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Petite Marche, Opus 20, No. 10 by César Cui, arranged for AATB saxophone quartet. Petite Marche is a jaunty little march tune with a contrasting lyrical section that starts quietly then builds to a crescendo before returning to the march tune. Originally written for piano solo, Cui also arranged it for orchestra as part of his Suite Miniature.

With this arrangement you get:

• AATB saxophone quartet score
• Alto Sax 1
• Alto Sax 2
• Tenor Sax
• Baritone Sax

This arrangement has been transposed from the keys of A major/D major to B flat major/E flat major. It is in 2/4 throughout. Tempo is a very moderate 88 bpm. Rising-intermediate players should have no problem with the piece.

About the Composer

César Cui (1835 – 1918) belonged to the group of Russian composers known as the Mighty Five or the Mighty Handful, but his music is almost certainly the least known of them. The “Five” were prominent 19th-century Russian composers who worked together to create a distinct national style of classical music: Mily Balakirev (the leader), César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin. They lived in Saint Petersburg and collaborated from 1856 to 1870. Cui is remembered more for his music criticism than for his compositions, even though his music criticism was often mean-spirited and caustic.

As his name suggests, Cui was not Russian by heritage; his father was a French soldier who remained in Russia after Napoleon’s failed invasion, and his mother was from Lithuania. Although he received some musical training, music was not his primary education or occupation. He studied at the military engineering academy in St. Petersburg and taught there after his graduation, becoming an acknowledged expert on fortifications. As an expert on military fortifications, Cui eventually attained the academic rank of professor in 1880 and the military rank of general in 1906. His writings on fortifications included textbooks that were widely used for many years. His involvement with public musical life began in 1856, the same year he met Mily Balakirev.

Even though he was composing music and writing music criticism in his spare time, Cui turned out to be an extremely prolific composer and author. His musical output includes 15 operas, several orchestral suites, chamber music, and many songs. None of his larger works have entered the standard repertoire. However, many of the instrumental pieces -largely written for children or amateurs- achieved great popularity during his lifetime. Along with his military engineering textbooks, he probably considered these his main legacy to posterity.

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