Gabriel Pierne's Opus 30, Pastoral Variations in the Old Style was written in 1894 for piano and he later set the piece for six winds. There are seven brief movements, all in a different style borrowing from older styles (Style Ancien). This is a setting of the piece for clarinet quartet by John Gibson and includes both the score and parts. (3 Bb Clarinets and 1 Bass Clarinet) The music is not too difficult and could be handled by good intermediate players, depending on the tempos taken by the group.

Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumble Bee has been a favorite of audiences since its beginning. His musical picture of a buzzing bee gives musicians a chance to show off their chromatic scale skills. This arrangement by John Gibson let's everyone join in the chromatic fun. It is set for clarinet quartet (3 Bb clarinets and 1 bass clarinet). I listed this as advanced intermediate due to the tempo, but if played slower it is playable by less advanced players. It will keep your group buszzzzzy! 2016 Chamber Music Contest Entry.

"The Old Rugged Cross" has been a country gospel favorite ever since it became the title song of Ernest Tubb's 1952 gospel album; it has been performed by some of the twentieth century's most important recording artists, including Andy Griffith, Anne Murray, Brad Paisley, Chet Atkins, John Berry, Floyd Cramer, George Jones, Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, Loretta Lynn, Ray Price, Ricky Van Shelton, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. The Oak Ridge Boys, The Statler Brothers, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Alan Jackson, George Beverly Shea and John Prine on the 2007 CD "Standard Songs for Average People" with Mac Wiseman. British television dramatist Dennis Potter used the gospel song prominently in several of his plays, most notably Pennies from Heaven (1978); and the song also played a major part in "Gridlock" (2007), an episode of the long-running sci-fi drama series Doctor Who. In early 2009, the song was covered by Johnny Cash and June Carter, Kevin Max, Mahalia Jackson, Merle Haggard, and Patsy Cline. Parts included for this arrangement are: Full Score, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Acoustic Bass (Optional).

Performance Time: Approx. 2 minutes 15 seconds

Alec Templeton was a blind musician very popular in England and America in the 1930's and 1940's. This nifty little piece shows his skills in composing a jazzy sound using the techniques of J. S. Bach. Benny Goodman recorded the fugue movement in 1938. Playing in a swing style, they played the piece first as written by Templeton, and then repeated with solos. It is worth listening to that performance if you want to get the swing right! It is set for clarinet quartet by John Gibson (clarinet 1,2,3, and bass with an alternate Eb alto in place of clarinet 3). The audio sample has short parts of both movements. With a little practice this could be played by advanced intermediate players. Have fun!