Sonate pour Saxophone Alto et piano by Edison Denisov

David Oschefski

Edison Denisov was a Russian serial composer born in Tomsk, Siberia 1929. He had
gone to Tomsk University for mathematics, where he also took piano lessons. After he graduated
he was pushed and supported by Shostakovich, a major influence of Denisov's, to study
composition at the Moscow Conservatoire, which he later attended in 1951 under Vissarion
Shelbain. As his style developed he would eventually be asked to write many well known pieces
for well known performers, and become a respected composer.
Before Denisov enrolled at the Moscow Conservatoire he had sent his favourite composer
of the time, Shostakovich, a few compositions (Classical Suite and Romances, and Failure)
asking for opinions and thoughts. Shostakovich replied with a detailed analysis of each work
and interest in and encouragement to apply to the conservatoire.
"...your compositions have astonished me...I believe that you are
endowed with a great gift for composition. And it would be a great sin to
bury your talent." (letter from Shostakovich to Denisov, March 22,
1950.)1

This correspondence would lead to a friendship between the two composers, and help Denisov's
career. After a rejection from the Moscow Conservatoire, Denisov's second attempt of enrolling
was successful. He would be influenced by many of the Second Viennese School composers
who he had, more or less, disliked before being learning and understanding their styles and
techniques. During his studies at the conservatoire Deniov went on a few trips to study Russian
folk music, which can be seen in his early works.
It was not until the 1970's that Denisov would start to show his on individual style with
more unexpected influences such as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk, well

1 Yuri Kholopov, and Valeria Tsenova, Edison Denisov, (Harwood Academic Publishers,
Switzerland, 1995), 4.

known jazz musicians of the time.2 Denisov's style would have characteristics of highly
expressive intonations, acute pointillism, and wide spaces of sound with many melodic lines,3
this would also be the time that Denisov would start writing for full orchestras and larger
ensembles.
From the 1980's and later Denisov's influences would grow to include Mozart, Brahms and
Schubert.4 He would start to experiment with unusual combinations of instruments, a more
pictorial aspect of music, with some of his music would become a spiritual art having symbolism
of beauty, good and light, along with a much more lyrical style later into the 1990's.5
In 1970 Denisov's style would entice well known saxophonist Jean-Marie Londeix to
commission a piece for saxophone. Denisov was ecstatic as he loved the saxophone for its
expressive and technical possibilities, but he had not written for saxophone before and asked
Londeix to send a recording of all the possible techniques a saxophone could perform, which
would lead to the composition of Sonate pour Saxophone Alto et Piano. It was premiered
December 14, 1970 by Jean-Marie Londeix and pianist Milton Grainger at the second World
Saxophone Congress in Chicago. This piece uses multiple twelve tone rows simultaneously,
micro-polyphony, and quite a few extended techniques for saxophone and even includes some
jazz influences. After playing the piece Londiex would comment "The Sonata for Alto
Saxophone and Piano by Edison Denisov opened the saxophone to avant-garde contemporary

2 Denisov, Edison. Edison Denisov to Jean-Marie Londeix, October 25, 1995.

3 "Edison Denisov." Gerard Billaudot Editeur.
4 Denisov. Edison Denisov to Jean-Marie Londeix
5 "Edison Denisov." Gerard Billaudot Editeur.

