JS Bach
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| Percy Grainger's relationship with the saxophone was both joyous and far-reaching. He included the saxophone sometimes singly, other times within a complete family in many of his orchestral, chamber, band and solo works. Grainger was convinced of the ideal musical qualities of the saxophone from his very first encounter with the instrument. In a 1943 round letter to his friends, he reminisced:
Around 1904, Balfour Gardiner & I heard our first sax-reed (a tenor) near Frome, Somerset. A man in a country band played one to us. And I knew then & there that I was hearing the world's finest wind-tone-tool the most voice-like, the most mankind-typed. His enthusiasm was such that he owned both a soprano and baritone, and he enlisted in a World War I armed forces band playing the soprano saxophone! His extensive public writing about the saxophone was effusive in praise, extolling its virtues to the highest degree. A typical example comes from the preface to Lincolnshire Posy, in which Grainger asserts: ...to my ears the saxophone is the most expressive of all wind instruments the one closest to the human voice. And surely all musical instruments should be rated according to their tonal closeness to man's own voice!... Grainger was especially interested in the sonority of instrumental families, and his particular favorite was the family of saxophones. For many years he wanted to write for saxophone ensemble, but was unable to find an appropriate group to try out his works. In the summer of 1943 Grainger had a particularly strong and interested group at Interlochen with which to work, and he enthusiastically wrote out saxophone ensemble parts to many of his own arrangements and original settings. Prelude and Fugue #5 from Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier was arranged by Grainger for SATB saxophone quartet from August 17 to 19, 1943 while on the summer faculty of Interlochen. He created the score from parts in November 1943, while taking the train from St. Louis to Buffalo. This is an unedited edition. All of Grainger's markings and indications as originally found on the parts and the score have been retained. Nothing has been added or deleted. Inconsistencies and omissions between parts and score have not been corrected. To capture some of the unique flavor of Grainger's writing, scanned images of the holograph have been added into the engraved parts and score, while the appearance approximates aspects of the original. A word of caution about interpretation. Grainger's markings reveal a highly romanticized concept of Baroque performance practice, which was a prevailing view in this early era of Baroque scholarship. There are many dynamic swells, frequent tempo modifications and exaggerated dynamic levels and contrasts. Modern Baroque scholarship in the last 50 years has authenticated a performance practice significantly different from this early view. For the most effective and musically accepted performance, it is highly recommended that this work be interpreted according to prevailing performance standards, which will mean reconsidering and replacing many of Grainger's markings. This will allow Grainger's genius in saxophone conception and scoring to be fully appreciated, while celebrating the joyous role of the saxophone in Baroque music. Paul Cohen |
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