Ballade for Alto Saxophone and Saxophone ensemble was composed in 1938 by the French composer Henri Tomasi (1901-1971). Introduced by a poem by Suzanne Mallard his wife Ballade is a 15-minute piece that covers and alternates between different styles such as Andantino Guigue and Blues. The poem refers to a clown who claims his story to the night. It is a short poem of four verses composed with rhymes in A/B/A/B formation. Henri Tomasi who won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1927 also composed a variety of concerto for Alto Saxophone for Trumpet and for Trombone as well as some ballades.