music in a way that no other piece had ever done,"6 and that it "has become one of the most
significant works in the saxophone's repertoire."7
Within my analysis of this piece I would like to look at a note from Denisov's personal archive
describing this piece overall.
"The Sonata for Saxophone and Piano was written at the request of the
French saxophonist Jean-Marie Londeix and is dedicated to him. Denisov
had a great deal of love for the saxophone, because it possesses
considerable expressive and technical possibilities, both in the domain of
jazz and classical [music]. Furthermore, Denisov had great esteem for the
saxophones very large, sonorous, and dynamic amplitude.
Sonata form is not present here. It is more a cycle of three movements,
which have an analogous meaning to the three-part cycle of the 19th
century sonata.
The first movement has the function of the allegro of the sonata-cycle.
Very energetic, it alludes to a jazz improvisation. The syncopations, the
uneven rhythms found in the swing [style], disrupt the regular beat. The
meters are constantly changing: 6/32, 4/32, 11/32, 17/32, etc. The
principal theme is constructed in the manner of jazz: the melodic line is
almost improvised, syncopated. The piano accompaniment is also typical
of jazz: the chords which occur in the gaps left by the soloist sound
isolated and heavily accented.
The second movement is a monologue for solo saxophone. It is only at
the end [of the movement] that the piano emits some very delicate chords,
bringing a new sound. This movement is very free in its development,
which gives the impression of improvised music. It also acts as a long
prelude to the third movement.
In the finale, all the musical material becomes imprinted with the jazz
element that takes center stage at the beginning, when the piano imitates
the movement of the boogie woogie. Here, a concertante and virtuosic
style dominates the writing.
Denisovs Sonata is very popular among saxophonists throughout the
world. It appears as a required work in the majority of saxophone
competitions, and has been recorded about fifteen times." 8

6 Ora Paul Harr, "The Influence of Jazz," 1.

7 VanPelt, "A Performer's Guide," 117-118.
8 Zachary Cairns, "Multiple-Row Serialism in Three Works by Edison Denisov," 119.

As is stated in the notes Sonate pour Saxophone Alto et Piano is not actually in sonata form but
more of a cycle of three movements, similar to his earlier writing during his studies at the
conservatoire. Denisov does use some twelve tone serialism technique in the first and third
movements, however, Denisov sometimes will only use portions of a row rather than the entire
row. All three movements, Allegro, Lento, and Allegro moderato, Denisov shows his influence
of jazz. This can be seen especially in the first with syncopated rhythms, constantly changing
rhythms as to avoid a regular beat, and the piano and saxophone sort of playing off of each other,
filling in the gaps the other leaves with accented chords or somewhat similar lines, as seen in
measure 49-52 (figure 1).

Fig. 1

Another strong of possible jazz influence is the ostinato bass line in the piano of the third
movement. It is very much like a string bass, and is also doubled at times and written with a
pizzicato marking. The saxophone line also has some recurring melodies seen at the beginning
of the movement (figure 2). It also contains a strong rhythmic pulse, dominant seventh and
blues chords," and as described by Londeix it is reminiscent of "a jazz trio for saxophone, piano,
and string bass, with the piano assuming the two latter roles." 9

9 Cairns, "Multiple-Row Serialism," 120.

Fig. 2

The second movement is quite contrasting to the first and third movements. Aside from the
different tempo marking, and the major dynamic difference it is also mainly saxophone playing
until almost three quarters of the way through. It is also the movement that contains most of the
extended techniques for the saxophone, such as multiphonics and quarter tones. As it was
described earlier it is a monologue, almost giving a sense of free development and improvisation.
Section Location
A
Beginning
a
After the 3 beats plus a 16th note
rest.
B
After the 9:8 run and the 3 beats of
rest.
b

Before the return of the tremolos

after the 3 beats of rest.

Features
Multiphonics are used twice
Quarter tones are used and the dynamics
reaches up to a f
Quarter tones are still being used but the main
feature is the tremolos. A multiphonic is also
used.
Tremolos are used again, quarter tones, and the
piano is added.

The overall form of this movement is an AaBb, with the sections being divided by large
areas of rest in the saxophone, the introduction of different aspects, such as the piano, or quarter
tones, and rhythmic changes (fig. 3). The A section and the a subsection share some qualities
with the B section but a large difference is in the rhythms, rhythmic groupings and even the
number of larger intervals. The similarities between the A and a section relies much on rhythmic
groupings, such as 5:4 and quarter note triplets, and they also share smaller intervals, the widest
being a major third, with no large leaps happening in the melodic line until the end of the a
section. The large B section and the subsection b also share similar qualities with a major focus
being on tremolos. The b subsection also seems to mirror the beginning of B by beginning with

tremolos and ending with a passage of quarter tones. The major difference between these two
sections is the introduction of the piano.
Fig. 3

