Fourpence ha'penny is a set of variations based on the old canon Fr�re Jacques (or Bruder Martin) - the idea for the title came from my father who always claims, jokingly, that I earn only fourpence ha'penny from my musical compositions. (Of course I get a bit more than that!) The canon could also be sung to words such as: Fourpence ha'penny, fourpence ha'penny... That's your lot, that's your lot! You could be a rich man, oh you'd be be a rich man! But you're not, not so hot.... The pdf file contains score and parts. The audio sample is an electronic preview.

This arrangement is about grade one to three standard. I have tried to keep it simple while making it sound interesting for all standards of playing. Each instrument gets part of the tune. The clarinet 4 part can double as a bass clarinet part. Download includes the score and all of the parts.

La Feria (The Fair) is a Spanish fiesta! All the sights and sounds of a traditional Spanish street festival.
Paul Lacome wrote mostly operas-bouffes, light comic operas. That same drama and delight comes through in this piece. Originally written for orchestra, there have been many popular arrangements for band. I have arranged it for Clarinet Quartet without losing any of the Spanish tradition or dramatic character of the piece.
The Suite is in 3 sections. The first is entitled Los Toros (The Bulls). The running of the bulls is a tradition of nearly every Spanish fair. This highly energetic and rhythmic section is traditional Spanish fiesta music at its best. The second section is entitled La Reja (loosely-The Gate). This one is in the form of a Serenade. Every fair has a street barred off with a special archway entrance or gate. Inside, tents are set up serving local wine. Strolling street musicians will visit each tent and serenade. This section is scaled back dynamically and also in texture to imitate the solo or duo strolling musician. For the B theme of this section I move the melody to the Clarinet 3 part down low. I like to amuse myself and think of this brief growling melody as a tipsy patron of the tent singing back to the musicians. The street musicians then quickly resume their original song. The final section is entitled La Zarzuela. The Zarzuela is a uniquely Spanish comic opera that is heavy on dance and spoken dialogue. It has much in common with the American vaudeville shows. This section is in the form of a brisk waltz, another high energy rhythmic dance where Clarinet 2 takes the B theme melody.
This piece is of Advanced Intermediate difficulty due to constant movement, articulations, rhythm, and range. Clarinet 1 in particular uses the full range of the instrument.
21 page score, 4 pages @ part, 38 pages total booklet
4:30 minutes
temporary MIDI recording