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saxophone

All scores that include a part for at least one saxophone.

BauerOp22 sax nsmSonata, Op.22, by Marion Bauer

Transcribed for Alto Saxophone (and piano) by Paul Cohen (originally for viola and piano)

Alto Saxophone Part, PDF $11.79

Paul Cohen is one of America's most sought-after saxophonists for orchestral and chamber concerts and solo recitals.  In addition to being a renowned performer and recording artist, he is also a talented arranger, lecturer, and collector of rare and historical instruments.  Dr. Cohen holds MM and DMA degrees from the Manhattan School of Music; he currently serves on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and Rutgers University.  We at NSM were pleased for the opportunity to collaborate with him on this publication of his transcription of Marion Bauer’s Sonata for alto saxophone.

from Dr. Paul Cohen’s preface to the NSM edition © April 7, 2021: 

“Bauer composed this sonata in 1932 or 1935.  It originally was written for viola, and dedicated to the memory of her friend and colleague, Albert Stoessel who was a distinguished American violinist, conductor, author, composer, and educator in the 20th century.  Bauer soon after created her own idiomatic transcription for clarinet and piano, and the sonata was published as a work for viola or clarinet in 1951.  It is revealing to see the differences in the viola and clarinet versions.  The piano part remains unchanged in both.

PC photo cropped 100 webThere is a history of music for viola successfully adapted for saxophone by the composers.  Fernande Decruck’s Sonata (1943) for saxophone and piano (or orchestra) was originally written for viola, as was Ross Lee Finney’s Sonata in A Minor from 1937 (viola and piano), adapted for saxophone in the early 1970s.  Several works for alto saxophone and orchestra written for the American saxophonist Elise Hall were originally written for viola, including Florent Schmitt’s Legende (1918) and Choral Variee´ (1903) by Vincent D’Indy. Adolph Busch composed his Suite for violin and either viola or alto saxophone in 1926, while in 1923 Darius Milhaud replaced the viola with the saxophone in La Creation du Monde literally positioning the saxophone in the viola chair in the string section.  My saxophone adaptation of Bauer’s Sonata combines elements of the clarinet and viola versions, creating a version appropriate for the alto saxophone.  This includes changes in range, articulation, phrasing and dynamics to create an idiomatic (though challenging) version for the alto saxophone faithful to the musical intent of the composer.”

For additional information about Marion Bauer, please see the text excerpted from Peter H. Bloom’s preface to NSM’s 2014 publication of his transcription of the Sonata for alto flute.

We provide only the transcribed alto saxophone part in our edition; a pdf of the piano score is available from imslp.org.

Alto Saxophone Part, 11 pages; Total, 14 pages

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$11.79

Bloom From-the-Drawer Voice-Saxophones nsmFrom the Drawer, for Voice and Saxophones, by Peter H. Bloom

Contemporary Composition for Tenor or Soprano, with Saxophone Quartet

Score and Parts, PDF $13.99

Boston-based flutist Peter H. Bloom created two versions of his composition From the Drawer, the edition listed here for Tenor or Soprano with Saxophone Quartet (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, and baritone saxophone) and a second edition for Tenor or Soprano with Flute (doubling Piccolo), Clarinet, Bassoon, and Horn; both editions have been published by Noteworthy Sheet Music. The score provides a musical setting for the intensely emotional poem by Constantine Cavafy. The composer suggests that the vocalist (depending on his or her performance style/background/aesthetic judgment) should free to employ amplification at his/her discretion. 

Here are Mr. Bloom's comments about From the Drawer, taken from his preface (Copyright © 2015) to the edition:

"Constantine Cavafy’s 1923 poem, From the Drawer, captures the acerbic condition of longing, the impossibly private nature of affection, and the occultation of time. Its poignancy is universal; transcending gender, age, era, place, and even translation. Rather than rely on one particular translation of Cavafy’s text, I’ve drawn on a number of versions to arrive at a paraphrase that both informs and is shaped by the musical score.

The musical setting is a sonic image of the intensely emotional response to a flood of memory that informs the poet’s narrative: now pensive, now anxious, now wistful, now joyous, now fraught, now resigned, and ever mercurial."  P. H. Bloom, September 19, 2015

Score, 14 pages; Tenor or Soprano part, 2 pages; Soprano Saxophone part, 4 pages; Alto Saxophone part, 3 pages; Tenor Saxophone part, 3 pages; Baritone Saxophone part, 3 pages; Total, 29 pages.

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$13.99

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We also offer a professionally-printed hard copy edition of From the Drawer for $23.78 plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee. Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which hard copy publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address. We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided.

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Weber Op.35 sax nsmAndante e Rondo Ongarese, Op.35, by Carl Maria von Weber

Transcribed for Alto Saxophone (and Piano) by John W. Pratt

Alto Saxophone Part, PDF $6.99

In presenting our transcription of the Andante e Rondo Ongarese by Carl Maria von Weber for alto saxophone, we are keeping with a long-standing tradition of creating saxophone arrangements of 19th century recital pieces.  This piece was first written in 1809 for viola, but was revised in 1813 for bassoon, in which form it became increasingly popular.  NSM previously published our own version of Weber's Op.35 for clarinet, and after consultation with our saxophonist colleagues we decided to offer an alto saxophone version as well.  In preparing his transcriptions of this fun, challenging piece, John Pratt worked from the public domain edition for piano and bassoon at imslp.org, where a free pdf download of the piano part is available.  Our edition provides the transcribed solo part, which works perfectly with the pre-existing piano score.


Alto Saxophone part, 5 pages; Total, 8 pages.

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$6.99