Transcribing Kuhlau for the Saxophone: A Stylistic Bridge

This dissertation examines and adapts for saxophone Three Fantasias, Op. 95 for unaccompanied flute by Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832), a composer of enduring popularity and respect among flutists. Musical repertoire written for saxophone began in the late 1800s, and became more robust in the twentieth century. Because of this relative dearth, especially in early works that predate the instrument’s invention, saxophonists have routinely relied on transcriptions of period music for pedagogy, performance, and recording. Transcriptions of works by Baroque composers, especially those of J. S. Bach, are particularly popular. This, however, has left a large chronological and stylistic gap in common-practice period music. This dissertation begins to address this gap by analyzing, transcribing, and recording early romantic composer Freidrich Kuhlau’s Fantasias, Op. 95 (1826) for alto saxophone. While originally written for flute, this work is an important addition to the saxophone repertoire because it is idiomatic for the instrument, explores stylistic and technical challenges that typify music of this era, and provides historical context to the significant repertoire of later unaccompanied works for winds that grew out of this tradition. This study consists of a written examination of Fantasias, Op. 95 in the context of Kuhlau’s output for unaccompanied flute, a discussion of transcribing these works for saxophone, and a recording