Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano
 
Duration: 10:30
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Program Notes:
Because of the late arrival of the saxophone in the field of mainstream classical music, many sax players resort to transcriptions to get their fill of the Common Practice Period. One is hard-pressed to find an authentically traditional Sonata written explicitly for saxophone. With this in mind, Crosmer's sonata was written in an eclectic plethora of characters, each of which reflects early periods from the Baroque through the Romantic.
The work is divided into sub-sections which resemble the multi-movement sonata form on a smaller scale. A slow introduction pairs the two instruments as equals by giving the piano a single line, a theme which is common throughout. The main fast section uses motives resembling liturgies and complex counterpoint, followed by a similar chant-like slower section. To complete the Neo-baroque aspect of the work, a fugato once again pits the piano and saxophone as equals in the penultimate section, and the work is finalized by a return to the liturgy.