Sandman’s Song and Evening Prayer

Engelbert Humperdinck (1854 -1921)

SATB Saxophone Quartet

Sandman’s Song and Evening Prayer from the opera “Hansel and Gretel” by Humperdinck, arranged for SATB Saxophone Quartet. This quartet presents the “Forest Scene”, a favorite excerpt from the opera “Hansel and Gretel”. There are two parts: the “Sandman’s Song” and the “Evening Prayer”. The “Evening Prayer” (“Abengesegen”) is perhaps the best known work by composer Engelbert Humperdinck. The Evening Prayer may be played as a standalone piece.

Engelbert Humperdinck (1854 -1921) was a German composer and music teacher. Against his parents’ wishes he began studying music at an early age, winning several scholarships and awards. Wagner invited Humperdinck to Bayreuth to assist in the production of Parsifal. The experience left a deep impact on him. Most of his later music is strongly influenced by Wagner. His best known work, Hänsel und Gretel, uses a combination of Wagnerian techniques and German folk song.

Humperdinck composed Hansel and Gretel in Frankfurt in 1891 and 1892. The opera was first performed in Weimar on 23 December 1893, conducted by Richard Strauss. It has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances and today it is still most often performed at Christmas time. The “Evening Prayer” (“Abengesegen”) is one of the most famous excerpts.

This arrangement of the Sandman’s Song and Evening Prayer is for SATB saxophone quartet.

• 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 Sandman’s Song and Evening Prayer from Hansel and Gretel.on the ‘Samples’ tab.