Canfield: Five Mangled Expressions for Alto Saxophone and Horn

Code: JP5119
ISMN: 979-0-3019-0022-2

Five Mangled Expressions for Alto Saxophone and Horn was written in eleven days between April 8, 2012 and the following May 6th. Saxophonist, Stacy Maugans, requested the instrumentation of the work, desiring to have music for her and one of her colleagues on the faculty at Valparaiso University.

The title of the work was selected before a note of the work was written. Initially, Canfield was going to set several common English expressions, for example, 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.' After reflection, he decided that it would be more fun to write a piece based on mangled expressions, all of which are humorous combinations of parts of two well-known expressions. There are a few jokes unrelated to the expressions during the course of the work, such as the not-so-subtle quote in both instruments of the famous horn solo that opens Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel and the 'silent' ending of the piece.

The work comprises five short movements in a pattern of fast-slow-fast-slow-fast. Movements two and four are parallel in that each features one instrument, the saxophone in movement two and the horn in movement four, in a solo capacity, with the other instrument utilized in mainly accompanimental fashion. In the other movements, the two instruments are equal throughout, and alternate in melodic and virtuosic licks.

The set includes a score plus individual parts for each of the two instruments. Total duration is approximately 10 minutes.

The music is recorded by Stacy Maugans, saxophone, and Ericka Tyner Grodrian, horn. See CD4004 listed in "Related products"

Click here for more information on David DeBoor Canfield