Recurring melodic ideas are not used very much in this piece, there may be short familiar
passages but Denisov uses rhythms much more. Major recurring rhythms help define the form as
stated earlier, not only between the major sections but also the subsections. Denisov uses
irregular rhythmic groupings often within this piece such 5:4, 9:8 and 7:8, with 5:4 occurring in
Se
t
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

Normal Order

Prime Form

(6,10,11)
(6,8,9)
(10,11,0)
(6,8,9,10,11,0)
(6,8,9,10,11,0)
(7,8,9)
(8,9,10,11,0)
(7,8,9,10,11,0)
(4,5,10)
(8,9,11,0,1,2)
(1,3,4,5,6,8)
(0,1,2)
(0,1,2,3,4,5,6,8)
(5,6,7,8,9,10,0,1,
2)
(7,8,9)
(5,6,7)
(6,7,8,9)
(7,8,10,11,2,3)
(8,10,11,2)
(8,9,10,1,2,3)
(8,9,10,11,1,2,3)
(3,5,6)
(6,7,9,10)
(2,4,6,7,9)
(2,3,4,5,6,7)
(7,8,9,11,1,2)
(3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0)
(5,6,11,0)
(7,8,9,1)
(11,0,1,6)
(6,7,8,9,11,0,1)

(015)
(013)
(012)
(012346)
(012346)
(012)
(01234)
(012345)
(016)
(012356)
(023457)
(012)
(01234568)
(012345789
)
(012)
(012)
(0123)
(013478)
(0236)
(012567)
(0123567)
(013)
(0134)
(02357)
(012345)
(012467)
(01234569)
(0167)
(0126)
(0127)
(0123567)

Interval
Vector
[100110]
[111000]
[210000]
[443211]
[443211]
[210000]
[432100]
[543210]
[100011]
[433221]
[343230]
[210000]
[665542]
[766773]
[210000]
[210000]
[321000]
[313431]
[112101]
[421242]
[543342]
[111000]
[212100]
[132130]
[543210]
[332232]
[656542]
[200022]
[210111]
[210021]
[543342]

every section. In addition he uses two

specific rhythmic techniques for each
major section, for the A section he uses the
rhythmic acceleration and ritarando with
eighth notes, as can be seen in figure 3.
Within the B section the prominent
rhythmic technique used is a passage of
ascending tremolos.
While there may be no recurring
melodic ideas Denisov does show a
preference towards certain prime forms
and intervals. The most frequently
occurring prime form is (012), followed by
(013). The frequency of these prime forms
show that Denisov used many semi-tones
and whole tones in his writing, with a
semitone being used 93 times and a whole

tone being used 73 times. There is no correlation as to when he uses these intervals as (012)
occurs in almost every set. There were four sets that were found to be transpositions, these
include (012), (013), (0123567), and (01234). These sets are only transposed by the intervals of
5,7,9 and 10, however, the only set of transpositions that have a pattern is (012) which seem to
end or begin short phrases.
The sets I included in the table did not include quarter tones. Quarter tones are not taken
0

C-quarter sharp
D- 3 quarters flat

C-sharp
D-flat
C- 3 quarters sharp
D-quarter flat
D
D-quarter sharp
E- 3 quarters flat

1
0
1
1
1
2
1
3

D-sharp
E-flat
D- 3 quarters sharp
E-quarter flat

1
4
1
5

2
3
4
5

6
7

E
F-flat
E-quarter sharp
F-quarter flat

16

E-sharp
F
F-quarter sharp
G- 3 quarters flat
F-sharp
G-flat
F- 3 quarters
sharp
G-quarter flat
G

