John Harle

This is the most in-depth approach to playing the saxophone ever published. In this two-volume boxed set master saxophonist John Harle reveals his ground-breaking techniques for fluent and natural playing ? transforming the musical and learning experience of students and professionals alike. Practical clear and universally relevant The Saxophone discloses John Harle?s secrets to playing with individuality fluent technique and a powerful musical presence by: introducing revolutionary new concepts such as the Reed Fan the Power Lines and the Cathedral of Resonance exploring every aspect of playing and performing frombreathing resonant tone production and fluent articulation through to techniques for building ease and flow in performance featuring unique anatomical diagrams stunning visualisations and colour-coded musical examples throughout offering expert advice on all aspects of performance: dealing with fear nerves and adrenalin developing a strong psychological approach and setting goalposts for success including practice wheels that help develop a structured and relaxed practice routine. The title was a finalist at the 2018 Music Teacher Awards For Excellence Best Music Education Product.

This album provides new repertoire for saxophonists (soprano alto or tenor) in a wide selection of pieces. Suitable for competent players. Includes score and part. 

Arcadia is a work for Violin Soprano Saxophone and Piano inspired by the painting 'Pastoral for E.W.' by John Craxton. As a painter John was sometimes dubbed a 'neo-Romantic' but much preferred the term'Arcadian' - hence the title of the piece. Pastoral for E.W. was painted in 1948 in St John's Wood after one of John's early trips to the island of Crete and is a homage to Peter Watson (co-founder of the magazine 'Horizon' andthe Institute of Contemporary Arts) who was one of John's early mentors.In a letter in 1986 John recounted that: '‘Pastoral for P.W.’: was a celebration of the power of music. My sister (the distinguished oboist JanetCraxton) was learning the oboe on the same floor at the time and the house was full of her scales and exercises coupled with my discovery that goats which seem to be daemonic willful and undisciplined are held in thrall by thesound of a flute - or have I gone a step further and frozen them into my geometry with a paint brush? I suppose the flautist was in origin myself but a very emblematic me!' Ian Collins in his book 'John Craxton' (2011Lund Humphries) says of Pastoral for E.W.: 'A pipe-player and a herd of goats are held in a rugged grid of semi-cubist triangles. While references to Dionysus and Orpheus may be noted it is essentially a fanfare for the ongoinglife light and landscape of Greece'. The music of Arcadia is also Grecian in inspiration. The traditional folk melodies Skaros Epirotikos Vari Pogonisio Ouzak To Tragoudhi Tis Xentias and Pentozalis - Pentozalis arepresent in Arcadia after I researched the type of music that John would have heard in Crete in the late 1940's. In a letter of 3rd May 1984 John said that he was also listening to Stravinsky's Symphony in 3 Movements 'over andover again at the same time when I first started the painting' and aspects of the beginning of the last section of Arcadia (Allegro Moderato) pay homage to the Stravinsky in an attempt to create something of the aural landscape

Dear Willoughby was written for the memorial service of Willoughby Pountney in 1998. The Nailsea Choral Society were conducted by Tim Donaldson with Emilia Pountney (soprano) and Roger Sansom (hunting horn). Poem by DavidPountney.

This barbershop-esque setting of Bristol-born author Charlotte Cory's text is for SATB Choir and two Speakers (one male one female). This cheerful work has been recorded by the BBC Singers with speakers Eleanor Bron andThe Archers actor Charles Collingwood.

Sheet music for John Harle's Lookout!. This is a full score for Children’s Voices Mixed Chorus Soprano Saxophone Double Bass and Keyboard.Lookout! was written for TheFolkestone Futures Choir and was realised by The Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health Canterbury Christ Church University at the invitation of Folkestone Triennial 2014 with a grant from the Creative Foundation.The piece incorporates lyrics by the poet Tom Pickard.'Lookout! is a set of five songs written for the Folkestone Futures Choir for FolkestoneTriennial 2014. Within the culture of songs written for'Complaints Choirs' the lyric material is drawn from actual notes made by the residents of Folkestone about living in their town - its beauty its community spirit - and of course its drawbacks.It has been purposely written to beable to be rehearsed and performed on a minimum of rehearsal time as the logistics of large-scale community events means that the singers and musicians often come together only on the day of performance.The accompanyinginstrumental parts are straightforward the role of the saxophone line being tosupport the vocal line most of the time. Future performances of the work could involvearrangement of the musical material for other instrumental forcesor simply a keyboard or pianoaccompaniment.' - John Harle

RANT! is a portrait of the saxophonist Jess Gillam: her energy, her sound and her presence, painted in music from her own part of England. A ?rant? in the tradition of English folk music is an energetic dance and means ?to make merry? a reflection of Jess?s fearless and exuberant performances. RANT! draws on Cumbrian folk tunes sourced from Ed Heslam?s unique folk music resource Music of Cumberland and Westmoreland, as well as several tunes composed by Ed himself. This advanced piece is suitable for soprano saxophone or clarinet with piano accompaniment.

Earthlight was commissioned by Chester Music Festival 2008 and given its premiere at Chester Cathedral on July 25th 2008 by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chester Festival Chorus conducted by VasilyPetrenko.

An adventurous and unusual work for Saxophone Quartet by John Harle. Composed fopr the Myrha Quartet the piece was first performed on BBC Radio 3 in 1980. The music follows a pitch centre progression moving gradually from low tohigh using chromatic clusters surrounding each pitch. Sporadic solo passages differing in character to the rest of the piece are used to punctuated the music with cadenza-like solos from each Saxophonist in turn making this anexciting and challenging work for all players involved. This title is the score.

City Solstice was commissioned by The City of London Corporation for The City of London Festival 2009 and is dedicated with thanks to Ian Ritchie.Instrumentations - Choir Organ Soprano SaxophoneDuration - 18 minutesFirst performance - 22nd June 2009 at Southwark Cathedral.Performed by The Choir of King's College Cambridgeconducted by Stephen Cleobury with John Harle (SopranoSaxophone). Programme Note City Solstice celebrates the 800th anniversary of the construction of various bridges  on the site of thecurrent London Bridge. The difficulty of erecting sturdy  constructions on this bend in the Thames where the currents are particularly  strong has led to a rich seam of stories about the bridges passed onthrough  history myth and folklore.What are thought to be the original words of 'London  Bridge is falling down' carry much of the references to materials used in building the original bridges - wood  andstone gravel and stone and then later iron and steel. The lines my fair lady   dance over my lady lea (or lee ) and with a gay lady are thought to refer to Matilda of  Scotland (c.1080- 1118) consort of Henry I and who was responsible for  building the series of bridges that carried the London to Colchester roadacross the River Lea.King (Saint) Olaf II of Norway figures prominently in the destruction of the bridge  after its occupation by the Danes around 1013. Coming to the assistance of Aethelred Olaf is thought to havepulled the bridge down into the Thames along  with its occupying Danes rather than fight on the bridge itself. There is a line in the  Norse saga The Heimskringla that refers to