Works for Clarinet/Bass Clarinet

I have written more works for clarinet than any other instrument. This is unquestionably due to the fact that I have had the very good fortune to meet many extraordinary clarinettists over the course of my career: Bill Usher, Paul Bendzsa, Etienne Lamaison, Richard Gibson. Their mastery of the instrument and the inspiration of their talent and friendship allowed me to create some of my best works.

16. Kluskap, a Micmac Legend for Children, Op. 56 (1997) Kluskap was written for the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival and was premiered brilliantly there with soprano Wendy Neilsen. It is scored for Soprano, Violin, Violoncello, Clarinet, Percussion and Piano. While it is designed for children, it is a fairly complex and sophisticated work that creates some enjoyable challenges for all the performers.

15. Six Lowly Variations on the Flying Dutchman (In Canada), Op. 54 (1996) This work is scored for Bass Clarinet and the relatively obscure instrument, the Bass Oboe. It was commissioned by Lawrence Cherney and Henri Bok. I chose to write a set of variations on Wagner's overture to The Flying Dutchman. The work is quite demanding for the two instrumentalists.

14. Amare, Op. 51 (1995) Amare (Latin for "to love"), for flute and clarinet, was written as a wedding gift for my friends Annick Mabille (Flute) and Etienne Lamaison (Clarinet). It is a relatively challenging work that uses the entire range of both instruments. It has been recorded on the CD LYRE: Chamber Music for Clarinet.

13. Invisible Cities, Op. 49 (1993) This work is scored for Mezzo-Soprano and Clarinet. It is based on the work of the same name by Italian writer Italo Calvino. The text is in English, Italian and French. It is one of my favourite works but it is difficult both for the singer and the clarinettist.

12.A LAMAISON, Op. 48 (1993) This work is scored for Bass Clarinet solo. It is a major work in three movements and was written for French clarinettist Etienne Lamaison (hence the title). It is an incredibly demanding work. The third movement fugue has been recorded on the CD LYRE: Chamber Music for Clarinet.

11. Prelude and Fugue After Bach, Op. 44a (1991) This is an arrangment for Bass Clarinet and Piano of my work Prelude and Fugue After Bach. The piece utilizes the first prelude and fugue from Bach's Well-tempered Klavier. It has been recorded on the CD: LYRE: Chamber Music for Clarinet.

10b. In Memoriam, Op. 43e (1991) This is an arrangement for English Horn and Clarinet of my work In Memoriam. Of the many arrangements of that piece, this one is rather unique in that, after each instrument plays the work solo, they play it again in canon. It received a very effective and moving performance in Banff in 1991.

10a. In Memoriam, Op. 43d (1991) This is an arrangement for Clarinet and Piano of my work In Memoriam. It has been recorded on the CD: LYRE: Chamber Music for Clarinet.

10. In Memoriam, Op. 43b (1991) This is an arrangement for Clarinet and Piano of my work In Memoriam. It has been recorded on the CD: LYRE: Chamber Music for Clarinet.

9d. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42d (1997) In 1997, I was asked to arrange The Maiden's Lament for chamber orchestra. The first performances were relatively successful but I feel I need to rework the orchestration and hope to do so in the near future. This version incorporates the continous song-cycle.

9c. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42c (1991) A few years after the premiere of The Maiden's Lament, Lawrence Cherney asked me to rework the piece, substituting a Harp for the Piano and separating the five songs. The result was a very successful version of the original piece. The harp certainly adds a more definitive folk element to the work.

9b. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42b (incomplete) This version of The Maiden's Lament has not been completed yet. This version will be a continuous song cycle for Soprano, Oboe (Clarinet/Violin) and Harp.

9a. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42a (incomplete) This version of The Maiden's Lament has not been completed yet. This version will be an individual song cycle for Soprano, Oboe (Clarinet/Violin) and Piano.

9. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42 (1991) Oboist Lawrence Cherney asked me to write this work for Soprano, Oboe and Piano incorporating Newfoundland folksongs. I chose five songs which, together, form a song-cycle in which a young girl meets and falls in love with a sailor-boy then loses him to the ravages of the sea. In place of the oboe, a clarinet or violin can be used. The version for clarinet, soprano and piano has been recorded on the CD LYRE: Chamber Music for Clarinet (available at the Canadian Music Centre). Following the premiere, Lawrence Cherney asked me to rework the piece separating the songs and replacing the piano with a harp (see The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42c). This has prompted me to create four chamber versions of this work: a continuous and individual song-cycle using the piano, and a continuous and individual song-cycle using the harp. Not all of these versions have been realized yet. See the various entries above. Finally there is also a version for chamber orchestra (see The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42d).

8. Lumina Obscurata, Op. 38 (1989) Lumina Obscurata (Eyes that have become dark), for clarinet and piano, is another in the series written following the deaths of my parents and grandmother. It is a difficult work for both performers and is quite a dark piece.

7. The Grey Islands, Op. 33 (1986) This work is a setting of excerpts from John Steffler's book The Grey Islands. It tells the story of a man who spends the summer on these isolated islands off the northern coast of Newfoundland. It is scored for Soprano, Clarinet and Guitar and is a rather dark and difficult work. It requires a pre-recorded tape of John Steffler reading from his work. In place of the tape, a narrator can be used.

6. Five Newfoundland Folksongs, Op. 32 (1986) This is an intimate setting of the five songs for Soprano and Clarinet. This is the first work I wrote following the death of my father in 1985 and they are a little dark as a result, although songs 3 and 5 are quite humorous. They can be performed as a group (taking about 20 minutes to play) or each song can be performed individually. There is also a version for Mezzo-Soprano/Alto.

5. Bacchae, Op. 30 (1983) Bacchae was written for a production of Euripides' play in 1983. It is scored for 3 Clarinets, Piano and Percussion. The music is intended to be performed with either the Greek or English text for the six choruses of the play; there is also some incidental music in the score.

4. Shanadithit, Op. 29 (1983) This work was commissioned by the Victoria International Festival in 1983, a year that celebrated the arrival of Sir Humphrey Gilbert to Newfoundland in 1583. Even though the work was to be premiered as far away from Newfoundland as possible and still be in Canada, I decided to focus on a Newfoundland theme and to create a work based on the tragic extinction of the Beothucks, the aboriginal inhabitants of Newfoundland. Shanadithit was the last of the Beothucks and the work describes and pays tribute to her life and death. It is scored for string trio, woodwind quintet, piano (harpsichord), and percussion. It has been performed many times and usually creates quite a stir!

3. Tessares, Op. 24 (1979) Tessares (Greek for "four") is scored for Violin, Clarinet, Contrabass and Percussion. It is a set of four variations in which each of the instruments has its own notational series and candenza. It is an early and fairly difficult work.

2. Neachora, Op. 22 (1977) Neachora (Greek for "new land") was the first major composition written since my move to Corner Brook. It is a setting of five poems by the Newfoundland poet Al Pittman and is scored for Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Violoncello, Contrabass, Piano, and Percussion. While still a youthful work, it does contain some interesting and effective moments.

1. Five Songs, Op. 15 (1974) These songs to an original text are scored for Soprano, Guitar, Viola and Clarinet. They are very sparse in texture and very dark.