B-Flat Clarinet,Piano - Level 1 - Digital Download SKU: A0.548663 Composed by James Pierpont. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Christmas. Score and part. 8 pages. Jmsgu3 #3408937. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.548663). Jingle Bells arranged for Bb clarinet & piano. Jingle Bells is perhaps the most famous songs in American music history. James L. Pierpont published the song as One Horse Open Sleigh in the late 1850’s. Since its introduction, people began to insist that Pierpont wrote it for a Sunday school choir. However, it seems unlikely that such a secular song would be considered appropriate during that historical period for Sunday school.Christmas Repertoire Pierpont wrote the song for the Thanksgiving holidays, but over time people began to think of it more as a Christmas song. Some choirs adopted it as part of their Christmas repertoire in the 1860s and 1870s. Jingle Bells was first recorded in 1889 on a wax cylinder. Origins No one knows where Pierpont composed the song. One theory suggests he wrote it in Medford Massachusetts in 1850. Sleigh races were certainly popular in 19th Century Massachusetts. To this day, a commemorative placard appears in Medford square claiming that it is the birthplace of Jingle Bells. Others suggest that he wrote it in Savannah, Georgia where he was an organist and music director at the Unitarian Church. This theory gains support from the copyright date of 1857. We know he was living in Savannah by then. Traffic Signals Horse-drawn sleighs are relatively quiet in the snow. Consequently, horses were usually equipped with bell-laden straps so as to avoid accidents at blind intersections. Sleigh drivers in 19th Century New England were constantly vigilant, listening for the sounds of approaching horse-drawn sleighs. The tune imitates the rhythm that the trotting horse bells produce. Social Context Jingle Bells was sung as a drinking song at local revelries: during the song folks would rhythmically jangle the ice in their glasses. A sleigh ride gave couples an opportunity to be alone together. The term Jingle bells is a poetic descriptive adjective referring specifically to the more accurate term sleigh bells. In many arrangements, sleigh bells are used to accentuate the rhythm during the song chorus. Register for free lifetime updates and revisions at www.jamesguthrie.com

B-Flat Clarinet,Piano - Level 1 - Digital Download SKU: A0.548671 Composed by Adam. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Christian,Christmas. Score and part. 10 pages. Jmsgu3 #3410427. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.548671). Duration: 4:56. Score; 5 pg., 44 ms. Solo part: 2 pg. Piano part: 3 pg.Cantique de Noël The French composer Adolphe Adam was already famous as a composer of many successful ballets and operas. Then, in the 1840’s he wrote his most famous work - O Holy Night. The original song title was Minuit Chretiens or Cantique de Noël.  Placide Cappeau provided the original song lyrics. The song was first performed in Roquemaure by the opera singer Emily Laurey at midnight mass in 1847. It became very popular among the French, much the way that Silent Night was famous elsewhere. In the 1850’s John S. Dwight, a Unitarian minister and music teacher translated the song into English.   Adolphe Adam In his younger years, Adam studied organ and composition at the Paris Conservatoire. He also played the timpani in the Conservatoire orchestra. Adam used his savings and borrowed money to open a new opera house - the fourth opera house in Paris in 1847. Unfortunately, the Revolution of 1848 forced him to close. He taught composition at the Paris Conservatoire from 1849 until his death in 1856. Placide Cappeau The poet Cappeau was an advocate of the French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire.  Voltaire was renowned for criticizing the Catholic church, religious intolerance, and dogma in general. Consequently, Cappeau made the Redeemer figure in his song a kind of reformer of injustices, in particular, the problem of original sin. To begin with, people recognized Cappeau’s theology as eccentric, probably even doubtful. Theology In the earlier form of Minuit, the Christ figure descends to intervene with His Father’s plan to punish mankind.  Traditional doctrine pronounces that Christ came from love, not to intervene. This version also declares that Christ appeared to expunge the original sin of Adam. Cappeau removed this part from his poem years later, because he just didn’t believe it.  He preferred to portray Christ as the reformer of disparity and unfairness. Before long, the writer/politician Alphonse de Lamartine referred to the Minuit as the the Marseillaise of religion. Most French churchmen agreed with this idea but certainly did not consider it a tribute.  Register for free lifetime updates and revisions at www.jamesguthrie.com

B-Flat Clarinet,Piano - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1324027 Composed by Franz Schubert. Arranged by James M. Guthrie. 19th Century,Christian,Christmas,Holiday,Religious. Score and part. 10 pages. Jmsgu3 #912218. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.1324027). Schubert's Ave Maria is one of his most cherished and financially successful works. Although not initially intended for liturgical purposes, it has found tremendous acceptance and popularity among Roman Catholics, particularly in Latin. The melody's brilliance and ingenious composition have captivated listeners, as evidenced by Schubert's statement to his father. Despite its widespread use as a prayer, Schubert's Ave Maria was not written with religious practices or the Catholic church in mind.Schubert's Ave Maria has been widely used in popular culture. It is often performed and recorded by many singers under the title Ave Maria in musically simplified arrangements and with various lyrics that commonly differ from the original context of the poem. The melody has been used in the film Fantasia and has appeared in TV shows from Supernatural to Community to Bob’s Burgers. It was also performed at John F. Kennedy’s funeral and has been used in the soundtrack of The Batman.

