Mathurin Victor Buot (1822 - 1883) :

Band leader of the Imperial (and later «National») Guard horse Artillery Regiment, of the 2nd Dragons Regiment and of the 98th Line Infantry Régiment.

French composer and arranger born in Strasbourg on august 15th, 1822.

He married Julie Pongérard in Rennes on october the 6th,1847, and his daughter Maria was born in 1849.

Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur on july the 17th, 1866. He retired in june 1871 - He died in Menton on septembre 18th, 1883.

His first names in the order of civil status : Mathurin Victor on his birth certificate were upturned in Victor Mathurin on his death certificate (his customary name was Victor, as far as we can tell).

Among his compositions, are Tyrolienne variée, l'Air varié sur Le Carnaval de Venise (after Victor Massé), both for Eb alto saxophone with piano accompaniment were published by Evette & Schaeffer, along with the Idylle-polka La Chanson des nids, for 2 clarinets and piano, and the comic opera Les noces Bretonnes, played in Dunkerque’s Casino in august 1863.

His Morceau d'élévation is one of the rare concerting scores for saxophone which had a chance to be edited in the XIXth century. This short piece published by Goumas in 1880 under the n° 1420 bis, is written for solo alto saxophone "with piano, organ or Military Band ccompaniment ad lib". It was printed by Ghéluve. The original edition score seems to suggest several possible versions : solo alto saxophone and piano (or organ), sax and band, or even saxophone, organ (piano) and band.

In the catholic liturgy, the «élévation» is the moment during the mass when the priest «elevates» the bread and the wine  la mise en évidence du pain et du vin, for their consecration in the eucharist.

Author of a number of military music pieces, of walzes and polkas for piano, Buot proposes with this work a more spirituel path, corresponding in one of the functions of music bands and fanfares during the XIXth century : the accompaniment of significative moments of the religious office. This particular  vocation of the piece probably explains the mention of the organ as possible "accompaniment" of the soloist, with or without wind orchestra : the instrument generally belongs in churches. We could imagine that the presentation of the original printed score with the soloist on first line, the organ on the next two lines, and the orchestra below, could also be an inpiration for the organ player, when he devised his registrations, above all when the work was played as a duo.