Musette in D for Alto Saxhear it, slow it down, play along
- Johann Sebastian Bach (attr.)
- E♭ alto sax
- B major
- 2/4
- 40 bars
- Allegretto
On the alto sax
It runs from F♯4 to F♯6 (written); the top notes use the palm keys, and the F♯6 needs the high F♯ key most modern altos have.
It is written in B major, a major sixth above how it sounds, so it sounds in D major, the same key as the concert-pitch versions. You can play it together with a violin or flute reading their own page.
How it goes
A lively 2/4 piece that jumps between two octaves in the opening bars, then runs in sixteenths. The first section comes back at the end.
A way to practise it
The octave jumps at the start are the hard part. Loop the first two bars at the slow tempo and listen for the upper and lower notes landing in tune, then add the sixteenth-note runs.
- Slow ♩ = 60
- Practice ♩ = 80
- Goal ♩ = 100
About the piece
The Musette in D major, BWV Anh. 126, is another piece from the 1725 notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach. Nobody knows for certain who wrote it; older books print it as Bach's.
A musette is a small bagpipe, and the keyboard piece imitates one with a droning bass. This page has the melody only.
Musette in D for other instruments
Each version is written in a key that suits the instrument, with its own page and player.
Reading a transposed part
E♭ alto sax reads a different note from the one that sounds. How alto sax transposition works, with a chart you can listen to.
More easy pieces
Questions
- Is there Musette in D sheet music for alto sax?
- Yes. This page shows the melody written for E♭ alto sax in B major, 40 bars in 2/4, and plays it. The notes are public domain.
- What notes does Musette in D use on alto sax?
- In this version the melody runs from F♯4 to F♯6 (written); the top notes use the palm keys, and the F♯6 needs the high F♯ key most modern altos have. Press play and watch the cursor: it follows the notes as they sound.
- How fast should I play Musette in D?
- It is marked Allegretto. Start around ♩ = 60, practise at 80 and aim for about 100. The player's tempo buttons go between those in steps of 4.
- Is this in concert pitch or written pitch for alto sax?
- Written pitch. E♭ alto sax sounds a major sixth lower than written, so the B major on this page sounds in D major. The player plays it at the pitch you would hear.
- Can I play it together with other instruments?
- Yes: the versions for Violin, Cello, Flute, B♭ clarinet, B♭ trumpet sound in the same key, D major, so you can play them at the same time, each reading their own page.
Photograph your own part with ScoreLens.
This player is the one in the app. Point your phone at the page on your music stand, and ScoreLens reads it and plays it back, slower or in another key. It is best on single-line parts and reads piano too. Handwriting is out of reach for now.
