Gabriel Pierné

Canzonetta

Canzonetta, Op. 19 is a piece for alto saxophone and piano accompaniment composed by Gabriel Pierné and arranged by Marcel Mule. Initially written for clarinet and piano, the piece was written in 1888 and can be played by advancedplayers with a fairly high difficulty level. Composed in a single movement, the piece features some different sections linked together. It starts with dotted rhythms that are slightly reminiscent of a siciliano, and is followed bya part that sounds like a scherzando. The dotted rhythms disappear in the Piu Vivo section but the opening theme soon comes back before a grandiose finale. Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937) was a French composer, conductor and organplayer. He won the French Prix de Rome 1882.