Snippets

Description

Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone — In 1999, while packing up myriad boxes to move to a new home (following academic retirement from Eastman School of Music), I stumbled-literally-over a short string suite of five vignettes I had composed during the 1950’s as a college freshman.xa0 They had never been performed.I decided to transcribe them for the American Saxophone Quartet following a request from that august ensemble.xa0 Other than slightly lengthening the first ditty to accommodate an imperious alto sax which thinks it can play ALL of the 4-part fugal entries itself, I made few changes from the original youthful version.The first four movements each feature one of the quartet members as a “leading voice,” the others largely accompanying; everyone shares the wealth in the final dance.xa0 The whole piece is very tonal (with centers on A, D, E, G and D respectively) and make copious use of a jazz/pop music ambience that was prevalent in my first-year-conservatory world at the time.The five Snippets are approximately twelve minutes in duration and are affectionately dedicated to my long-standing friend, the saxophone virtuoso Albert Regni.xa0 The work was complete in 1954 in Rochester, New York and transcribed in Ormond, Florida, during the summer of 2000.xa0 The American Saxophone Quartet, founded by Mr. Regni, gave the premiere performances in New York City.—Sydney Hodkinson