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2025 March Madness – Clarinet Sonatas
Who will be crowned the ultimate clarinet sonata? Let’s find out in the Jenny Clarinet March Madness Sonatas tournament! Back by popular demand, this clarinet-specific March Madness-style tournament was created as a fun and interactive way to discover new clarinet sonatas and revisit timeless favorites. Here’s how it works: I’ve modeled this March Madness bracket after the famous American basketball tournament brackets (for all you sports fans). I selected 32 clarinet sonatas, including both standards and lesser-known favorites of mine. Using an online randomizer, these 32 sonatas were listed in a random order to create the “matches” for the first round lineup. Each day in March, I will post a…
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What do the Weber concerti and Brahms sonatas have in common?
There’s an interesting connection between Carl Maria von Weber’s two clarinet concerti and Brahms two clarinet sonatas. Any guesses what it is? Notice any similarities? They share the same key signatures! So, is this pure coincidence, or was this intentional on Brahms’ part? Weber composed his two clarinet concerti in 1811 for the German clarinetist Heinrich Baermann. Eighty years later in March 1891, Brahms heard German clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld perform Weber’s Concerto No. 1 in f minor with the Meiningen Court Orchestra. Brahms was captivated by Mühlfeld’s playing and subsequently wrote a clarinet trio, quintet, and the two aforementioned sonatas for Mühlfeld. In addition to sharing the same key signatures…
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Did Rossini really compose his Introduction, Theme and Variations?
Longtime readers of this blog know that there are countless unsolved mysteries of clarinet history, and I’m fascinated by these! Today, we’re delving into a work which I consider to be one of the top 50 standard works for clarinet – Rossini’s Introduction, Theme and Variations! Background Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) composed Introduction, Theme and Variations around 1819, and it was dedicated to clarinetist Allesandro Abate. Abate was a clarinet professor in Naples, Italy, and he performed as principal clarinet at the Teatro La Munizione in Messina from 1815-1816. The Introduction features lyrically florid clarinet passages, demonstrating the instrument’s expressive capabilities. The music is from Rossini’s opera Mosè in Egitto…
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