the clarinet quartet
The clarinet quartet typically consists of three Bb clarinets plus bass clarinet. However, composers have also called for anything from three bass clarinets and one contra-bass to one each of the Eb (piccolo), Bb, alto and bass clarinets, giving the ensemble a huge tessitural range (around six octaves) and with it an extensive palette of tone colour and dynamics which make it the true woodwind cousin of the string quartet. Contemporary works also draw on the full gamut of available expressive effects, including flutter-tonguing, multiphonics and microtonal pitches. This rich variety of sound colouring is reflected in the clarinet quartet repertoire, which extends from contemporary and 20th century works written for the combination, through transcriptions of well-known pieces from the baroque, classical and romantic periods, to the jazz of Benny Goodman and the Eastern sound of Klezmer.
What follows is a selection from the Scottish Clarinet Quartet's
ever-expanding repertoire: follow the links to
listen to extracts made from
studio and live recordings (mp3 format). Items marked with an asterisk
were
commissioned
by, or are dedicated to, SCQ.
Renaissance, Baroque, Classical & Romantic
- Tomaso Albinoni / Remo Giazotto - Adagio for Clarinet
Quartet and Organ
- J.S. Bach (arr. South) - Air on the G string
- J.S. Bach (arr. South/Rundell) - Brandenburg Concerto No.2
for Clarinet Quartet and Organ
- J.S. Bach (arr. South) - Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659
- J.S. Bach (arr. Smith) - Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV
532
- J.S. Bach (arr. South) - Prelude and Fugue in Eb major
- Alexander Borodin (arr. South) - Notturno, from String
Quartet No.2
- William Byrd - Mass for Four Voices (live recording)
- John Dowland - Lachrimae Antiquae
- Don Carlo Gesualdo - O Vos Omnes
- Orlando Gibbons - The Silver Swan
- G.F. Handel - The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
- Felix Mendelssohn - Quartet in Eb major
- W.A. Mozart - Overture to The Magic Flute
- W.A. Mozart (arr. Giles Swierc) - Overture to The Marriage of Figaro (live recording)
- Johan Pachelbel - Canon in D major
- Henry Purcell - Three Parts upon a Ground
- Thomas Tallis - In Jejunio Fletu
- Thomas Tallis - O Nata Lux
- Giuseppe Tartini (arr. Smith) - Quartet in G major
- Thomas Tomkins - Oh Yes! Has Any Found a Lad
- Giuseppe Verdi (arr. South) - Overture to ‘La forza del destino’
20th Century & Contemporary
- Louis Andriessen - Workers Union
- Larry Austin - Threnos
- Eugène Bozza - Sonatine
- Gareth Churchill - Riverform* (2004)
- Stephen Davismoon - eleventeenth dream* (2005)
- Claude Debussy (arr. Thilde) - Danse
- Pierre Max Dubois - Quatuor
- Ferenc Farkas - Early Hungarian Dances
- David Fennessy - Confetti Medley - Slowing down study* (2005)
- Michael Gordon - The Low Quartet
- Sadie Harrison - Scathach (The Lady of Shadows)* (2005)
- Ian Holloway - Die Kunst der Klarinette (Variations on 'Colonel Bogey')
- Scott Lygate - The Forest* (2007)
- Andrew McEwan - Spaces in Between* (2005)
- Edward McGuire - Celtic Knotwork
- Edward McGuire - Chinese Knotwork
- Iain McLarty - jow* (2005)
- Anna Meredith - four to the floor* (2005)
- Oleg Paiberdin - Sob Out
- Astor Piazzolla - Histoire du Tango
- Michael Riessler - Bachmachine
- Matthew Rogers - god of doors* (2006)
- Matthew Rogers - hum mantra* (2004)
- Matthew Rogers - timewave zero*(2003)
- Oliver Searle - Downwarp* (2004)
- Dmitry Shostakovich (arr. South) - Quartet in C minor,Op.110
- Rebecca Smith - Waulking Bass* (2004)
- Roger Teichmann - Fantasy Sonata* (2005)
- Alec Templeton (arr. Henry Brant) - Bach Goes to Town
- Henri Tomasi - Trois Divertissements
- Mark-Anthony Turnage - A Deviant Fantasy (after J.S. Bach)
- Alfred Uhl - Divertimento
- Marc Yeats - Fallen Angel* (2007) for Four Bass Clarinets
and Percussion
Folk, Klezmer, Jazz & Popular
- Randy Brecker - Some Skunk Funk
- Dave Brubeck - Blue Rondo à la Turk
- Frank Churchill - Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs
- Mike Curtis - A Klezmer Wedding
- Mike Curtis - Bulgarian Bat Bite
- Fred Fisher - Chicago
- Benny Goodman (arr. Andrew Sharkey) - Four Once More*
- George Gershwin - Liza
- George Gershwin - The Man I Love
- George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue
- George Gershwin - Slap That Bass
- George Gershwin - Three Preludes
- Bart Howard - Fly Me To The Moon
- Komitas - Cool Me, Oh My Dear Mountain
- Lennon & McCartney - Yesterday
- Henry Mancini - Moon River
- Hermeto Pascoal (arr. Andrew Sharkey) - Viagem*
- Lenny Sayers - Mazeltov!
- Lenny Sayers - Three Klezmer Melodies
- Stephen Sondheim - Send in the Clowns