Woodwind

Elegie, Scherzo, Canzonette, Humoresque, Barcarole, Capriccio, Romanza, Intermezzo, Noveletta, Scherzo Learn More

A Bonbon is a candy treat, or something that is pleasing. These 5 short character pieces are treats for the ear. The titles are: Reflections, Butterflies, On Tiptoes, A Little Blues, and Dances. The movements may be performed individually or in any grouping. Learn More

"CITYSCAPES for clarinet choir (Eb clarinet, 3 Bb clarinets, bass clarinet (or Bb clarinet 4), and contra alto clarinet (or bass clarinet 2) was commissioned by the Chattanooga Clarinet Choir to be performed at ClarinetFest 2014, this picturesque 5-movement composition was inspired by typical city scenes: ""Morning Traffic"", ""Riverfront"", ""A Walk in the Park"", ""Skyline at Sunset"", and ""Night Life""." Learn More

Flute, Oboe, Clnt, Bsn. 1. Preludio 2. Tango 3. Malaguena 4. Serenata 5. Capricho Catalan 6. Zortico Learn More

Beethoven goes "Boogie" Woogie" in this very entertaining arrangement of "Fur Elise" for Woodwind Quintet Learn More

Dedicated to bassoonist Arnold Irchai. The structure of this exciting work is highly symbolic in that it was inspired by the details of the visions of the priest Ezekiel while living with the Jewish exiles in Babylon. Ezekiel saw a powerful, glowing, and complex entity appear in the sky out of a “great cloud.” He believed it to be an appearance of God: “Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.” (Ezekiel 1:5 KJV) The formal scheme of The Heavens Awaken is programmatic in the sense that the sequence of events described in the vision is musically represented in a general way. The serene opening gradually becomes mysterious and gives way to a series of passages that serve as an ominous portent to the arrival of the airborne object. The 4 string instruments, each with 4 strings, 4 tuning pegs, and human-like body shape symbolize the 4 “creatures” of the vision. The bassoon represents the “voice” of what Ezekiel believes is God. It should be noted that many people also have interpreted his vision as a sighting of a UFO, described with the insights and vocabulary of the day. “This significant new addition to the bassoon and string quartet literature is a “must for the advanced bassoonist!” Learn More

The title of this highly dramatic work is suggestive of the dark and somber quality of the themes and textures used throughout. The alto sax has been added to the traditional wind quintet and is treated as an integral member of the group. This composition is cyclic in form and is in a multi-sectional single movement: there are three slow sections that alternate with two faster ones. Night Winds was completed in 1994 and is dedicated to the musicians that premiered it: by Ronald Waln, flute; Dwight Manning, oboe; Theodore Jahn, clarinet; Jean Martin horn; William Davis, bassoon; and Ken Fischer, alto sax. Learn More

with Piano: Commissioned for and premiered at ClarinetFest 1998 by Kathleen Gardiner (at the time with the Buffalo Philharmonic).It is in 4 picturesque movements: Around the Ring, Hundertwasser House - In Transit, Tombs of Honor, and Street Scenes, and was inspired by the composer's 1996 visit to Vienna. The first movement, Around the Ring, is suggestive of the energy and excitement of traveling on the Ring, a major transportation artery that loops around the city center. The music is characterized by driving rhythms and jazzy melodic flourishes. The second movement is divided into 2 main sections: Hundertwasser House is a tribute to the esteemed Viennese artist, Hundertwasser. The title refers specifically to the imaginative apartment house designed by this innovative artist whose colorful paintings are displayed in the adjacent Kunsthaus Wien. In Transit is reminiscent of a short hop on the Underground (subway). Tombs of Honor, the third movement, was inspired by the beautiful and stately cemetery, Zentralfriedhof, where many great musicians from Vienna's glorious past are buried next to one another- Beethoven, Brahms, Johann Strauss, Hugo Wolf, Schubert, and the clarinetist Mühlfeld to name a few. The capricious final movement, Street Scenes, was inspired by the happenings on the bustling Kärtnerstrasse, a pedestrian walkway frequented by street musicians and other artists. Included are references to segments of themes by various Viennese composers. At times these excerpts are tossed about in a kaleidoscopic manner. On other occasions they serve as the basis for organic musical development, such as when a metrically altered theme from the first Brahms Clarinet Sonata becomes the subject of a fugue Learn More

ROMAN FESTIVALS for flute choir by Roger Vogel musically portrays the celebratory atmosphere of holidays and festivals of long ago. In 5 movements: Plebeian Games, Fors Fortuna, Eleusinian Mysteries, Bacchanalia, and Saturnalia. It is scored for flute/piccolo, three C flutes, alto flute, bass flute, and an optional contrabass flute. Because of its modest technical demands and musical sophistication, this audience-friendly work is appropriate for both intermediate-level and advanced flute choirs. (13’) Grade IV. Learn More

Originally composed for Contrabasson and Piano as "Sonata" and subtitled "The Sunken Garden", Richard Bobo has masterfully arranged Barbara York's work for Contrabassoon and Chamber Orchestra accompaniment:

Piccolo, Alto Flute (or Flute substitute), English Horn, E-flat Clarinet (B-flat Clarinet substitute), Bass Clarinet, Timpani, Percussion I (Vibraphone, Triangle, Suspended Cymbal), Percussion II (Timpani), Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, and Contrabass

The composer's original program notes: My many thanks and much admiration go to author, John Connolly, for some of the images I have used in this piece. These have been taken from his wonderful novel, "The Book of Lost Things", published by Atria Books in the US and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK.

The concept for this piece involves overcoming the darkness in oneself as well as in others, and you will find some musical material used and then later reused in a different context and with a more positive tone and outcome resolution as the movements progress. My thanks also go to The Sinquefield Charitable Foundation for commissioning this piece and to Elizabeth Roberts for premiering it.

Barbara York, 2014

Learn More

Based upon the composer’s visit to the Smoky Mountains, in 4 beautiful and picturesque movements: Mystic Dawn, Treetop Capers, Cades Cove and The Trail to Abrams Falls. Written for Shelley Binder. Learn More