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Sigurd Manfred Raschèr (pronounced 'Rah-sher') (15 May 1907 in Elberfeld, Germany - 25 February 2001 in Shushan, New York) was an American saxophonist of German birth. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year See also Elberfeld Indiana. For the baseball player with this name see Kid Elberfeld. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Shushan is a hamlet located in the Town of Salem, Washington County, in Upstate New York. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. He became one of the most important figures in the development of the 20th century repertoire for the concert saxophone. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind

Contents

Career in Europe

He was born in Elberfeld, Germany (now Wuppertal). See also Elberfeld Indiana. For the baseball player with this name see Kid Elberfeld. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. ||-||} Wuppertal (ˈvʊpɐtaːl is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. After studying clarinet with Philipp Dreisbach at the Hochschule für Musik in Stuttgart, (from 1930), he switched to the saxophone. The clarinet is a Musical instrument in the Woodwind family The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Trained originally as a classical clarinetist in Berlin, an instrument on which he achieved considerable skill, he told of how he took up the saxophone during the 1920s just to earn a little money playing in the night clubs around the city. The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada Before long, however, he was urged by one of his music professors to try playing the music of Bach on the saxophone. His initial skepticism was soon replaced by a serious commitment to bring a new level of saxophone virtuosity to the concert stage, and to foster the development of serious literature for the instrument. --Ronald Caravan[1]

After completing his schooling, he taught woodshop at elementary schools and played in concert bands, and spent his remaining hours striving to improve his technical abilities on the saxophone. Dr Ronald Caravan (born 20 November 1946 in Pottsville Pennsylvania) is an American classical musician A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, or wind ensemble His dedicated practice paid off; in 1933 he was appointed to teach saxophone at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Copenhagen, and in 1934 he received the similar post at the Conservatory in Malmö, Sweden. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. He held both posts until he moved to the United States in 1938. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Career in the United States

Raschèr arrived in America in 1939 and made his American debut at Carnegie Hall on 11 November 1939 with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Sr. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Carnegie Hall (generally ˌkɑrnɨgi ˈhɔːl is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active Symphony Orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842 John Barbirolli. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Sir John Giovanni Battista Barbirolli, CH ( 2 December Soon after he appeared as soloist with the Boston Symphony (some sources say it was the Boston Philharmonic) under the baton of Serge Koussevitsky (the Boston Philharmonic was not founded until 1979, aprox. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based at Symphony Hall in Boston Massachusetts, USA The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (not to be confused with the Boston Symphony Orchestra) is a semi-professional Orchestra based in Boston Massachusetts WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes -->Dr The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (not to be confused with the Boston Symphony Orchestra) is a semi-professional Orchestra based in Boston Massachusetts 28 years after Serge Koussevitsky's death). WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes -->Dr He was the first saxophonist to appear as a soloist in a subscription concert with both orchestras.

His career continued with solo appearances in Washington, D.C. and at New York City's Town Hall in the spring of 1940. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D A city hall or town hall is the chief administrative building of a City or Town 's administration and usually houses the city or Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. With war looming in Europe, he could not return to his native Germany. In 1941, his wife Ann Mari, of Swedish descent, joined him in the United States, and they established their home on a small farm in the rural town of Shushan in northern New York, where they would reside for nearly 60 years. Shushan is a hamlet located in the Town of Salem, Washington County, in Upstate New York. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

Although he was born in Germany, publicity from the 1940s often refers to Raschèr as having come from Sweden - this reflected both his distaste for the Hitler regime, and American suspicion during that time of all things German. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately

After World War II ended in 1945, Raschèr was invited to concertize in Europe, where he traveled months on end, performing as soloist with many orchestras. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar As Raschèr's reputation grew in the United States, he performed many concerts as soloist with various university bands. A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, or wind ensemble

Raschèr went on to perform as soloist with more than 250 bands and orchestras worldwide, including concerts in Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Solo appearances included:

