Introducing the Eb Sopranino Saxophone Music: Old and New!

Biography

Dr. Farrell Vernon (Sopranino Saxophone) is Associate Prof. of Music at Indiana Univ.-Purdue Univ. Fort Wayne. He got a B.M. at Indiana Univ. where he won the Performer’s Certificate. He holds an M.M. from the Univ. of Denver and a D.A. in Saxophone from the Univ. of Northern Colorado. He has performed with the Rome Festival Orchestra, Sempre Saxophone Quartet, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, among others. Vernon has presented world premieres at three World Saxophone Congresses and has recorded The Forgotten Saxophone: New Music for the Sopranino (2007), High Notes: More New Music for the Sopranino (2011); and Convergence: Sopranino Saxophone Across the Centuries (2013). Dozens of his transcriptions and compositions are available through Dorn Publications.

More information

Dr. Farrell Vernon (Sopranino Saxophone)
This performance features one of the earliest pieces written for solo sopranino saxophone in a chamber setting, as well as two unique new works composed for Dr. Vernon. The first piece, Bravura, Solo for Eb Sopranino Saxophone and Piano was published circa 1879 by Millereau, to whom it was also dedicated. The composer, A. Grimal, was the Head of Music in France’s 28th Regiment Infantry. The second piece is the world premiere of Intrigues for Eb Sopranino Saxophone and Guitar by composer, guitarist, and educator Dr. Ken Johnson. The design of this 2012 piece includes four short movements that explore different characters. Harmonies are dissonant, jazz-influenced, and sometimes non-functional. Johnson exploits both the lyrical and technical capabilities of the sopranino saxophone, creating a unique timbre with the guitar. The last work, Impetuous Encounter, was written in 2013 and received a regional premiere at the 2013 New Music Mini-Festival at North Manchester University in Indiana. The composer, Dr. Doug Bristol sets the depth and range of the sopranino saxophone against the dynamics of the brass quartet for a remarkable musical experience. The masterful use of the sopranino in this setting proves that the sopranino can compete with the dynamic intensity of a brass quartet. My belief is that this orchestration pairing will prove to be a favorite with future composers. All three works will be featured on Dr. Vernon’s next sopranino saxophone CD to be released on Centaur Records in late 2015.