Henri Eccles: Sonata for Eb Alto Saxophone and Piano

Andrew Hasher, saxophone
Liz Ames, piano
Henri Eccles (1670-1742): Sonata for Eb Alto Saxophone and Piano
Arranged by Sigurd M. Rascher
I. Largo
II. Courante: 1:42
III. Adagio: 3:08
IV. Presto: 4:40
Recorded October 14, 2019
Britton Recital Hall
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance
Recorded, filmed and edited by Dave Schall
www.daveschallacoustic.com

[@benblessing]

I have a 7th grader that is currently preparing this for the state competition. I'm using this recording as a guide to arranging a full band version. Really, really nice playing Andrew.

[@Keirstack]

I’m a sophomore in Highschool and I just got this for solo & ensemble. This recording will really help!

[@staleyweatherford934]

Just played this at state solo and ensemble memorized and got a one

[@lolzlalz2100]

Wow I'm a sophomore in highschool and I have to learn this in about a month, thanks for the recording it sounds super fun =)

[@keelynmccary6234]

Sis I felt that, I’m a freshman and I’m learning it too. I legit cannot feel my mouth

[@bchil5908]

Pog

[@taz0il]

Frr I’m in 7th grade and the high school director wants me to play this saying: well my seniors can play this why can’t you. IM NOT A SENIOR 😭

[@andrewhasher]

@@taz0il You got it!!

[@aramgarza281]

@@taz0il same thing happened to my friend lol

[@joshwhite9996]

Bravo! This is one of the best recordings of this sonata I have heard.

[@andrewhasher]

Thank you so much!

[@reggiee8590]

This brought back great memories. I played this back in 90's. Love this.

[@lucazalaffi1able]

Non avrei mai pensato che potesse essere così bella suonata col sax!!! BRAVO!!! ... 👏👏👏👏👏 👍👍👍👍👍

[@nashisdumb3550]

Sophomore in Highschool playing this, thank you!!

[@Chips48]

My favorite recording of the piece! It sounds so warm and inviting. Excellent work!! ❤

[@Equad]

Played this for my solo piece last year and I used your video as a guide and it went wonderfully! Great job!

[@NotAxel406]

1:42 2:32 3:08 4:39

[@ajt9321]

Stunning! What a beautifully warm tone, it's like the notes just slide out! That articulation was spectacular. You played this piece exceptionally, thank you for the recording. I'll certainly be using it to practice!

[@baileyboo1643]

Thank you for the amazing recording! I'm learning theses sonatas for my audition into college, and these recordings are done super well and super helpful!

[@bambino100011]

That is the cleanest and best performance of that piece I have ever heard! Bravo!

[@SaxophoneFactory]

Very nice job. This little sonata is a great deal difficult than people think. I have been teaching for 30 years...

[@liamortiz9191]

Bravo! Beautiful phrasing, and dynamic direction. Well done.

[@brianmeese1641]

Wow! This is what lots and lots of really disciplined work sounds like. Your dynamics blow my mind! Such a pleasure to listen to. Thanks for posting.

[@andrewhasher]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@konorkaotic9657]

I’m about to play this for Indiana State Solo and Ensemble, this recording has helped me greatly in learning how to further improve Courante and Presto so thank you very much for releasing it

[@kloakxz385]

Wow I’m a freshman in high school and I need to learn and memorize this as my solo

[@jerryatikian2159]

Great Performance

[@lenethh-j8516]

This is just so lovely! I'm learning it on the violin but you make me want to take up the sax.

[@colinhoulihansax]

Great recording!

[@micahkesner6232]

i’m an 8th grader tryna learn this for my solo

[@jamesstrader4063]

Just played this yesterday for my school concert😂

[@jamescps8799]

Great tone and musicality , enjoyed listening to this recording.

[@dannyboylan2342]

Very very nice man!!!

[@vladislavmineev4774]

Bravo!

[@br3dcrumbs]

EDIT: Question I asked was answered before I posted my comment. Sounds really great, and reminds me of my 10th grade NYSSMA Solofest!

