Clarinet Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.913621 Composed by James Marshall. Classical. Individual part. 64 pages. James Marshall Music #6096487. Published by James Marshall Music (A0.913621). Six Bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano were composed in March, 2020 for Beethoven 250. They are drawn from Beethoven piano music. The sources are piano sonatas, bagatelles, and a landler. With my ever faithful friend and collaborator, London Clarinetist Alison Eales in mind, I sought to add to the Clarinet repertoire. Having written five pieces over the past two years in English manner for Clarinet (English Sonatina, English Autumn, London Concerto, Enchanted London, Postcards from England), a tip of the hat to the Austrian Titan seemed appropriate. Beethoven, unlike Mozart before him and Brahms after him, wrote no solo music for Clarinet. The Trio and scoring in Symphonies are his unique contributions to the repertoire. Beethoven was a contemporary of Weber who wrote extensively for solo Clarinet. With most of the passages being arrangements, my original homage passages frame the settings and are juxtaposed with them. The tone of the music is one of homage and recollection with no intent to imitate or parody the great master. Bagatelles are by nature lighter fare of shorter duration. Hence no long, authentic passages with inherent mood swings and elaborations. By adapting the music to the bagatelle form, it reflects the less ponderous side of the composer. Although Beethoven’s music is capable of great depth and despair, the more transcendent, pastoral, and exuberant moods prevail in these pieces. The final two movements, Recitative and Rondo, draw on the Waldstein Sonata and Emperor Piano Concerto, and Sonata Op 2 No3 as well. The Rondo theme is in Eb, my own, is reminiscent of the Emperor Concerto in it intense yet lilting motif. Perhaps the listener will hear hints of Weber, a clarinet favorite of mine, as well in this final movement. Two movements are scored for Clarinet in A, and four movements for Clarinet in Bb.
