Canadian Clarinet Compositions

Happy Canada Day! I’ve enjoyed my first year in this beautiful country as I complete my doctorate in Montreal. I’d like to celebrate this national holiday with a list of some works for clarinet by Canadian composers I’ve discovered during my time up north. By no means is this list comprehensive, so feel free to share your favorite Canadian clarinet compositions below!

• Violet Archer – Moods for clarinet and alto saxophone (Archer also wrote Soliloquies for B-flat and A clarinet, along with Crossroads for solo clarinet)
• John Beckwith – Fall Scene and Fair Dance for clarinet, violin, and strings
• Alan Belkin – Sonata No. 2 for clarinet and piano
• Stephen Chatman – Gossamer Leaves for clarinet and piano
• Srul Irving Glick – The Klezmer’s Wedding for violin, clarinet, and piano (Glick also wrote Suite Hébraïque No. 1 for clarinet and piano)
• Jacques Hétu – Clarinet Concerto, Op. 37 (Hétu also wrote a nocturne for clarinet and piano)
• Alasdair MacLean – Nature Suite for clarinet, soprano, and piano (He also wrote a beautiful piece called For clarinet and piano)
• Leslie Mann – Concerto for clarinet and orchestra (Fun fact: Mann was a talented clarinetist and was principal of the Winnipeg Symphony, so he knew the instrument very well and wrote many pieces for it.)
• Allan Rae – A Road through Alberta foothills for violin, bass clarinet, and piano
• Robert Rival – Sonata “Muskoka” for clarinet and piano
• Harold Wevers – Rhapsody for clarinet and piano

For more information on these pieces and countless others, make sure to browse the Canadian Music Center. It’s an invaluable resource to discover new composers and compositions, as well and listen to and purchase music!