Clarinet
SKU:
SU.94010763
For
Clarinet. Composed by
James Lee III. Woodwinds,
Clarinet. Score. Subito
Music Corporation
#94010763. Published by
Subito Music Corporation
(SU.94010763).
Dedicated to
Anthony McGill, Principal
Clarinet, New York
PhilharmonicClarinet
Duration: 5'30 Composed:
2020 Published by: Subito
Music Publishing PROGRAM
NOTE: The year 2020
has definitely been a
very challenging year
with many upheavals.
During this time of the
COVID-19 health crisis,
wearing masks, and high
racial tensions, I
decided to compose four
short solo woodwind works
for flute, oboe,
clarinet, and bassoon,
which represent the core
woodwind section in an
orchestra. I was inspired
to compose these short
pieces after I first
heard Igor Stravinsky's
three short pieces for
clarinet, which totals a
little more than four
minutes in duration. I
thought that it would be
nice to highlight and
honor my African-American
male colleagues in the
orchestral music world. I
wanted to celebrate the
fact that they are the
principal player in the
section of their
respective orchestras.
The short pieces are as
follows: Principal
Brother No. 1 for flute
solo for Demarre McGill,
Principal Flute of the
Seattle Symphony
Orchestra, Principal
Brother No. 2 for oboe
solo for Titus Underwood,
Principal Oboe of the
Nashville Symphony
Orchestra, Principal
Brother No. 3 for
clarinet solo for Anthony
McGill, Principal
Clarinet of the New York
Philharmonic, and
Principal Brother No. 4
for bassoon solo for
Bryan Young, Principal
Bassoon of the Baltimore
Chamber Orchestra. These
works all begin with
notes that are
representative of their
name; D for Demarre, B
for Titus (ti in
solfège starting on
C), A for Anthony, and Bb
for Bryan. There is also
a rhythmic figure in the
opening measures of each
piece, which represent
the utterance of their
names. All four of these
works are rhapsodic in
nature with elements of
improvisation. - James
Lee III.
