… and spring is now in full season.

The saxophone is one of those instruments that people seem to either love or hate. It was invented to be the lovechild of the trumpet and clarinet – capable of the loud, bright tones of the brass as well as the soft, warm timbre of the clarinet. As it became more popular, it found its way into a number of orchestral compositions (most famously, Bolero & Pictures at an Exhibition), but its popularity exploded in the jazz idiom. Here was an instrument that could outplay the trumpet in speed and range, while being as expressive and sensual as a clarinet.

Here’s the king of big bands, Count Basie and his Orchestra, playing a number of usher out the month – April in Paris.

I just love the part at 0:21, when the sax chorus plays with that wobbly vibrato – no other instrument could get away with that!

American composer Aaron Copland‘s best-known piece (surpassing even Fanfare for the Common Man) is a set of variations on the Shaker tune “Simple Gifts,” found in his ballet Appalachian Spring.

The ballet portrays the daily life of American pioneers in Pennsylvania; while it doesn’t have much of a specific plot, it covers themes of love, religion, dance. Copland’s use of “Simple Gifts” is much more than just setting a lovely tune – the words here express our modern fascination with the life of our ancestors. Theirs was certainly much more difficult, but perhaps free from the complexities that we face.

The Shakers are a truly fascinating religious group, and I recommend reading about them. They have dwindled down to three full members and one initiate, but are fully intent on continuing their work and their beliefs. Their worship included dance, and many of their hymns, like “Simple Gifts”, include not-so-hidden dance indications (turn!)

To round off two weeks of Spring-related music, we’re returning to Glazunov, whose ballet “The Seasons” we heard last Monday. Besides that ballet, he wrote another Spring-themed piece earlier in his career. It’s lush, it’s green, it’s sweet, it’s warm, and it’s imperial Russian!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Goick97CYIU