Sonata No.1 - "Eventide"

Grade: Beginner, 1+ years of study

Instrumentation: Bb Clarinet and Piano

Duration: ca. 6:30

Program Notes:

Eventide is a full three- movement sonata designed specifically for a first or second year player. My purpose for creating this piece was to motivate early players to create thoughtful sounds using adventurous music that encourages fundamental musicianship skills - all without fretting over complex notes and rhythms. Using just a bit of mode mixture, modulation, and a few non-chord tones, simple melodies are given more life by the accompaniment to immerse students in colorful pictures of nighttime scenery. The solo part remains keyless with accidentals so that players may focus more on tone production and other fundamentals instead. In addition, much of the solo music is limited to the left hand upper joint, like most other beginner clarinet music, with a few exceptions for added challenge.