!

l! +!Figure!4!

It!is!also!important!to!understand!the!differences!between!the!specific!eighthJtone!

notations.!!Since!this!is!a!complicated!system!of!accidentals,!here!is!an!example!of!an!

eighthJtone!scale!ascending!using!the!notation!concepts!of!Weiss/Netti!and!Rehfeldt.!!!This!

is!shown!in!figure!5.!!!

!Figure!5!

EighthBTone*Scales*Ascending*between*F*and*G*natural;*Top*Scale*symbols*based*on*Marcus*Weiss*&*Giorgio*Netti;*Bottom*Scale*symbols*based*on*Phillip*Rehfeldt**

!The!performance!of!saxophone!microtones!is!applied!with!the!use!of!false!

fingerings.!!!There!are!several!fingering!combinations!that!can!be!used!to!execute!the!sound!

effects!as!desired.!!Some!saxophone!fingerings!will!work!better!than!others!depending!on!

& 44 ! ! ! ! Ó Ó

&

6

w wU wµ wL w# wl w wX w

&15 ! ! ! !

&19 ! ! ! !

&23 ! ! ! !

&27 ! ! ! !

Score

& 44 ! ! ! ! Ó Ó

&

6

w w+ wL w- w# w#+ wl w- w

&15 ! ! ! !

&19 ! ! ! !

&23 ! ! ! !

&27 ! ! ! !

Score

  7  Bibliography  

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1970.