The birth of an instrument
is an interesting thing. One wonders
at the inventor who decides that a new
timbre is needed, and that they are
the mason destined to create the new
device that will be perfect for a goal
of which the current musical tools are
incapable. Then there is always the
resultant music by other composers,
more familiar with other instruments
that have their own idiomatic constructs
which the new instrument only borrows
from. The new device is often incapable
of emulating the desired effect of the
previous instruments, and thus must
find its own voice. In the last century,
the most prominent example was the electric
guitar. In our own time, the computer
is being utilized for such a role. This
disc is an excellent example of the
early exploration of the saxophone.
These works by Jean
Baptiste Singelée would be simple
treats, and while delightful, would
be mostly forgettable were it not for
the fact that they were among the first
ever written for the saxophone. He would
be a man of little if any significance
were it not for his embracing of the
early instrument, mostly due to his
befriending of the inventor Adolphe
Sax. However, due to the significance
of the development of the repertoire
of this instrument that would be so
instrumental in the sounds of the following
century, these pieces gain both in stature
and in prominence. Indeed, without these
pieces it is conceivable that there
would have been no Charlie Parker, John
Coltrane, or Gerry Mulligan, as their
primary mode of expression would have
been taken from them nearly a century
before they would come to prominence.
In addition, the current
performers are beyond competent. Christian
Peters, playing soprano, alto, tenor
and baritone saxophones, displays a
love for the classical roots of his
instrument. As the instrument came so
late to prominence, it is rare to find
a musician of such obvious talent interested
in these works. One would venture that
the great majority of those devoting
their lives to the saxophone would find
refuge in the world of 20th
century music.
Peters here exhibits
an obvious affinity for these early
works from the incubation of his instrument.
He is competently accompanied by Yoriko
Ikeya on piano, though the works are
hardly demanding. That being said, they
very much reflect the time in which
they were written. Expect no particularly
spectacular virtuosity on the featured
saxophone. There were no saxophone virtuosi
in 1860, nor were the instruments themselves
capable of the acrobatic agilities of
the bebop era. The melodies are derived
from string or vocal works of the romantic
era. They are simple, refined and comfortable;
they might remind the listener of works
of folk music. If anything, they are
conservative for the 1860s, as Wagner
had already progressed beyond this style
of music. These works could easily have
been done by a student of Schumann thirty
years earlier, were it not for the saxophone
itself as the object of experimentation.
All of that being said,
were it not for the fact that these
are the works that show the birth of
the saxophone’s repertory, there would
be no reason to purchase them. They
are not otherwise notable. This disc
is recommended both for musicologists
interested in the early history of the
saxophone and its development, and in
lovers of the obscure. Those who love
their Cannonball Adderly will find themselves
bored by the pieces on this disc, no
matter how remarkably performed. The
same can be said of the lovers of Singelée’s
contemporaries, such as Wagner, Chopin,
Verdi or Smetana. Any of these composers
would display more ingenuity in composition
if not instrumentation.
This album is an interesting
one, and well recorded. It is highly
listenable. However, it is not among
the great albums of our own time, nor
are the works presented among the great
works of their own era. If purchased
for a saxophone player or a true saxophone
lover, this may become an album that
they would enjoy. For the casual lover
of romantic-era music, this is merely
an oddity.
Patrick Gary
Christian Peters, saxophones