Music for clarinet and toy piano

Longtime readers of Jenny Clarinet know that I have a fascination with lesser-known instruments (this blog post I wrote a few years ago even led to me learning how to play the theremin!).

Even though I had heard of the toy piano, it wasn’t until I attended a Yann Tiersen concert in Paris a few years ago and heard Tiersen perform on the toy piano that I began to wonder if any music had ever been written for clarinet and toy piano.

Spoiler alert: yes it has! (but as you might imagine, it’s not as extensive as our repertoire for more common instruments)

Here are some pieces I’ve stumbled upon which feature clarinet and toy piano:

(pieces listed alphabetically by composer’s last name; links included for pieces as available. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list, and I will update this list as I discover other works featuring clarinet and toy piano.)

Richard Belcastro’s Inner Strife for clarinet, electric guitar, piano, toy piano, and percussion
Dietmar Bonnen Drei Bilder for voice, piano, and ad libitum bass clarinet
Phyllis Chen Everything Turns, Everything Revolves for toy piano, violin, clarinet and toys
Phyllis Chen Chimers for toy piano, toy glockenspiel, clarinet, violin and tuning forks
Phyllis Chen Glass Clouds We Have Known for toy piano, bowls, bass clarinet, flute, electronics and video
Renald Deppe feed music for toy piano, sax/clarinet, and cello
John Glover Lucy for small ensemble (featuring clarinet and toy piano)
Jacob Gregg Etude for clarinet and toy piano
Erik Griswold Gossamer wings for flute, clarinet, toy piano, percussion, violin & cello
Wang Jie Wait for the Beginning for flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, toy piano
J. M. Maury La Boîte à Musique for clarinet, bass clarinet, and toy piano
Monica Pearce connotations for flute, clarinet, toy piano, violin and cello
Monica Pearce Girl before a Mirror for clarinet, trumpet, piano/toy piano, percussion, violin and double bass

Bonus:

HK Gruber – Frankenstein!! Not only does this piece feature toy clarinets, but it also calls for car horns (authentic vintage ones and toy versions). However, it does not include toy piano.
A Facebook event page for a concert featuring toy pianos (and a bit of clarinet)
Learn more about toy piano works and players here.
If your inner child is curious about other toy instruments, here are five pieces written for toys.

Update (March 2023):

Olivia Kieffer is doing her dissertation partially on chamber music for toy piano and graciously provided me with the list below of music which includes clarinet and toy piano. For more information on Oliva and music for toy piano, check out her website. Thanks Olivia for sharing your research!

