Premiere of Creston's Saxophone Sonata

Date: February 15, 1940 • Location: Manhattan, United States

The official premiere of Paul Creston's Saxophone Sonata took place at the Carnegie Chamber Hall, with saxophonist Cecil Leeson, who commissioned the work, and Creston on piano.

Paul Creston was a prolific American composer of classical music and an organist. His catalogued works number over 120 compositions in several major musical genres. They include six symphonies, several concertante and virtuoso works for violin, piano, accordion, marimba, saxophone and trombone. He has been described as a leading American Neo-Romantic composer of his time whose music was performed widely during the 1940s and 1950s.