Paul Creston

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Introduction Paul Creston’s Sonata for Eb Alto Saxophone and Piano, Op. 19 is one of the most famous and widely played pieces in the solo saxophone repertoire. This paper is divided into three major sections: history, analysis, and performance considerations. Within the history section, there is a brief description of Paul Creston’s life through the composition. The analysis section examines the basic form and structure, and also provides a brief harmonic analysis of each movement. The section on performance explores ideas by the composer and prominent saxophonists along with observations by the author of this thesis. Creston’s Sonata for Eb Alto Saxophone and Piano, Op. 19 is a staple of the saxophone repertoire and is widely performed…show more content…
Creston’s “love of music was awakened” at the age of six when he was exposed to the folk songs of Sicily. Once he returned to the United States, he requested piano and organ lessons frequently. In order to convince his parents of his interest, Creston would sit at the table and “pretend to play the piano”. After his parents saw that his desire to play was genuine, they purchased an old piano for him, and at the age of eight, Creston began his lessons. His primary teachers include Gaston Dethier and G. Aldo Randegger on piano and Pietro Yon on the organ. Creston’s first musical employment took place in 1926, where he worked as a theater organist for silent films until 1929. Creston took the position as a church organist after the “talkies” (movies with sound) became common. He remained at St. Malachy’s Church in New York for thirty-three years…show more content…
It wasn’t until 1932, when Creston actually considered himself a composer, that he decided to have his compositions performed regularly. Though he had no traditional music theory training, Creston taught himself composition by analyzing music scores. He would study scores from the public libraries in New York when he was in high school, which gave him a basis to start from. Because he was not directed in his study, Creston focused on the classic composers of the past: Frederic Chopin, Johann Sebastian Bach, and more. He rejected extremes in his own compositions - he sought more of a balance between the conservative past and the avant-garde style of his contemporaries. The influences of modern and romantic compositions exist in the harmonic and rhythmic structures in Sonata for Eb Alto Saxophone and Piano, Op. 19. In 1933, Henry Cowell, an American composer and an editor for New Music Quarterly, wrote that Creston showed ability as an upcoming composer after hearing his composition for piano, Seven Theses. This was the same year that Creston composed his first piece for the saxophone: Suite for Saxophone or Clarinet and Piano, Op. 6. Later, in 1934, Cowell arranged for Creston to have his music performed at the New School for Social
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