His last saxophone solo performance was with the Vermont Symphony in 1977, on the eve of his 70th birthday. The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active Symphony Orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842 Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based at Symphony Hall in Boston Massachusetts, USA Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The National Intercollegiate Band, founded in 1947 is an American program sponsored by Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity, and Tau Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. The Vermont Symphony Orchestra ( VSO) is a Symphony orchestra based in and supported in part by the U Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays

Relationship with composers and premieres of major works

During Raschèr's life, more than 140 works for saxophone were dedicated to him, many counted as among the most important 20th century works for the concert saxophone. American composer Walter Hartley became a close friend of Raschèr's, and has produced more works for saxophone than any other composer. Walter S Hartley (born February 21 1927) is an American composer of contemporary ( classical) music Hartley was frequently in attendance at Raschèr's saxophone workshops (see below).

Throughout the middle decades of the twentieth century, a preponderance of the significant new saxophone solo and chamber repertoire would appear with the familiar dedication to Sigurd M. Rascher, products not just of his ongoing commitment to motivate some of the world's finest composers, but also in part the result of genuine close friendships he developed with so many. Among them were Larsson, Glaser, and von Koch in Sweden; Jacobi, Dressel, and Genzmer in Germany; Haba, Macha, and Reiner in Czechoslovakia; and Benson, Brant, Cowell, Dahl, Erickson, Husa, and Hartley in the United States. And it is not without significance that among all the pieces written for and dedicated to him during his life, not one was commissioned. He inspired new music, he never needed to purchase it. --Ronald Caravan[3]

Works dedicated to Raschèr include:

Raschèr Saxophone Quartet

With his daughter, Carina, he founded the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, one of the premier classical saxophone ensembles in the world, in 1969. Dr Ronald Caravan (born 20 November 1946 in Pottsville Pennsylvania) is an American classical musician Henry Brant ( September 15, 1913 &ndash April 26, 2008) was a California -based composer of Art music based on Spatialization Eric Coates ( August 27, 1886 &ndash December 21, 1957) was an English Composer of Light music and a Viola Ingolf Dahl (b Hamburg, Germany, June 9, 1912; d Frutigen, Switzerland, 1970 was an American composer pianist Werner Wolf Glaser ( April 14, 1913, Cologne – March 29, 2006, Västerås, Sweden) was a German -born Aleksandr Konstantinovich Glazunov (Александр Константинович Глазунов Aleksandr Konstantinovič Glazunov; Glazounov Glasunow &ndash 21 March Paul Hindemith (16 November 1895 &ndash 28 December 1963 was a German Composer, Violist, violinist teacher music theorist and conductor. Jacques François Antoine Ibert ( August 15, 1890 &ndash February 5, 1962) was a French Composer of classical Concertino da Camera for alto saxophone and eleven instruments (petite orchestre was written by Jacques Ibert for Saxophonist Sigurd Rascher. Lars-Erik Vilner Larsson ( 15 May, 1908 - 27 December, 1986) was an important Swedish composer of the 20th century Frank Martin ( September 15, 1890 &ndash November 21, 1974) was a Swiss Composer, who lived Slavko Osterc ( June 17 1895 &ndash May 23 1941) was a Slovenian composer The Raschèr Saxophone Quartet is a professional ensemble of four saxophonists which performs classical and modern Music. The Quartet appeared (and continues to appear, but with different personnel) at major concert halls in Europe and the U. S. The quartet was acclaimed as the "Uncrowned Kings of the Saxophone" (Wiener Zeitung).

His tireless pursuit of classical composers, and the impressive technical abilities and reputation of the quartet, led over 200 composers to dedicate works to the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet between 1969 and Raschèr's death in 2001. The best known composers to write for the group include Luciano Berio, Philip Glass, Iannis Xenakis, Sofia Gubaidulina and Charles Wuorinen. Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI ( October 24, 1925 &ndash May 27, 2003) was an Italian Composer. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Philip Glass (born January 31 Iannis Xenakis (Ιάννης Ξενάκης (May 29 1922 - February 4 2001 was a Greek modernist composer musical theoretician and architect WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina, (София Асгатовна Губайдулина София Charles Wuorinen (b June 9, 1938 in New York City is an American Composer.