Abbinanti, Frank BP Gulf 2008 Cello, baritone saxophone, accordion, contrabass, toy piano, contrabass clarinet, piano, vibraphone, electric guitar
Belcastro, Richard Inner Strife 2015 Bb Clarinet, Piano, Toy Piano/Melodica, E. Guitar & Percussion
Bettison, Oscar Gauze vespers 2007 clarinet, percussion/toy piano, prepared piano/toy piano, violin, cello
Bettison, Oscar An Automated Sunrise (for Joseph Cornell) 2014 alto flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, percussion (1 player), piano/toy piano, violin, viola and cello
Biedenbender, David Shell and Wing 2018 soprano, flute, clarinet (doubling bass clarinet), violin, cello, percussion (vib., glockenspiel, opt. toy piano), and piano
Block, J.M. Meditation No. 50 2022 Oboe, Clarinet in A, Bassoon and (amplified) toy piano (amplification only if necessary)
Blom, Diana Binary Star 2021 flute, violin, clarinet, cello and toy piano
Bonnen, Dietmar 3 Pictures 1994 Voice and Toy Piano (Bass Clarinet)
Boon, Dante Lied (je slaapt) 2012 toy piano and clarinet
Bowen, Jeff Stalasso III 2018 3 toy pianos, flute, clarinet, harmonic canon
Cameron, Allison Retablo 2 ‘Almayne’ 2022 cello, violin, clarinet, piano, acolyte bells/toy piano
Campbell, Mathew Perigee-Syzygy 2020 clarinet, percussion quartet (percs play toy pianos), electronics
Carvalho, Sara taurus 2021 flute, clarinet, toy piano, violin and cello
Chen, Phyllis Chimers 2011 violin, clarinet, toy piano, toy glockenspiel, tuning fork
Ciceri, Carlo INS WASSER 2016 voice, flute, clarinet, 2 percussion (perc I plays toy piano)
Dundee, Corey colorless green ideas sleep furiously 2015 Piccolo, E-flat clarinet, violin, toy piano, cello, percussion
Elwood, Paul The Vault of Heaven, The Crystal Sea 1995 solo cello with flute, clarinet, piano/toy piano, percussion, violin
Garau, Lucio Pinocchio notturno 2005 clarinet, accordion, violin, cello, toy piano and sampled voices
Goh, Yen-Lin Déjà vu 2019 toy piano, sheng, pipa, clarinet, violin, double bass and live electronics
Graaff, Jan-Peter de Parallax 2021 flute/piccolo/alto flute/wood block, clarinet [clarinet in A]/clarinet/bass clarinet/wood block, piano [kick drum]/toy piano/drum, violin/triangle, cello/triangle
Griswold, Erik Gossamer Wings 2013 toy piano, flute, clarinet, percussion, violin, cello
Ivani, Niloufar Infinite 2018 toy piano, toy piano/flute, toy piano/clarinet
Jenni, Donald R-music, Asphode 1 1969 flute, alto flute, 2 clarinets, 2 trombones, 5 cellos. 4 double basses, piano, toy piano, harp, celeste, vibraphone, 3 percussion
Joyce, Molly On and Off 2019 2 pianists plus flute, clarinet in Bb, tenor sax/bari sax, percussion (1 player), piano 1/toy piano, piano 2/toy piano, e. gtr, e. bass, cello
Kalitzke, Johannes Schatten 2015-2016 clarinet, trumpet, trombone, 2 percussion, e. guitar, piano/toy piano/celeste, prepared piano, violin, cello
Knorr, Geoff Grandma and grandpa’s music box 2010 violin (2), clarinet, cello, toy piano
Korsun, Anna Plexus 2014 flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, toy piano, drums
Kovler, Matti Here Comes Messiah! 2009 voice, violin, viola, 2 cellos, clarinet, accordion, piano, electronics, toy piano/celesta/synthesizer, piano
Luppi, Gian Paolo Etius 2021 Flute, clarinet, violin violoncello and toy piano
Luppi, Gian Paolo Conbis 2021 Flauto, Clarinetto, Toy Piano,Violino e violoncello
McFadden, Kevin Sean 20 Episodes 2008 flute, clarinet, piano, percussion (toy piano), violin, cello
McGraw, Patrick CPT (for TPC) 2015/2021 Flute/Piccolo, Bb Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, Vibraphone/Glockenspiel, Piano/Toy Piano, Violin, Contrabass, Baritone
Nowicka, Ewelina Orient-Express 2020 soprano, mezzo soprano, violin, flute, clarinet, 5 pianos, toy piano
O Hansson, Mats Papyeon 2019 toy piano, flute, clarinet
Ouper, Jeffrey Faerie Tale Dances 2013 sopranino recorder, E-flat clarinet, and toy piano
Pearce, Monica Girl Before a Mirror 2012 clarinet, trumpet, piano/toy piano, percussion, violin, double bass
Pearce, Monica connotations 2013 flute, clarinet, toy piano, violin, cello
Polaczyk, Jakub La scena Piccola 2012 toy piano and E-flat clarinet
Räisänen, Tomi Die Sauna der 7 Brüder 2010 flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, accordion, viola, cello, electronics, toy pianos
Rakowski, David Dream Logic 2019 flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, piano/toy piano/melodica, violin, cello, percussion
Renald, Deppe Feed Music 2010 toy piano, sax/clarinet and cello
Rowan, Kyle Windhammer 2017 2 toy pianos and clarinet
Ryan, Fiona Strange Gazes & Birdsong 2013 flute, clarinet. violin, toy piano and percussion
Ryan, Fiona A geology lesson 2013 narrator, flute, clarinet, toy piano, violin (with electronic processing), double bass and percussion
Sharman, Rodney Remembering John Cage 2019 clarinet piano and a toy piano
Simms, Bekah sugar, poets, and lust 2014 flute/piccolo/alto flute, Bb clarinet/bass clarinet, piano/toy piano, violin, double bass, and percussion
Smith, Paul Starburst 2021 Toy piano (3 octaves C-C), clarinet in A, violin, cello
Sproul, Leah Joy of Childhood 2022 soprano/toy piano, flutes, clarinet/toy piano, violin, cello
Thornborrow, Chris This Changing View 2013 flute, clarinet, toy piano, violin, cello
Thorpe, Dan Front Pockets, Back Pockets, Jacket Pockets 2016 soprano, clarinet/bass clarinet, cello, toy piano
Verrando, Giovanni Dulle Griet 2010 bass flute/toy piano, clarinet, percussion, keyboard/sampler, violin, cello
Versluis, Tyler Delightful automata 2014 flute, clarinet, violin, double bass, percussion and toy piano
Wickman, Ethan Atomic Variations 2006 flute, clarinet, saxophone, cello, guitar, bass, percussion, piano/toy piano
Wookey, Michael Coney Island Sous l’Eau 2013 2 toy pianos, cello, bass clarinet, flute, violin, oboe, 2 percussion
Zavala, Mercedes Polaris 2021 Flute, clarinet, violin violoncello and toy piano