A Breeze from Alabama

A Breeze from Alabama

Scott Joplin (1867/68? – 1917)

S/AATB Saxophone Quartet

A Breeze from Alabama by Scott Joplin, arranged for S/AATB saxophone quartet. This rag was written the same year as many of Joplin’s most famous pieces such as The Entertainer, Elite Syncopations, and The Strenuous Life. It differs from many of his earlier works in several ways. The form is expanded, the rhythms are more syncopated, and the harmonic progressions are more varied. A Breeze from Alabama has more in common with some of his later experimental works (such as Magnetic Rag) than the popular pieces he composed in 1902.

Although he was penniless and disappointed at the end of his life, Scott Joplin set the standard for ragtime compositions and played a key role in the development of ragtime music. During much of his life he was referred to as “the King of Ragtime”.

This S/AATB sax quartet transcription of A Breeze from Alabama is in the original keys. It uses the full range of the soprano and alto. The tenor and bari have a somewhat easier time of it.

• 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 A Breeze from Alabama on the ‘Samples’ tab.