Sigurd Rascher

Born May 15, 1907 in Elberfeld, Germany, Sigurd Rascher studied clarinet with Philipp Dreisbach at the Hochschule für Musik in Stuttgart. He began to play saxophone at the age of twenty-one and graduated in 1931. Rascher presented his first complete recital and his first solo with orchestra in 1932, followed by a performance of the concerto by Edmond von Borck with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum conducting. Rascher left Germany and continued his career in Denmark and Sweden, performing works written for him by composers such as Alexander Glazounov, Jacques Ibert, Lars-Erik Larsson, and Frank Martin. Following a tour of Australia in 1938, he immigrated to the United States and made his American debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Serge Koussevitzky and the New York Philharmonic conducted by Sir John Barbirolli in 1939. Settling in Shushan, New York, Rascher taught at the Manhattan School of Music from 1940 to 1942 and published Top Tones for the Saxophone. More works written for Rascher received their premiere performances, including concertos by Henry Brant, Ingolf Dahl, Erland von Koch, and Karel Husa; more than 115 works are dedicated to him. He conducted several summer saxophone institutes and in 1969 he formed the Rascher Saxophone Quartet. Rascher died February 25th, 2001.