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Abdon Laus
Abdon Laus (April 8, 1888, in Algiers – July 29, 1945, in Newton, Massachusetts) was an Algerian-born American bassoonist and saxophonist who was principal bassoon for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and founder of the Boston Saxophone Orchestra. Trained in Paris, France, Laus "received first prize from the conservatory of Paris" in 1910. While in France, he appeared as soloist with Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and the Paris Opera. He came to the United States in 1918 with the French Military Band of the Garde Republicaine, who performed in Boston's Symphony Hall under the auspices of the United States War Department, and remained here, joining the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a replacement musician when the Orchestra removed 18 German players for being enemy aliens. The Boston Sunday Post stated, "Members of this band were given to understand that any engagements they were to make in America they were at liberty to fill. It is a good exchange in more than one way for the Bo ...
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Algiers
Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques de l'Algérie (web). and an estimated 3,004,130 residents in 2025 in an area of , Algiers is the largest city in List of cities in Algeria, Algeria, List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, the third largest city on the Mediterranean, List of largest cities in the Arab world, sixth in the Arab World, and List of cities in Africa by population, 11th in Africa. Located in the north-central portion of the country, it extends along the Bay of Algiers surrounded by the Mitidja Plain and major mountain ranges. Its favorable location made it the center of Regency of Algiers, Ottoman and French Algeria, French cultural, political, and architectural influences for the region, shaping it to be the diverse met ...
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Pierre Monteux
Pierre Benjamin Monteux (; 4 April 18751 July 1964) was a French (later American) conductor. After violin and viola studies, and a decade as an orchestral player and occasional conductor, he began to receive regular conducting engagements in 1907. He came to prominence when, for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company between 1911 and 1914, he conducted the world premieres of Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky's ''The Rite of Spring'' and other prominent works including ''Petrushka (ballet), Petrushka'', ''Le Rossignol, The Nightingale'', Maurice Ravel, Ravel's ''Daphnis et Chloé'', and Claude Debussy, Debussy's ''Jeux''. Thereafter he directed orchestras around the world for more than half a century. From 1917 to 1919 Monteux was the principal conductor of the French repertoire at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1919–24), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra (1924–34), Orchestre Symphonique de Paris ( ...
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Jascha Gurewich
Jascha Gurewich (July 4, 1896, Pruzhany, Russia - September 30, 1938, New York, NYNew York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949", database, ''FamilySearch''(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W23-XF4 : 11 May 2022), Jascha Gurewich, 1938) was a saxophonist who was a member of John Philip Sousa's band, a noted solo performer, and a composer of works for saxophone. Gurewich played a significant role in the popularization of the saxophone in the early 20th-century. Biography Gurewich served in the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, a fact mentioned frequently in coverage of his concert appearances after the war. J. Windsor, writing a review of an Aeolian Hall performance in 1925, wrote in The National Monthly Trade Journal of the Musical Merchandise Industry, "His mastery of the instrument was interrupted by the war, as he went overseas with the American forces, but he succeeded, despite the obstacles of active duty at the front, in demonstrating prof ...
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Contrabass Saxophone
The contrabass saxophone is the second-lowest-pitched extant member of the saxophone family proper. It is pitched in E♭ one octave below the baritone saxophone, which requires twice the length of tubing and bore width. This renders a very large and heavy instrument, standing approximately tall and weighing around . Despite this, it was used in marching bands in the early 20th century. History The contrabass saxophone was part of the original saxophone family as conceived by Adolphe Sax, and is included in his saxophone patent of 1846, as well as in Kastner's concurrently published ''Méthode'' for saxophone. By 1849, Sax was displaying contrabass through sopranino saxophones at exhibitions. Patrick Gilmore's famous American band roster included a contrabass saxophone in 1892, and at least two dozen of these instruments were built by the Evette & Schaeffer company for US military bands in the early 20th century which, despite their size, were able to be played while mar ...
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Bass Saxophone
The bass saxophone is the third lowest member of the saxophone family—larger and lower than the more common baritone saxophone. It was likely the first type of saxophone built by Adolphe Sax, as first observed by Berlioz in 1842. It is a transposing instrument pitched in B, an octave below the tenor saxophone and a perfect fourth below the baritone saxophone. A bass saxophone in C, intended for orchestral use, was included in Adolphe Sax's patent, but few known examples were built. The bass saxophone is not a commonly used instrument, but it is heard on some 1920s jazz recordings, in free jazz, in saxophone choirs and sextets, and occasionally in concert bands and rock music. Music for bass saxophone is written in treble clef, just as for the other saxophones, with the pitches sounding two octaves and a major second lower than written. As with most other members of the saxophone family, the lowest written note is the B below the staff—in the bass's case, sounding as a concer ...
