Duet in B Flat, WoO. 27, No. 3

Duet in B flat, WoO. 27, No. 3

Ludwig van Beethoven, (1770-1827)

Saxophone Duet for Any Two Saxophones

Duet in B flat, WoO. 27, No. 3 by Beethoven, arranged for any two saxophones. This is the third in a set of three duets originally written for clarinet and bassoon. The duet is in two movements: I. Allegro sostenuto, II. Aria con variazioni. The second movement, Aria with variations is the highlight of this duet. Each successive variation is livelier and the melody bounces back and forth from one part to another. It concludes with a brief and humorous Allegro assai. This arrangement is for any two saxophones: E flat and B flat 1st and 2nd parts are included as well as a duet score in c.

Experts disagree as to whether the Three Duets were actually composed by Beethoven. They also disagree about when and where they were published. That’s nice, let them argue. What musicians agree on is that these duets are tremendous fun to play. Their cheerful character, clever melodic and harmonic invention, and moderate difficulty have made them favorites of amateur wind players since they were written. This arrangement of Duet in B flat is in the original keys. Medium to medium-advanced players should have good success with this duet. A suggestion: when playing with two different saxophones, let the larger instrument play the second part.

• The range for each saxophone part is shown below.
• Audio and score excerpts are available above.

Duet In C, WoO. 27, No. 1 is available here.
Duet in F, WoO. 27, No. 2 is available here.
The complete set of all three duets is available here – you save 30% when you buy the complete set.|