Teaching career

Raschèr taught saxophone at the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music and the Eastman School of Music. The Juilliard School, located in New York City, is a world renowned Performing arts conservatory. The Manhattan School of Music is a Music conservatory located in New York City that offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and The Eastman School of Music (also known more simply as The Eastman School, Eastman, or ESM) is a music conservatory located in the

Many of his students went on to become well known saxophone teachers and performers themselves, including:

(This is a small portion of his students; need additional names here)

Raschèr Saxophone Workshops

After retiring from his performing career in 1977, Raschèr continued to give week-long workshops to groups of saxophonists, both in the United States and his native Germany, well into his 80s. Harry Kinross White is an American -born classical saxophonist living in Switzerland. James Houlik (born 4 December 1942 in Bay Shore New York) is an American tenor saxophonist and saxophone teacher Linda Bangs is a professional baritone saxophonist She was a founding member of the Rascher saxophone quartet and studied under (Sigurd Raschèr as well as Laurence Wyman These workshops typically attracted between 40 and 80 players of all ages, and were usually held at universities where his admirers or former students held teaching positions, such as The University of Southern Mississippi, Georgia State University, Union College, SUNY Fredonia, and Syracuse University. The University of Southern Mississippi ( USM, but frequently referred to as Southern Miss) is a four-year public University located primarily Georgia State University ( GSU) is an urban Research University in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Union College is a non-denominational independent liberal arts college located in Schenectady New York. The State University of New York at Fredonia (also known as SUNY Fredonia or Fredonia State) is a four-year liberal arts college located in Fredonia New York Syracuse University (SU is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York.

Workshops featured master classes, performances by soloists and quartets, and a final concert featuring all attendees playing together as a "saxophone orchestra. The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind " The last U. S. workshop was held at Yale University in 1992 and the last European workshop was held in southern Germany in 1993. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

After suffering a debilitating stroke in 1999, Raschèr died in 2001 at age 93 in Shushan, New York. Shushan is a hamlet located in the Town of Salem, Washington County, in Upstate New York. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

His Archive his currently held at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

Saxophone tone and the saxophone mouthpiece

One subject that was of great importance to Raschèr was his tonal concept. In Music, timbre (ˈtæm-bər' like timber, or, from Fr timbre tɛ̃bʁ is the quality of a Musical note or sound that distinguishes different He believed that when used in classical music, the saxophone should sound as its inventor, Adolphe Sax, had intended. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind Antoine-Joseph 'Adolphe' Sax (November 6 1814 &ndash February 4 1894 was a Belgian Musical instrument designer and Musician ( Clarinetist Upon inventing the instrument, Sax had specified the shape of the interior of the instrument's mouthpiece as being large and round. The mouthpiece of a Woodwind instrument is that part of the instrument which is placed partly in the player's mouth All saxophone mouthpieces were made in this style until the 1930s, when the advent of big-band jazz made saxophonists experiment with different shapes of mouthpieces to get a louder and edgier sound. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression.

Between 1940 and 1960, it became common for classical saxophonists to use narrow-chamber mouthpieces, which give the instrument a brighter and edgier sound. Whenever he taught or lectured to saxophone players, Raschèr emphasized that the modern mouthpieces were not what Sax had intended, and the sound they produce, while useful to a jazz player who requires a loud piercing sound, was not appropriate for use in classical music. His students and other disciples felt that the desirable tone for a classical saxophone was a softer, rounder sound - a sound that can only be produced by a mouthpiece with a large, rounded interior (often referred to as an "excavated chamber"). His steadfast and irascible insistence in this area, while nearly all the world's classical saxophonists were moving to narrower mouthpieces (along with saxophones with a non-parabolically expanding bore) and a brighter tone, resulted in quarrels with, and alienation from, the majority of the classical saxophone world. (There were other ways in which his playing differed from the majority of classical saxophonists; these included his insistence on using the slap tongue as a pizzicato technique, and his use of fluttertonguing as a special effect. Fluttertonguing is a Wind instrument Tonguing technique in which performers flutter their Tongue to make a characteristic "FrrrrFrrrrr" sound )

By 1970, narrow-chambered mouthpieces had become nearly universally popular, and mouthpiece manufacturers ceased production of large-chambered mouthpieces. This lack of supply meant that Raschèr's students had difficulty finding mouthpieces that would produce the tone they desired. For a period of time the only large-chambered mouthpieces were ones that had been manufactured in the 1920s and 1930s, leading Raschèr students to search pawn shops and other sources of old instruments. The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression.

