TODAY'S UPDATE: Here is the section of the liner notes about Seymour Barab, also posted on the MUSIC page under yesterday's audio update - the first movement from his Suite for Trumpet, Alto Saxophone, and Piano. The entire piece is included on my soon-to-be-released CD "Quiet City". Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter for more updates and CD release events!
SEYMOUR BARAB (b. 1921): SUITE FOR TRUMPET, ALTO SAXOPHONE, and PIANO (1996) - published by Seesaw Music Corp
Chicago-born Seymour Barab began his professional career as a church organist, and later studied cello, appearing with the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras and the San Francisco Symphony.
Barab founded the contemporary music ensemble Composer’s Quartet in New York. He was also active on the other end of the spectrum, playing viola da gamba and founding New York Pro Musica, which specialized in Baroque and Renaissance music. Barab taught at Rutgers University, Black Mountain College and the New England Conservatory of Music. As a composer, Barab is most well-known for his operas, including Little Red Riding Hood and Philip Marshall which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
The opening movement of Barab’s “Suite for Trumpet, Alto Saxophone and Piano” has playful exchanges between the trumpet and saxophone, while the second movement is a yearning waltz. The shifting accents in the third movement evoke the hustle-bustle of a busy city street, and contrast with the fourth movement’s languid melodies. The final movement combines several of the previous techniques, creating a charming suite filled with character.
SEYMOUR BARAB (b. 1921): SUITE FOR TRUMPET, ALTO SAXOPHONE, and PIANO (1996) - published by Seesaw Music Corp
Chicago-born Seymour Barab began his professional career as a church organist, and later studied cello, appearing with the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras and the San Francisco Symphony.
Barab founded the contemporary music ensemble Composer’s Quartet in New York. He was also active on the other end of the spectrum, playing viola da gamba and founding New York Pro Musica, which specialized in Baroque and Renaissance music. Barab taught at Rutgers University, Black Mountain College and the New England Conservatory of Music. As a composer, Barab is most well-known for his operas, including Little Red Riding Hood and Philip Marshall which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
The opening movement of Barab’s “Suite for Trumpet, Alto Saxophone and Piano” has playful exchanges between the trumpet and saxophone, while the second movement is a yearning waltz. The shifting accents in the third movement evoke the hustle-bustle of a busy city street, and contrast with the fourth movement’s languid melodies. The final movement combines several of the previous techniques, creating a charming suite filled with character.