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Date of Award
2017
Publisher
North Dakota State University
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Awarded
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
Program
Music
Department
Challey School of Music
College
Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Faculty Advisor
Patnode, Matthew
Description
In the twentieth century, saxophonists are encountering compositions in the repertoire that contain musical elements from both the classical and the jazz idioms. As a result, saxophonists need more technical and improvisational skills to perform these works. Ramon Ricker’s (b. 1943) Jazz Sonata for Soprano Saxophone and Piano (1994) is an example from this repertoire that draws on both of these traditions. This disquisition presents a comprehensive performer’s analysis and improvisational guide to each of the three movements of Ricker’s Jazz Sonata. In chapters 2, 4, and 6, the analysis chapters, I discuss the specific technically challenging elements within each movement. These elements pertain to altered scales, articulations, accents, and polychord harmonies in the first movement (chapter 2); to tuning, interpretation of the melody, subtone, rapid note passages, and swing style in the second movement (chapter 4); and to pitch, technical passages, accents, syncopated melodies, and interpretation of the melody in the third movement (chapter 6). In addition, musical examples and performance suggestions are provided to elaborate on these specific areas of focus. In chapters 3, 5, and 7, the improvisational guide chapters, I address two improvisational techniques for each chapter that can be used in the solo sections of each movement. These improvisational techniques refer to pentatonic patterns and intervallic or triadpair patterns in the first movement (chapter 3); to the ii–V–I harmonic progression and rhythmicbased method of improvisation in the second movement (chapter 5); and to altered dominant chords and quartal patterns in the third movement (chapter 7). In addition, I have composed a solo for each movement using the two jazz concepts addressed in each chapter. I consulted recent literature by jazz scholars and performers to provide a new perspective on how to develop both the technical prowess and the jazz conceptual prowess needed to perform Ricker’s sonata. This study has also been informed by two interviews I conducted with the composer about this piece. This disquisition is intended as a guide for saxophonists to help them create their own improvised solos in Ricker’s sonata, and, by extension, in other jazzinfluenced works in the saxophone repertoire.
Recommended Citation
Hanegan, Brian Scott, "A Performer's Analysis and Improvisational Guide to Jazz Sonata for Soprano Saxophone and Piano (1994), by Ramon Ricker (b. 1943)" (2017). Music. 8.
https://digitalcommons.ndsu.edu/music/8
Rights
NDSU Policy 190.6.2
Rights Link
https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf
Handle Identifier
https://hdl.handle.net/10365/26668