Program

Program Notes

Molly on the Shore

Grainger, an Australian composer who emigrated to the United States and spent most of his adult life in New York, wrote Molly on the Shore in 1907 as a birthday gift for his mother. Originally written for string quartet, a popular wind band setting appeared in 1920. Frederick Fennell was a champion of Grainger's work, and was instrumental in popularizing the band version of this piece among others. In written correspondence between the two, Grainger gave many insights into his writing. Of Molly on the Shore, he wrote, "I strove to imbue the accompanying parts that made up the harmonic texture with a melodic character not too unlike that of the underlying [Irish] reel tune. Melody seems to me to provide music with initiative" and "equally with melody, I prize discordant harmony, because of the emotional and compassionate sway it exerts." This setting of Molly on the Shore was arranged by Matt Johnston, and retains much of the character of the band version, where the reels were often scored by Grainger in the clarinets.   

Dusk

This simple, chorale-like work captures the reflective calm of dusk, paradoxically illuminated by the fiery hues of sunset. I'm always struck by the dual nature of this experience, as if witnessing an event of epic proportions silently occurring in slow motion. Dusk is intended as a short, passionate evocation of this moment of dramatic stillness. This version was commissioned by the Texas Christian University Clarinet Choir, conducted by Corey Mackey, to premiere at the 2022 International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest in Reno, NV. –Steven Bryant

Sabat Mater

Composed at the very end of Pergolesi’s life, Stabat Mater is a beautiful sacred work recounting the sorrow of the Virgin Mary witnessing the crucifixion of her son. Originally written for soprano and alto soloists with an orchestra and basso continuo, this arrangement is of the 12th and final movement of the piece, Quando Corpus Morietur. This movement is split into 2 parts, beginning with the melancholic, yearning text of the hymn, “While my body here decays, May my soul thy goodness praise, Safe in Paradise with Thee” (translation by Edward Caswall from Latin). The piece then ends with a fiery fugue over “Amen”, encapsulating the pain of grief. I was inspired to arrange and conduct this piece for clarinet choir after listening to a recording of the piece performed on period instruments. While there was some trouble arranging the piece such that the instruments were in their most resonant ranges, the piece as a whole lends very well to a clarinet choir instrumentation. - Alexander Gonzales

At Night

At Night for clarinet choir was originally written for SATB choir a cappella. The poem At Night by Amy Lowell (see in program above) used for inspiration both speaks of the wind singing through the trees and the excitement of the wild wind. The clarinets imitate this idea of the wind at the beginning and end of the piece through freely played sections. Much of the piece contains this feeling of joyful freedom, from a dance-like section to the feeling "wild and tumltuous joy"  that grows and builds with excitement. Toward the end of the piece when the clarinets come together to explore the feeling of the text "And my mind, O Star! is filled with your white light," we feel the true wonder of a hot July night and the freedom to enjoy the onward sweeping wind. – Jenni Brandon

Moonlight Serenade

Miller, the bandleader whose mellifluous swing provided the soundtrack for Americans during World War II, composed the music [for Moonlight Serenade] in 1935 as simply “Miller’s Tune.” It went from one publisher to another and eventually to the lyricist Mitchell Parish, who renamed it “Wind in the Trees.” By the time the Glenn Miller Orchestra recorded the song in 1939 as the B side of a 78 rpm on the RCA Bluebird label, a producer had changed the name again. The G.I.s looked forward to no tune more than “Moonlight Serenade,” the ever-so-slightly melancholy number evocative of a sultry summer night back home. It served as the orchestra’s theme and would be remembered as an anthem of the Greatest Generation. – Dennis M. Spragg for Smithsonian Magazine

Rephrygeration

Originally composed by Todd Stalter for wind band, this "fast and furious" (publisher's note) piece's title refers to the scale mode employed throughout. Phrygian, the third mode of the major scale, creates a distinct sound. The composer uses it here in alternating scalar punctuations in the high voices, particularly e-flat clarinet, with crunchy and rhythmic bass soli and accompanying lines. The layering of interweaving rhythm and melodic line create a driving force to the end. This arrangement for full clarinet choir by Ys Yang was brought to me by Bat City Clarinet Collective member Keeley Dickson, who had recorded and then performed it as a member of the McNeil High School clarinet choir at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. 

Pink Pony Club

Written by Chappell Roan and Daniel Nigro, Pink Pony Club tells the fictionalized story of a young woman who leaves her small town in search of belonging. The lyrics touch on the enduring themes that mark young adulthood: a desire to explore the world in search of a unique identity and the resulting and painful parental estrangement that may follow. In contrast to the summer music festival bubblegum pop anthem and corresponding viral dance, HOT TO GO!, released on the same album, the earnest Pink Pony Club represents a masterclass in songwriting as storytelling. It's popularity served as redemption for the artists: they were dropped from the Atlantic record label after the song's initial 2020 single release.