Update Title: EF5BC89B-E669-4F88-B28B-08A6BE43008E

ID

Titlecode

Title Name

Marketing Copy

Instrumentation

Commission

Dedication

Program Notes

The Sonata for Clarinet and Piano was composed in response to the recent Tsunami
devastation to the land and peoples bordering the Indian Ocean. Images of complete devastation
filled the media. It appeared that in some areas, all traces of civilization and humanity had been
washed away. The land lay clear, barren and unformed. It was as though the world was starting
anew. There was only the sea and the land.
And yet many creatures, guided by their natural instincts, had escaped annihilation. They had
fled to higher ground. And then, in the face of immense loss, survivors emerged. A resilient
human spirit came forth.
This Sonata is entitled "Genesis." For, it springs from images of the beginning of the world:
the sea and the land, then the creatures on the earth, and then the human spirit rising to the
heavens above.
The first movement, "The Sea and the Land," focuses on images of the waves, as portrayed by
the piano. The clarinet presents slowly rising lines. Perhaps these represent the land rising from
the sea. The tempi and dynamics increase with the rising lines, in the spirit of a triumphant
creation. The forceful climax of this movement then yields to a playful passage, perhaps preannouncing
the arrival of the animals. Or simply, of energy. The music then recedes into the
opening wave patterns.
The creatures arrive in the second movement, with bouncy joy. There are mostly hopping
creatures, although some "heavier-footed" ones might be heard. The glissandi are related to birds
in flight.
"The Heavens Above" (the human spirit reaching to the heavens above) is less visually-inspired
than the previous two movements. This music is intended as a testament to the power of the
human spirit in the face of adversity. There is a reaching up to heaven. The musical lines are
often rising, either stepwise or in ascending intervals of 6ths. The closing cadenza in the clarinet
rises from the depths of the range to the heights, effortlessly, as the soul reaching to heaven.

Title Brand

Year Composed

Copyright Number

Copyright Year

Duration

Ensemble Size

Date Created

Date Updated

Inhouse Note

Bsc Code

Text Author

Premier Performance Memo

Recording Credits

Review

Awards

Title Category

Title Movements

Title Grade

Set Series ID

Title Instrument Category Text

Title Sub Category Text

Title Sub Category

Title Instrument Header

Title Grade Text

Clean Url