[@andrewhasher]

Thank you so much! The first time I ever played this piece was also at a NYSSMA audition!!

[@2nightofficial]

My neighbor played this piece last year. He played it quite differently. He had burned lungs after cleaning in her house. Thanks for the interesting performance :)) Good Luck Man...

[@kirbygames9787]

thanks a lot my band director has been trying to make me learn this for some high school auditions (i'm in 7th grade) and i'm still on largo but i have been able to play around to the second line and i haven't been play it for very long so im happy with myself.

[@Brocc-Lee]

excited to use this piece for my college audition and for solo and small ensemble

[@yuyu6601]

So beautiful!! I'm fun😍

[@bigjbigj8504]

Nostalgia

[@mrchristian0457]

Wow. I’m blown away. I now see the goal I have for continuing with Saxophone through college. That was honestly so beautiful, excellent performance!

[@julianvera7124]

Beatifull

[@mcflubbiebubbies6394]

Holy shit this is amazing!!!! You should post more stuff!!!!!!!!

[@andrewhasher]

Thank you! There is more content in the works!!

[@SaxandRelax]

best recording

[@andrewhasher]

Thank you!!

[@thawhitecletis4569]

Junior in highschool playing this in two days very nicely done!!!

[@martheverhagen8390]

You are very good!!

[@winstonayesu6022]

Just what I needed to help me learn for my solo

[@zoranat1425]

Hi, an 8th grader, and this is going to be the solo piece that I will perform with a pianist, so it will be fun.

[@glennbuck6780]

Adolphe Sax would be pleased! Bravo!

[@andrewhasher]

Wow thank you!!

[@rhettclark2877]

Well done, this sounds great.

[@maxrauchenberger]

Omg i am currently trying to learn this and youre just casually playing double the speed i am

[@evanzavalo]

I'm a 7th grader and I'm going to be working on this for the next couple of weeks. Sounds great!

[@andrewhasher]

Awesome! Best of luck!

[@kloakxz385]

No way your in 7th grade I’m a freshman and this is my solo

[@evanzavalo]

@@kloakxz385 Haha yea it was my solo, it was a really good piece, you’ll enjoy it.

[@thesaxguru]

It’s accessible for advanced 7th graders. I’ve given it to someone in 7th before.

[@AidanHaglund]

@@kloakxz385 I got a 1+ on this in 7th grade, it’s totally dooable

[@buzzybee6632]

i have to play this for my 8th grade solo. Been working on part 2 for about an hour now and barely have the first two lines down. Im crying into my sheet music and playing this at .75 speed urging myself to go on but how. How how how. Good job is all I have to say cause man its gonna be a tough month getting myself to learn this.

[@mattymartbot6303]

Its been awhile, did u figure it out?

[@brooktermin5811]

this sounds great!! i have a few more weeks to learn this as a freshman.. any tips?

[@Followthevoid]

I used this for my college audition! It sounds amazing and helped me a lot! Thank you

[@lindiyoung2928]

Wow you did an amazing job! I'm actually learning this piece right now for a solo competition. Do you have any tips or advice that can help me well I’m preparing it?

[@niccocaredda9876]

for everyone doing this solo i hope they did well! but i feel you bro im actually in seventh grade in junior high and both my band director and private lesson teacher are telling me to do this for my solo competition. Wish me luck!

[@FabianGonzalez-yw1fd]

Good luck man!! You’ve absolutely got this, I also played this my seventh grade year and I look back on it now and I’m proud of myself because it’s a pretty challenging piece, but it’ll be so worth it, best of luck man, you’ve got this!!

[@nyex6350]

I’m dumb so I’m listening to this, desperately trying to learn 3 movements in a week🙃

[@harrydavis5459]

How'd it go?

[@SebastianHuang-mi8uc]

Im in 6th grade and I am preparing NYSSMA with this song

[@sylentonyt2566]

Bros him

[@kiqxr690]

that was so good! im working on this piece for my audition. do you have any advice?

