50 More Pieces Every Clarinetist Should Know

In creating my 50 Pieces Every Clarinetist Should Know, I had the tough task of cultivating a list of just 50 landmark works for clarinet. I had to leave many worthy and deserving pieces off the list, which is why I decided to create a Part 2 with 50 more pieces every clarinetist should know.

Clarinetists are lucky to have a repertoire so diverse, and it is impossible to list every milestone work for the instrument. Here are my suggestions of important clarinet pieces, which I have chosen based upon their historical significance and prominence.

By no means is this list intended to be comprehensive or universal, so as always, I’d enjoy hearing your feedback or other pieces you would include on your list.

I’ve created a printable checklist of these pieces, which you can access here.

Solo

Unaccompanied

1. Berio – Sequenza IXa
2. Martino – A Set for Clarinet
3. Sutermeister – Capriccio

Concerto

1. Bozza – Concerto
2. Crusell – Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 5
3. Krommer – Concerto in E-flat Major, Op. 36
4. Molter – Concerto No. 1 in A Major, MWV 6, No. 41
5. Spohr – Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 26
6. Tomasi – Concerto

Sonata/Sonatina

1. Arnold – Sonatina, Op. 29
2. Bax – Sonata in D Major
3. Martinů – Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano, H. 356

Clarinet & Piano

1. Berg – 4 Pieces, Op.5
2. Finzi – Five Bagatelles, Op. 23
3. Françaix – Theme and Variations
4. Lutoslawski – Dance Preludes
5. Messager – Solo de concours
6. Weber – Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48 (This follows a classical concerto form, but it’s a virtuosic showpiece with equal voices for both instruments.)

Double Concerto

1. Krommer – Concerto for Two Clarinets, Op. 35
2. R. Strauss – Duet-Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon

Chamber Music

1. Beethoven – Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20
2. Bruch – Eight Pieces, Op. 83
3. Glinka – Trio pathétique
4. Khachaturian – Trio for clarinet, violin, and piano
5. Mozart – Serenade No. 10 in B-flat major, K. 361 (“Gran Partita”)
6. Mozart – Serenade No. 11 in E-flat major, K. 375
7. Mozart – Serenade No. 12 in C minor, K. 388
8. Poulenc – Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon, FP 32a
9. Reger – Clarinet Quintet in A Major, Op. 146
10. Schoenberg – Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21
11. Schubert – Octet in F major, D. 803
12. Stravinsky – Octet for Wind Instruments

Orchestral

1. Berlioz – Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14
2. Borodin – Polovtsian Dances/Prince Igor
3. Brahms – Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
4. Mendelssohn – Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 (“Scottish”)
5. Nielsen – Symphony No. 5, Op. 50
6. Ravel – Boléro
7. Rimsky-Korsakov – Le Coq d’or
8. Schubert – Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D.759 (“Unfinished”)
9. Shostakovich – Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10
10. Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
11. Sibelius – Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39
12. Smetana – The Bartered Bride
13. R. Strauss – Don Juan, Op. 20
14. R. Strauss – Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28
15. Stravinsky – Le Sacre du printemps
16. Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
17. Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
18. Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, (“Pathétique”)