Sonata Brasileira, for bassoon/bari sax, marimba, and cajon

Sonata Brasileira (2018) is a very difficult three-movement work for bassoon, marimba, and percussion, lasting about 12.5 minutes. It is written such that the additional percussion part is optional, but strongly recommended. The percussion part is written for cajon, with the suggestion to use brushes to strike during the second movement, however the percussion instrumentation may be altered at the performers' discretion, such as using pandeiro or another instrument for one or all movements. Creativity is encouraged.

This work was commissioned by Carlos Pacheco and premiered at Tennessee Tech University in 2018. As the title implies, it is my personal take on both Classical-era sonata form and three different Brazilian popular genres: Samba, Bossa Nova, and Choro. The first movement utilizes common Samba Batucada rhythms with modern melodic material within a full sonata-allegro form. The Bossa Nova takes inspiration from Stan Getz within a quirky ternary form, with one major catch: the movement is in 7/8! Finally, the work ends with a very melodic Choro, melding the form of a traditional choro with the expected rondo form.

NOTE: I am more than willing to create additional parts for this piece to replace bassoon, such as baritone sax, cello, or any other instrument with similar range. If you are interested in this, please contact me separately and we can discuss it!

Product includes full score and all parts.

Order will be delivered as a PDF.

A performance of this work can be viewed below: