Five Pieces from “Album for the Young”, Op. 62

Five Pieces from “Album for the Young”, Op. 62

Franz Xaver Scharwenka (1850 – 1924)

SATB or AATB Saxophone Quartet

Five Pieces from “Album for the Young”, Op. 62 by F. X. Scharwenka arranged for saxophone quartet. Album for the Young was written by Polish pianist and composer Franz Scharwenka. These short pieces are reminiscent of the Robert Schumann work of the same name. The five pieces in this transcription are titled:

1. March
2. Like a Folksong (andante)
3. Minuetto
4. Andante
5. Gavotte

Played together they make a suite 8.5 minutes in length but each movement may be played separately. This transcription is for SATB or AATB Saxophone Quartet. An Alto Substitute for Soprano part is included but not shown in the score.

• The range for each saxophone part is shown below.
• Audio and score excerpts are available above.
• Registered users can download a complete sample score and full length audio file of Five Pieces from “Album for the Young”, Op. 62 on the ‘Samples’ tab.

Scharwenka was born in Szamtoly near Posen, Prussia (now Poznan, Poland). He showed an early attraction to and natural talent for the piano. In 1865 he was accepted into the Neue Akademie der Tonkunst in Berlin. A successful career as a concert pianist and composer followed. His first published work “Five Polish Dances” was a runaway best seller in its day.

Scharwenka made his first trip to the United States of America in 1890 and eventually emigrated there after his second successful tour to the U.S. He also established a conservatory in New York in 1891. He returned to Berlin in 1898 but made regular visits to the United States up until the start of the First World War. The last fourteen years of his life were mainly devoted to composing for his students.