Sax Quartets

Premier Quatour

Jean-Baptiste Singelée

Composed:
1857 Grouping:
SATB Duration:
20:15

Although he wrote ballets, string works, and more, Jean-Baptiste Singelée is remembered in the saxophone world as the composer that wrote many of the first pieces composed specifically for saxophone. Many of these, including the first ever saxophone concerto, were for saxophone solo. Amongst the earliest works, composed just 11 years after the saxophone's formal introduction was his saxophone quartet, appropriately named 'Premier Quatour'. This was the first ever saxophone quartet but used the now familiar setup of soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones.

Singelée wrote in a very traditional style, already considered somewhat old fashioned even in the 1850's. He set out this quartet in four movements matching the established form of the string quartet. Each movement has a distinct character, using varying combinations, dynamics and articulations to achieve variety with four same-sounding instruments. Whilst there is little that is especially memorable or remarkable about the piece outside of its historical significance, it has some lovely moments and makes for a nice easy-going concert piece.

Here we present a new type-setting of this work based on scans of the original 1857 parts provided by the archive of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. A number of errors and inconsistencies between the parts have been corrected. If you want to try the original, contact Bibliothèque Nationale de France for a copy.