Bucolique Varièe

Bucolique Varièe (1947)

Paul Pierné (1874 – 1952)

SAB or SAT Saxophone Trio

Bucolique Varièe, Paul Pierné, SAB or SAT SaxTrio. Pierné’s pastoral Bucolique Varièe is a dreamy and sometimes wistful piece with the form of a simple theme and variations that increase in complexity with each variation. It was originally written for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. This transcription is for soprano, alto, and baritone (or tenor) saxophones. The piece opens and closes with a statement of a simple unaccompanied melody for the bari sax, but the variations become more complex and chromatic as the piece progresses.

French composer and organist Paul Pierné was a cousin of composer and organist Gabriel Pierné. His compositional output was wide-ranging, including orchestral and chamber music, ballets, operas and other vocal music.

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