[@andrewhasher]

Thank you! I'd say pulse is really important. A common issue is rushing or condensing rhythms so make sure that your tempos are really precise and practice with a metronome everyday! You can contact me privately if you have any other questions. Good luck!

[@markmalherbe3639]

@@andrewhasher thank you, I'm also doing this for my exam this year

[@clairenelson113]

I play this on bari all the time for a back pocket piece and the second movement is such a trial if I’m not warmed up well

[@ericmorales6819]

Freshman and I have to learned this in 2 months

[@eomer7284]

Beautiful! Just courious what, what type of saxaphone are you using?

[@andrewhasher]

Thank you! I'm playing on a Selmer Series III

[@coastguardghost2190]

Got a perfect score on this at my local NYSSMA solo festival! Your video was definitely a little bit of a cheat sheet tho, so thanks a lot lol!

[@andrewhasher]

So glad to hear! I also played this for NYSSMA many years ago!

[@davjpeg]

Amazing recording! What neckstrap is that? Also, how'd you get your hands on an ishimori?

[@andrewhasher]

Breathtaking neckstrap! And you should be able to purchase an ishimori online directly from their website or through a local music store. I got mine several years ago at Roberto's Winds in NYC.

[@davjpeg]

@@andrewhasher did you buy the neckstrap from their site directly?

[@jacobplaysinstruments2018]

Am Learning Saxophone.

[@KonstaSedneff]

Great perfomance 🎷, many thanks. I'm interested in your setup....if it not secret cause🙂

[@jacobbass6437]

Love this piece. I generally don’t prefer the Racher transcription myself, but it’s the most popular. I also like taking the tempo of the last movement REALLY fast. Dotted quarter equals 80+

[@rogeliogilgonzalez]

Nice!! What is your set up??

[@4chan425]

Damn I gotta learn this to I can play parts 1 and 3 and 4 fine but part 2 is very difficult for me

[@anahitsax]

nicely played! I really want to learn this but I can not find notes anywhere... maybe someone could share them?

[@KonstaSedneff]

Many thanks for your perfomance, i'd like ask to you, what is this transcription? Whose version of sonata? Thanks.

[@rmada92684]

Do you have any tips on getting that low B to speak out of the D# in the first movement? I’m always dropping my jaw and making sure the instrument is far away from my chest, but I’m out of ideas.

[@andrewhasher]

People learn and believe in different techniques on the saxophone. My opinion is that you shouldn't drop your jaw at all while playing classical repertoire like this (jazz is different however!). Use focused air and keep your embouchure centered and unmoving the entire time. Imagine directing the air "downwards". You can also roll your left pinky down to the B key while playing the D# to prep the note. This will work as long as it doesn't change the pitch of your D# but every instrument is a little different. Best of luck!

[@allisonswincher5119]

Did you have mini breaks in between the pieces? Or was it just all at once? Love this :)

[@illescaspacheco7552]

I have to do this for a solo in February also im a sophomore and it sound hard

[@anissahoffman6412]

I'm a saxophone player about ready to audition for a school of music. I'm gonna use this piece. What advice do you have as far as preparing it for a college audition??

[@andrewhasher]

This is a good question, so sorry this might be a lengthy reply! College professors want to see how comprehensive your musicianship is. This goes for any piece you prepare, but of course, you want all the objective qualities of the music to be there: rhythm, clean technique and accuracy of articulations, dynamics, and intonation(!). Once you have all of that down, focus on those subjective qualities; what can your own individuality bring to the piece to set yourself apart from everyone else? Most importantly you have to perform! And to do that, you need to practice performing the piece often in front of others prior to your auditions! Best of luck!

[@anissahoffman6412]

Thank you so much for that advice!! That's really helpful! I was just wondering because I have kinda bad performance and audition anxiety even though I have performed multiple solos before. It was a perfect reply thanks again!

[@heavenvlogs06]

Im a senior in high school wnd doing movement 1 and 4 for my college audtion and I can’t imagine how many times I’ve listened to this recordings. Does anyone who has played this have any tips for movement one I’m always speeding up and then for movement 4 I’m always adding extra notes any ideas on how to fix that?