B-Flat Clarinet,Piano - Level 2 - Digital Download SKU: A0.549420 Composed by Antonin Dvorak. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Instructional,Romantic Period,Sacred,Standards. Score and part. 12 pages. Jmsgu3 #3493999. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.549420). Score: 7 pages, solo part: 2 pages, piano part: 3 pages. Duration: 4:25 Not difficult, but requires sensitivity & dynamic control. Suitable for recitals, church meditations, or school programs. Dvořák Background Antonín Dvořák (1841 –1904) was, of course, a composer from Czechoslovakia. As a matter of fact, he was among the first Bohemian composers to attain universal recognition. It is important to realize that the late Romantic Nationalist period featured composers who used traditional and folk elements to portray the character of their nation. In particular, we see this in the music of Grieg (Norway), Finland (Sibelius), and Smetana (Bohemia).  Dvořák relied markedly on rhythms and other characteristics of Moravian and Bohemian folk music. Ascent to Fame Dvořák was truly a child musical prodigy on the violin. The premiere performances of his compositions notably occurred in 1872 and 1873. He submitted his First Symphony in particular to a German competition, but it failed to win. Consequently, in 1874 he presented two more symphonies to the Austrian State Prize for Composition. Johannes Brahms was the principal of the jury and was accordingly very impressed. They forthwith awarded the prize to Dvořák in 1874, 1876, and 1877. At this point, Brahms thereupon endorsed Dvořák to the publisher Simrock. Later, the publisher commissioned Dvořák to compose the Slavonic Dances, Op. 46. These became popular overnight and, as a result, Dvořák's worldwide status was launched. International Status Dvořák visited England upon invitation nine times. On each visit, he frequently conducted performances of his own compositions. He conducted concerts of his music, especially in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Eventually, the Prague Conservatory in fact appointed Dvořák as a professor. There, to be sure, he wrote his famous Dumky Trio. United States Consequently, the National Conservatory of Music of America appointed him as director in 1892. As a result, Dvořák composed his two most famous symphonic works: the Symphony No. 9 (From the New World), which spread his name universally, and his Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, one of the most famous of all cello works. Moreover, he wrote his most celebrated American String Quartet during this time. At the same time, because of his growing recognition in Europe and his homesickness for his own country, he left to return to Bohemia in 1895.  

Clarinet,Piano - Digital Download SKU: A0.962331 Composed by Sergio Roberto de Oliveira. 20th Century,Contemporary,World. Score and part. 13 pages. Sergio Roberto de Oliveira #4609031. Published by Sergio Roberto de Oliveira (A0.962331). Falls House Press has published his works  Faces and Mot pour Laura in the United States. Various articles in specialized journals and sites have cited the composer, such as the Flutist Quarterly (Circus Brasilis - The flute music of Sergio Roberto de Oliveira), Early Music America (Something New for Early Music), Andante.com (The heirs of Villa-Lobos), 21st Century Music, Musicabrasileira.org, etc. Sergio Roberto de Oliveira has frequently been invited to lecture at American universities, and has spoken at more than a dozen institutions including Princeton and Duke. In 2009 he was Artist-in-Residence at Duke University. In addition the USA and the UK, Oliveira's music has also been played in many countries, with invitations for concerts exclusively with his music in México, Italy and Holland (Amsterdam).  The Spanish Magazine Sonograma has published 2 interviews with Sergio.Sergio is the founder and a member of the group of composers Prelúdio 21. The group is one of the most active worldwide. It holds a distinguished place in Brazilian contemporary music, having been active for 15 consecutive seasons, with a permanent series of monthly concerts since 2008. In 2011 the group released the CD String Quartets, with performances by the Quarteto Radamés Gnattali. Oliveira is also a member of the group of composers Vox Novus, based in New York.To commemorate 15 years of activity as a composer, Oliveira released a box set with 4 CDs, as well as a CD with composer Mark Hagerty, and produced the series QUINZE, with 13 concerts including his works, between July and October of 2012.  More than 130 musicians, including 28 composers, participated of QUINZE (CDs and series).His discography includes 14 CDs as producer, 14 as composer, 22 as general producer, 2 as arranger and 2 as pianist. His catalog of compositions includes approximately 115 works for various ensembles, including Symphony Orchestra.  Sergio Roberto de Oliveira is a member of the Latin Academy of the Arts and Science of Recording.He died from pancreatic cancer in 2017.

Instrumental Duet Clarinet,Instrumental Duet,Piano - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.808943 Composed by Danilo Lorenzini. 20th Century,Contemporary. Score and parts. 18 pages. Preludio s.r.l. #6136783. Published by Preludio s.r.l. (A0.808943). Elegia for clarinet and piano by italian composer Danilo Lorenzini (SCORE and PART).I had the opportunity to listen to Lorenzini’s Elegia during a clarinet recital with the composer himself performing at the piano. It is a great piece. The beautiful clarinet melodies are supported by extremely sensitive piano harmonies, creating a deeply nostalgic effect. This nostalgic feeling is mixed to a great tension, developed by the dynamic and harmonic climactic context.I am very glad to have been introduced by a student of mine to this great piece and also to take it into my own repertoire.I am sure this piece is very useful for clarinet students in learning to play with an expressive style. As a personal choice, I will play M° Lorenzini’s Elegia as an encore piece after a long recital.François Benda