Clarinet Choir

7 Clarinets and 2 Bass Clarinets

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) wrote the cantata Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 62 based on the chorale by Martin Luther of the same name. Its first performance was in Leipzig in 1724. This arrangement is the first movement of the six-movement work, which was originally scored for chorus and orchestra.

The inspiration for arranging this work was the pure desire to play Bach in a group that could otherwise not. In using four Bb clarinets, three A clarinets, and two Bb bass clarinets, I hoped to achieve a diversity of timbre like that of the original instrumentation.

–Tierney O’Brien

E-flat Clarinet, 5 B-flat Clarinets and 3 Bass Clarinets

“Pulse” aims to be a straight-forward, accessible, fun, and energetic piece with constant forward motion. Great care should be taken with the tempo and rhythmic drive of the piece as these qualities influence the entire work. ‘Finger glissandos’ are achieved when the clarinetist quickly fingers a chromatic scale up or down as directed without the thumb key depressed or hole covered. The desired effect, which can either glissando up or down depending on the instruction, is somewhat of a whining sound as if a slide had been implemented on the instrument.

-Grant Jahn

E-flat Clarinet, Solo B-flat Clarinet, 3 B-flat Clarinets, Alto Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Contralto Clarinet and Contrabass Clarinet

Beethoven’s Sextet for Two Horns and String Quartet, Op. 81b is a bit of an oddity in the composer’s catalog. The sextet for the very old-fashioned instrumentation of two horns, two violins, viola and cello, is especially rare. The work seems to have been written around 1795, in the period when Beethoven was beginning to make his way in Viennese society as a composer and keyboard virtuoso after a period of study with Haydn. The work has the light-hearted, easy-going tone of the serenade/divertimento tradition, although the way that Beethoven writes for the horns makes the Sextet unusual. In this work, the horns are featured, with brilliant fanfares and technically challenging passages, while the four strings are relegated to a subsidiary role. In this arrangement, the Eb clarinet and a solo Bb clarinet play the role of the horns, while the rest of the choir assume the position of the string parts.

E-flat Clarinet, 3 B-flat Clarinets, E-flat Alto Clarinet, 2 Bass Clarinets and Contrabass Clarinet

Composer Arthur Gottschalk says, “Suite Nothings was commissioned by Houston Symphony clarinetist Richard Nunemaker for his Effortless Clarinet Studio. It is dedicated to Michael Perricone, a talented amateur clarinetists and member of Nunemaker’s studio, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer just prior to rehearsals for the seventh annual studio recital. Movement 1 (‘The March of the Licorice Stick Figures’) is a strange little march, at times duple and others compound. Movement 2 (‘Weird Harold’s Stomp’) is a touch more funky, albeit in 13 beat groupings, and owes a partial debt and perhaps apology to jazz legend Herbie Hancock. The final movement is an all-out atonal yet swinging romp, whose theme was originally written for the Band of the First Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, based in Townsville, Queensland. These guys march into battle with full field packs, their weapons, AND their instruments! Hence the title, ‘The Royal Australian Regiment Rondo’.”

6 B-flat Clarinets and 3 Bass Clarinets

Supra is inspired by the music of the central Asian Republic of Georgia. In the fall of 2011, the composer started singing in a Georgian choir and became fascinated with Georgian music and culture. A Supra is a traditional Georgian feast used to celebrate a wide variety of occasions from birthdays to weddings to holidays, featuring a constant flow of food and alcohol, passionate toasts, stories, jokes, prayers, singing and dancing. This composition draws on the harmonies and nuances of Georgian music, filtered through the composer’s own influences from minimalism, klezmer and impressionism, to create a narrative loosely based on a supra feast.

Eb Clarinet, 2 Bb Clarinets, and 2 Bass Clarinets, opt. Bb Clarinet part for Bass Clarinet 1 included

Stephen Collins Foster (1826-1864) is often referred to as “the father of American music.” Many of his numerous songs serve as a window into the spirit of America in his day. Others are exquisitely sentimental. Whether or not one approves of the lyrics of his minstrel songs, the enduring beauty and vitality of his melodies cannot be denied.

Like Foster, the arranger of this quintet, Howard J. Buss, was born in Pennsylvania. He now lives in Florida, where the official state song is Foster’s “Old Folks at Home,“ also widely known as “Swanee River.” Buss states, “The State of Florida revised the lyrics of this song in 2008 to take the edge off their minstrel origins, I also believe it was wise to update the words in order to preserve the music. In this instrumental arrangement, the original music is preserved while showcasing it in a more modern musical framework.“

In addition to the six Foster songs in this arrangement, Buss interjects two other well-known melodies. The “First Call” bugle call is woven into the tapestry of Camptown Races” and “The Girl I Left Behind Me” serves as a partner song to “Ring, Ring, the Banjo.”

1. “Old Black Joe” (2’)
2. “Camptown Races” (1’40”)
3. “Beautiful Dreamer”  (2’15”)
4. “Old Folks at Home” also known as “Swanee River” (2’12”)
5. “Ring, Ring the Banjo” – “Oh, Susannah!” (2’41”)

The movements may be played individually or in smaller groupings. The total duration is approximately 11’ without pauses between the movements.