18

G-quarter sharp
A- 3 quarters flat

23

17

19
20
21

22

G-sharp
A-flat
G- 3 quarters
sharp
A-quarter flat
A
A-quarter sharp
B- 3 quarters flat
A-sharp
B-flat
A- 3 quarters
sharp
B-quarter flat
B
C-flat
B-quarter sharp
C-quarter flat

into consideration
with twelve tone
music and are
even excluded in
some analyses, or
treated as the
closest note. If we
take each quarter
tone into
consideration we

get a 24 tone set. When we use this system to analyse a few sections within the second
movement we can see that the prime form (013) occurs much more frequently and can play a
bigger role in the overall movement. If we mix using both systems the A, a, and B all start with
(013). Figure 4 and 5 show this at the beginning of the a and B sections. When we
Fig. 4

(2,

5, 4)

(23, 0, 21) (21, 19, 18)

(18,

19,

16)

(013)

(013)

(013)

(013)

Fig. 5

(16,

19,
18)
(013)
compare the quarter tone sections between the two main sections we can see that (013) is more
frequently used in the first half of the movement while (012) is used in the second half. Figure 4
shows a good portion of the quarter tone section for the A section and figure 6 shows the stretch
near the end of the movement.

Fig. 6

(0,

1,
(012)

23)

(23, 22,
(014)

2)

(14,

13, 12)
(012)

The second movement was described earlier as a "prelude" to the third movement, at first
it seems as though there are very few similarities between the two but when we compare the very
end of the second and the beginning of the third we see that between the saxophone and the
piano we hear an E, B-flat, A, C, D-flat, and a B. These are the same notes, minus an E-flat, as
the ostinato bass line that begins the third movement. This shows a clear connection between the
two, and how the second movement can act as a direct prelude into the third.
The final small detail to analyse is how Denisov shows his influence and friendship of
Shostakovich. Shostakovich was known to include the notes DSCH, which are the German
names for D(2), E-flat(3), C(0), and B(11), and Denisov would include them in his own
compositions as a respectful nod to Shostakovich.10 We can see this motive transposed by 9

10 Kholopov, and Tsenova, Edison Denisov, 114.

semitones in set 10 (11,0,9,8) , ignoring the quarter tones, and set 23 (6,7,10,9) which is inverted
and transposed by 7 semitones, however, we have to ignore quarter tones and repeated notes.

Fig. 8

(11,

0,

9,

8)

Denisov's Sonate pour Saxophone Alto et Piano was acclaimed as a turning point for
saxophone's entrance into the avant-garde style. It incorporated many different extended
techniques and compositional styles and did so musically. As a performer analysing this piece
can be very useful as it can be difficult to hear or see phrases because of the compositional style,
knowing what your accompanist is going to do can help you keep the piece together and play off
of each other. Knowing the influences will help the performer play the desired style and
understand how to express what the composer wanted to say, even through the difficult
techniques and rhythms. It's not surprising why Londeix held this piece in such high regard, or
why it has become a staple in the saxophone players repertoire.

Bibliography
Cairns, Zachary A. "Multiple-Row Serialism in Three Works by Edison Denisov." PhD diss,
Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, 2010.
Denisov, Edison. Edison Denisov to Jean-Marie Londeix, October 25, 1995. Letter. Bordeaux,
France: Centre Europen de Saxophone, 2002. From SaxAmE.
http://www.saxame.org/letters/denisov/denisov10.html (accessed December 19,2015).
"Edison Denisov." Gerard Billaudot Editeur. Accessed December 19,2015.
http://www.billaudot.com/en/composer.php?p=Edison&n=Denisov
Kholopov, Yuri and Tsenova, Valeria. Edison Denisov. Chur, Switzerland: Harwood Academic
Publishers, 1995.
Harr, Ora Paul. "The Influence of Jazz Elements on Edison Denisov's Sonata for Alto Saxophone
and Piano." PhD diss, University of Texas, May 2004.
VanPelt, Michael O. "A Performers Guide to the Music of Edison Denisov: Understanding the
Interpretive Implications of his Musical Language in Sonata for Alto Saxophone and
Piano, Deux Pieces, and Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Cello". PhD diss University of
Cincinnati, November 2013.