Raschèr responded to this lack of supply by engaging a manufacturer to make a "Sigurd Raschèr brand" mouthpiece, which was simply a virtual duplication of the mouthpieces that had been readily available from American saxophone manufacturers Buescher and Conn in the 1920s. The Buescher Band Instrument Company was a manufacturer of musical instruments in Elkhart Indiana. CG Conn Ltd, sometimes called Conn Instruments or commonly just Conn, was a United States manufacturer of Musical instruments, especially The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The Raschèr mouthpiece is still manufactured today.

Top Tones

Of special importance is Raschèr's emphasis on the extended range of the saxophone. As early as 1940 he demonstrated that an advanced player can achieve a range of four octaves on the saxophone, despite the fact that few players at that time ever played beyond the conventional range of two and a half octaves. In Music, an octave ( is the the use of which is "common in most musical systems This upper range became known as the "altissimo register," but Raschèr himself refused to use that term, preferring to call them "top tones. "

Few players played above high F before 1940, including H. Benne Henton of the Conway Band c. 1911 (to high D), Dick Stabile, an early jazz artist (to high F), and Jascha Gurewitz, an early recitalist (to high F#).

Raschèr was vocal in encouraging composers to make use of this extended range. He was eager to demonstrate his command of these "top tones," and argued that the use of these notes was a legitimate musical technique, not a trick or novelty. His book on this subject, Top-Tones for the Saxophone, was published in 1941 and remains highly regarded today. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

To better demonstrate that the technique of playing notes above high F had its basis in the natural overtone series of the saxophone, he had the Buescher factory create a custom instrument for him: a saxophone body with no tone holes at all. The Buescher Band Instrument Company was a manufacturer of musical instruments in Elkhart Indiana. A picture of this instrument is seen on the frontispiece of the Top Tones book. He demonstrated that it was possible to play at least 15 overtones on this instrument, and on a conventional saxophone as well, and claimed that diligent study of the overtone technique was the best way to gain a command of the extended range.

The extended range (altissimo register) was highly controversial throughout the middle of the 20th century, and Raschèr stirred the controversy among the classical saxophone community by insisting that the instrument's inventor, Adolphe Sax, had intended the instrument to be played in this manner. Antoine-Joseph 'Adolphe' Sax (November 6 1814 &ndash February 4 1894 was a Belgian Musical instrument designer and Musician ( Clarinetist Raschèr cited evidence that Sax had demonstrated a three-octave range (up to a high C) to composers in the 1840s.

Despite the initial resistance on the part of the saxophone community to the altissimo register, it has since come to be an accepted technique, and is utilized by nearly all classical saxophonists. Despite its difficulty, it is now commonly taught to advanced high school and college students, and has become a required skill for any student who desires a degree in saxophone performance.

During the earlier decades of his career, many saxophonists resisted and even ridiculed his pioneering work in extending the upward range of the instrument beyond two and a half octaves. Composers, however, were more inclined to embrace this expanded expressive capability that Mr. Rascher had singularly fostered. By {1977} his lifelong commitment to the saxophone's high register, coupled with the momentum provided by so many composers who used it, had served to establish the extended range as an essential element of modern artistic saxophone performance. --Ronald Caravan[4]

Recognition and Awards

External links

The Raschèr Saxophone Quartet is a professional ensemble of four saxophonists which performs classical and modern Music. John-Edward Kelly, (born 1958 is an American conductor of classical music and classical Saxophonist and conductor living in Florida.
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