[@ameliacheeseman429]

movement one it is great to play with an accompanist to help you keep tempo and using your vibrato is always a good thing, movement four I count in 1 so every measure gets one beat. bringing down the tempo just a little for practice purposes helps making sure you aren’t adding any extra notes, sure is a tuff one but you got it!!

[@greyblay3566]

a lot of whats helped me is playing along with the recording, even if you have to slow down. it’ll help you get the rhythms correct. I’m a junior in high school doing the entire sonata for solo fest and let me tell you it is HARD (especially on bari sax…) but you got this!

[@HAZ3official]

1:43

[@Cloudly_Round]

definitely sounds better than the way i played it 😅

[@ParadoxParanormal15]

I would like to perform this piece! Where do you get the sheet music for it?

[@andrewhasher]

You can probably ask your local music store to order it for you! Or, I've had success ordering music online from Groth Music!

[@SaxandRelax]

Andrew Hasher ^

[@chrollium6111]

Or you could transpose if you play a concert pitch instrument!

[@kaushikvaliveti6640]

Hey sir! Great performance. What type of reeds do you use specifically

[@andrewhasher]

Thank you! I use Vandoren reeds. In this video I think I am using V12 3s but I switch between those and the regular blue box.

[@itsjimmymine]

w mans

[@jessejacinto5396]

I have to play this tomorrow and im extremely scared

[@taylorstanley3987]

i'm playing it in a couple days, how did it go for you?

[@brae1022]

Playing this as an 8th grader for a solo performance

[@nycesz7919]

What speed were you going on Presto?

[@codswallop321]

Lovely playing. But wasn't this music written many years before the invention of the saxophone....?

[@andrewhasher]

Yes I believe it was written nearly a century before the saxophone was invented! Originally for violin, this is a published arrangement by saxophonist Sigurd Rascher. Thanks to him it has become a staple of our repertoire!

[@sebastiandominguez1242]

Thanks! Btw your interpretation is awesome. Where can I find this arrangement? I really want to play this for my exams

[@zhilin_ye]

Are your mouthpiece Selmer S90 ?

[@andrewhasher]

Yes, Selmer S90 190!

[@zhilin_ye]

@@andrewhasher Thanks. What a nice performance that I've never done like you.

[@helloiamdoge7913]

I would like to ask (sorry for being a tad late) my sheet that i am learning this sonata on came without a tempo what is the tempo on the first peice?

[@bethanisosa1207]

just go on TE & tap the tempo.

[@buzzybee6632]

74 bpm.

[@PSUsaxophone]

2:08

[@user-ci8pn9zr3l]

1:40 2:30

[@anthonymacias5334]

What mic was that

[@andrewhasher]

I believe the mic Dave used on me is an AEA R84 Ribbon mic.

[@ConnorOToole]

@@andrewhasher Very nice

[@Naomi-rf1bl]

2:30 (for my own use lol)

[@micahkesner6232]

what thickness of reed do you use?

[@thatbarisax2943]

Sorry I’m not the guy but the pro’s dont go above 2.5-3 on alto. Make your life easy and stick to the softer reeds for that warm vibration. And make sure to try different brands, there’s more than Rico and Vandoren V12. I like the Vandoren java green on alto. And if you’re 100% sure you’re gonna keep playing, get a nice mouthpiece setup. It will greatly enhance any Horn. Just be cautious you don’t cheat it. Intermediate gear isn’t good, go for the pro versions.

[@micahkesner6232]

i’m using a 2.5 is that good? i was asking to see it to improve my tone@@thatbarisax2943

[@Brocc-Lee]

update: made it to state playing this on bari

[@johnlindstrom9994]

I thought the Saxophone was invented in the 1800 s! This composer lived only until 1742. What's up?

[@andrewhasher]

Yes, this piece was originally written for Violin. This is an arrangement for saxophone.

[@WheresMyDino]

1:44