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Baritone Saxophone
The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use — the bass, contrabass saxophone, contrabass and subcontrabass saxophone, subcontrabass saxophones are relatively uncommon. Like all saxophones, it is a single-reed instrument. It is commonly used in concert bands, chamber music, military bands, big bands, and jazz combos. It can also be found in other ensembles such as Rock music, rock bands and marching bands. Modern baritone saxophones are pitched in E. History The baritone saxophone was created in 1846 by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax as one of a family of 14 instruments. Sax believed these instruments would provide a useful tonal link between the woodwinds and brasses. The family was divided into two groups of seven saxophones each, ...
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Tenor Saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while the alto is pitched in the key of E), and is a transposing instrument in the treble clef, sounding an octave and a major second lower than the written pitch. Modern tenor saxophones which have a high F key have a range from A2 to E5 (concert) and are therefore pitched one octave below the soprano saxophone. People who play the tenor saxophone are known as "tenor saxophonists", "tenor sax players", or "saxophonists". The tenor saxophone uses a larger mouthpiece, reed and ligature than the alto and soprano saxophones. Visually, it is easily distinguished by the curve in its neck, or its crook, near the mouthpiece. The alto saxophone lacks this and its neck goes straight to the mouthpiece. The tenor saxophone is most recognized for ...
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C-melody Saxophone
The C melody saxophone, also known as the C tenor saxophone, is a saxophone pitched in the key of C one whole tone above the common B-flat tenor saxophone. The C melody was part of the series of saxophones pitched in C and F intended by the instrument's inventor, Adolphe Sax, for orchestral use. The instrument enjoyed popularity in the early 1900s, perhaps most prominently used by Rudy Wiedoeft and Frankie Trumbauer, but is now uncommon. A C melody saxophone is larger than an alto and smaller than a tenor. The bore on most models has a diameter and taper more like a 'stretched' alto than a tenor. When seen in profile, its shape bears some resemblance to a tenor saxophone, though it is smaller and the bell appears longer. Most C melody saxophones have curved necks (with a similar shape to that of the tenor saxophone) though C. G. Conn did make straight-necked C melody instruments (more similar to the alto). C melody saxophones are usually marked with a letter "C" above or be ...
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Alto Saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ (musical note), E, smaller than the B♭ (musical note), B Tenor saxophone, tenor but larger than the B Soprano saxophone, soprano. It is the most common saxophone and is used in popular music, concert bands, chamber music, List of concert works for saxophone, solo repertoire, military bands, marching bands, pep bands, carnatic music, and jazz (such as big bands, jazz combos, swing music). The alto saxophone had a prominent role in the development of jazz. Influential jazz musicians who made significant contributions include Don Redman, Jimmy Dorsey, Johnny Hodges, Benny Carter, Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Lee Konitz, Jackie McLean, Phil Woods, Art Pepper, Paul Desmond, and Cannonball Adderley. Although the role of the alto saxophone in ...
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Soprano Saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a small, high-pitched member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented in the 1840s by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Built in B♭ an octave above the tenor saxophone (or rarely, slightly smaller in C), the soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass, and subcontrabass. The soprillo and sopranino are rare instruments, making the soprano the smallest saxophone in common use. The instrument A transposing instrument pitched in the key of B, the modern soprano saxophone with a high F key has a range from concert A3 to E6 (written low B to high F) and is therefore pitched one octave above the tenor saxophone. There is also a soprano saxophone pitched in C, which is uncommon; most examples were produced in America in the 1920s. The soprano has all the keys of other saxophone models (with the e ...
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Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (1867) also remains in the international repertory. He composed a large amount of church music, many songs, and popular short pieces including his "Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod), Ave Maria" (an elaboration of a Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach piece) and "Funeral March of a Marionette". Born in Paris into an artistic and musical family, Gounod was a student at the Conservatoire de Paris and won France's most prestigious musical prize, the Prix de Rome. His studies took him to Italy, Austria and then Prussia, where he met Felix Mendelssohn, whose advocacy of the music of Bach was an early influence on him. He was deeply religious, and after his return to Paris, he briefly considered becoming a priest. He composed prolifically, writing church music, songs ...
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Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. Initially establishing his reputation as a composer of works in the romantic vein of Carl Maria von Weber and Giacomo Meyerbeer, Wagner revolutionised opera through his concept of the ''Gesamtkunstwerk'' ("total work of art"), whereby he sought to synthesise the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts, with music subsidiary to drama. The drama was to be presented as a continuously sung narrative, without conventional operatic structures like Aria, arias and Recitative, recitatives. He described this vision in a List of prose works by Richard Wagner, series of essays published between 1849 and 1852. Wagner realised these ideas most fully in the first ...
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