3 Dances 4 Clarinets for Clarinet Quartet

From the Publisher

This is a set of variations where the melody starts as a waltz, transforms itself into a tango and ends up as ragtime. The challenge for was to make the three styles convincing and the tempo changes as unobtrusive as possible. At your accomplished performance level you will clearly be aware of the technical and musical requirements that produce an authentic interpretation, with the dots and dashes there to substantiate your innate sense of style. In addition I thought you might like to know the origins of the 3 dances…

Viennese Waltz

This dance appeared in Vienna from as early as 1773; used by Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, Webber, Hummel, and later by Chopin, Berlioz and Tchaikowsky, it reached England in 1791 and then spread to Europe and America. The annual Strictly Come Dancing competition on BBC television features the Viennese waltz (with its lively one in a bar) and its more leisurely counterpart in three.

Argentinian Tango

This is an Argentinian dance resembling the Cuban Habanera with which it shares a basic rhythmic figure. The Habanera del café, which gained popularity during the Spanish-American War, was the forerunner of the Tango which, in turn, became a popular ballroom dance circa 1914. The tango was later stylized by Igor Stravinsky in his Histoire du soldat (1917) and William Walton`s Façade (first performed in 1921) also included a tango. This dance is again featured on the above programme.

American Ragtime

Said to relate to the marches of John Philip Sousa (1954-1932) with the addition of syncopated (or ragged) rhythms from African music, ragtime enjoyed peak popularity from 1897 to 1918 with Scott Joplin (1868-1917) writing, amongst others, Maple Leaf Rag. Ragtime influenced the Charleston, stride piano, Dixieland and Swing and has enjoyed revivals in the 1940s, 1950s and 1970s when Joplin`s The Sting was used by the late Marvin Hamlisch as the musical background to the film of the same name (1973).

3 Dances 4 Clarinets was preceded by Suite 4 Clarinets. If you have enjoyed the Suite you should gain pleasure from 3 Dances and, of course, the converse will hold true.

Movements

• Viennese Waltz
• Argentinian Tango
• American Ragtime

Item Details

Instrumentation

• Part 1: Bb Clarinet
• Part 2: Bb Clarinet
• Part 3: Bb Clarinet
• Part 4: Bb Clarinet