Two Miniatures

Two Miniatures, 1896

Vasily Kalinnikov, 1866 – 1901

AATB or SATB Saxophone Quartet

Two Miniatures by Vassily Kalinnikov, arranged for AATB or SATB Saxophone Quartet. Vasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov was a Russian composer whose music was strongly influenced by Russian folksong as well as the music of Tchaikovsky. He composed in most genres of music typical of the late 1800’s century. His Two Miniatures for String Quartet, the source of this transcription, was written in 1896. The first movement, marked andantino, is a lyrical treatment of a sentimental folk-song like melody. It benefits greatly from a fluid attitude towards the tempo and a very leisurely pace . The second movement, a sprightly allegretto, is the opposite in every way from the first. It is a short, straightforward Russian folk theme with lots of rhythmic drive that moves along at a brisk tempo.

• The range for each saxophone part is shown below.
• The audio samples above are of the first thirty seconds of each piece.
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