oa Performing dedications. A contextual and artistic reflection on the dedication of the world’s first saxophone concerto

This article focuses on the first concerto for saxophone, written in 1902 by Belgian musician Paul Gilson and dedicated to the famous American amateur saxophonist Elise Hall. With both contextual and artistic arguments, Kurt Bertels wants to show that Hall did not order or perform the work herself, even though Gilson dedicated the concerto to her. In this way, Bertels sheds new light on an important document in saxophone history, as well as on the function of commissioned works.