Born in Tunisia in 1952, Christian Lauba has been a prominent contemporary composer, winning many prizes since his graduation from the Conservatory of Bordeaux during the mid-1980s. Lauba is particularly noted for his compositions and teaching guides for the saxophone, such as Nine Studies for Saxophones. Composed betweem 1992 and 1994, Nine Studies for Saxophones won Lauba the SACEM prize in composition. The first volume contains the first four studies; 1) Balafon, 2) Savane, 3) Sanza, and 4) Jungle. Nine Studies for Saxophones is very modern in style, exploiting extended techniques of the Saxophone to the maximum. These include multiphonic sounds, subtones, slap-tongue, harmonics, flutter tonguing, double tonguing, slaps and key noises. With modern classical music becoming more and more prominent within the genre, Lauba's Nine Studies for Saxophones is essential to all saxophonists.