For this Christmas here is a dramatic Fantasia for Instrumental Quartet based on the old English carol God Rest You Merry Gentlemen. It is an eclectic fusion of Classical music and 1950's Free Jazz and West Indian/Caribbean rhythms with exuberance and pulse. It is in verse-refrain form, but is very freely treated and each of the four verses is wholly unique. Every single note is written to express, and sometimes expand upon, the word of the text at that point in time. There is an irregular meter which changes every few bars using 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, and 7/4 but always maintaining a strong pulse. It contains abrupt changes in dynamics and a rubato tempo with many markings of articulation. This is a challenging work with dynamic results.
19 page score, 4 pages each part; 35 pages total
4:45 minutes

"Deep River" is an anonymous spiritual of African - American origin. Like all spirituals, it is a song of hope and longing, expressing a desire for peace and freedom in the present and in the afterlife. It is a slow haunting melody filled with emotion and faith and embodying the soul crying out in the universal longing for freedom. Parts included are: Full Score,1st and 2nd Clarinet, Alto Clarinet (Bass Clar. substitute part), Bass Clarinet. Performance time is approx. 2 minutes 25 seconds.

Arrangement for Clarinet Quartet (intermediate) by Francesco Leone.
Score & Set of parts (6): Bb Soprano Clarinets 1-3 and Bb Bass Clarinet, included Eb Alto Clarinet instead Bb Clarinet 3, optional drums.
Style: Balkan. Duration: 3.30. Key concert: G min. - A min.

"Bella ciao" ("Goodbye beautiful") is an Italian protest folk song that originated in the late 19th century, sung by the mondina workers in protest to the harsh working conditions in the paddy fields of North Italy. The song was modified and adopted as an anthem of the anti-fascist resistance by the Italian partisans between 1943 and 1945 during the Italian Resistance, the resistance of Italian partisans against the Nazi German forces occupying Italy, and, during the Italian Civil War, the Italian partisan struggle against the fascist Italian Social Republic and its Nazi German allies. Versions of "Bella ciao" continue to be sung worldwide as an anti-fascist hymn of freedom and resistance.In 2017 and 2018, the song received renewed popularity due to the singing of "Bella ciao" multiple times in the Spanish television series Money Heist. The character Tokyo recounts in one of her narrations, "The life of the Professor revolved around a single idea: Resistance. His grandfather, who had fought against the fascists in Italy, taught him the song and he taught us."The song is played in emblematic moments in the series as a metaphor for freedom.