Summer Triangle
Subtitle: For Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble
General Info
Year: 2021
Duration: c. 16:00
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Keiser Productions
Cost: Score and Parts (print) – Rental | Score Only (print) - $44.99
Movements
- Aguila – 3:00
- Lyra (Star Ship) – 5:05
- Cygnus – 7:10
Instrumentation
- Full Score
- Solo E-flat Alto Saxophone
- Flute I-II (I doubling Piccolo)
- Oboe
- Bassoon
- B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II
- B-flat Bass Clarinet
- E-flat Alto Saxophone
- B-flat Tenor Saxophone
- E-flat Baritone Saxophone
- B-flat Trumpet I-II
- Horn in F I-II
- Trombone I-II
- Euphonium
- Tuba
- Contra-Bass
- Piano
- Timpani
- Percussion, including:
- *Bass Drum
- *Bongos
- *Claves
- *Glockenspiel
- *Hi-Hat
- *Suspended Cymbal
- *Tom-toms (2: high and low)
- *Triangle
- *Vibraphone
- *Wood Block
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Well-known Japanese saxophonist Masato Kumoi commissioned this work after hearing composer Yukiko Nishimura's popular band work Star Ship. His request was for a new solo alto saxophone and band piece that included the same main theme.
The composer drew inspiration for Summer Triangle from familiar astronomical geometry; "an imaginary triangle drawn on the northern hemisphere's celestial sphere, with its defining vertices at Altair, Deneb and Vega, the brightest stars in the three constellations of Aquila, Cygnus and Lyra, respectively." The movement titles represent each of these stars: 1. Aquila, 2. Lyra (Star Ship) and 3. Cygnus.
- Program note from publisher
Summer Triangle was commissioned by the Musato Kumoi and premiered in Hong Kong, 2013. Summer Triangle star formation lights during the summer months. It consists of three bright stars: Vega in the constellation Lyra, Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, and Altair in the constellation Aguila. What I hear the sound of alto saxophone is heroic, magnificent, and sometimes gentle like “Aguila” which is an eagle, “Lyra” which is a harp, and “Cygnus” which is a swan. Mr. Kumoi’s sound will take you to the sky up there!
- Program Note by composer
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Clear Creek Amana High School (Tiffin, Iowa) Wind Ensemble (Chris Copeland, conductor; Charlotte Leung-Brown, alto saxophone) - 5 March 2026
- United States Army Band (Fort Myer, Va.) (Bonnie Alger, conductor; Mai Kokubo, euphonium) – 3 February 2024
- Hong Kong Chamber Wind Philharmonia (Victor Tam, conductor) (Masato Kumoi, alto saxophone) - 14 July 2013 *Premiere Performance*
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Ancient Flower (2015)
- Blessing Wind (2024)
- Bluebell (2018)
- Bright Moon (1994/2015)
- Cherry Tree (2015/2023)
- Falling Water (2024)
- The First Noel (2025)
- Flying Away (2022)
- Jacaranda Mimosifolia (2020)
- Joyful Lily (2025)
- Key West Pink! (2009)
- Luna (2022)
- Merry-Go-Round (2016)
- Mono/Pastel (2018)
- Northern Lights (2023)
- Primula (2020)
- Purple Martin (2019)
- Sailing! (2010/2015)
- Scenes from "Citizen 13660" (2024)
- Smiling After the Rain (2020)
- Snowflake
- Song for Terra (2023)
- Sparkleberry (2006)
- Star Ship (2003)
- String of Dolphins
- Summer Triangle (2021)
- Sweet New Moon (2019/2021)
- Under a Winter Sky (2021)
- Water Reflections (2019)
- Winter Milky Way (2012/2017)
Resources
- Leung, Chin Lok Charlotte (2025). Five saxophone works by East Asian women composers: Yukiko Nishimura, Dorothy Chang, Shih-Hui Chen, and Miho Hazama. University of Iowa, Doctoral dissetation.
- Summer Triangle. Wikipedia. Accessed 3 February 2024
- Yukiko Nishimura website. Accessed 3 February 2024