Lyric-form archetype and the early works for saxophone quartet, 1844--1928: An analytical and historical context for saxophone quartet performance
Understanding the repertoire, history, and performance traditions of the saxophone quartet is essential to the modern saxophone quartet. The saxophone's lack of a strong orchestral tradition, its role in popular music, its role in jazz, its pedagogy, and choices in equipment are all contributing factors to inconsistency in saxophone quartet performance practices. Rather than present a performance guide to any particular piece or pieces, this dissertation endeavors to create a context for saxophone quartet performance. A context based on the early saxophone quartet repertoire and its performance history. A context that can inform not only the performance of the early works for saxophone quartet, but inform saxophone quartet performance in general. That context was created in several steps
Thesis, Dissertation, English, 2009