Here is the complete first movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony arranged for Saxophone Quartet. The project has taken some time and has had many revisions but I am pleased with the end result. I've used the master's original metronome mark which may seem quite fast but if your group is up to performing it at this speed it will sound terrific. OK, so Beethoven couldn't have written for Saxophone! However, he was an innovative composer and, had the instrument been around in his time, I'm sure he'd... (more)

Here is the complete first movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony arranged for Saxophone Quartet. The project has taken some time and has had many revisions but I am pleased with the end result. I've used the master's original metronome mark which may seem quite fast but if your group is up to performing it at this speed it will sound terrific. OK, so Beethoven couldn't have written for Saxophone! However, he was an innovative composer and, had the instrument been around in his time, I'm sure he'd have written a few Saxophone quartets. The wrong chord mentioned below in Joe Eidson's kind review has been changed.

All Reviews

There are 4 reviews for this score

too undramatic
I like Beethoven, though this is not what I would consider a lyrical piece or the type of music I would want an audience to sit through. No fault of Rodney here, but in my opinion this movement of Beethoven's is the most repetitious, mundane rhythm of monotony to try to use under the limitations of a sax quartet. A die heard classic lover may enjoy the piece just to say he played it, but with out the Highs and very lows of orchestration a lot of the drama is lost and the rythmical theme is all that is left, over and over and over. Sadly a good example of forcing a piece of music into a quartet setting, and a time restraint, but as a performance song it lacks the usually drama expected in a musicall number. I found myself relieved when it ended, not because of the writing by the shear exhaustion of a song poorly chosen as a musical number for sax quartet. Too me like the Muldau, or Finlandia, or some other beautiful classic, one would have to take liberties to keep the "drama" of the original to save the song.

Ron Hoehn

Nice arrangement
I like your arrangement. May I ask a question? How come you write fof saxophone so much? You play the saxophone? Yes? Well, (come to the point, vikram), NICE ARRangement. Not illegal, is it?

Vikram Shankar

Nice Arrangement
It is a nice arrangement but I don't think it captivates at all what Bethoveen wanted people to get out of this peace. Although it would be fun for an ensemble to get to play it i don't think this song was ment to be put into an Ensemble.

James Duncan

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