Clarinet Recital Repertoire Generator
If you have an upcoming recital but don’t know what you want to play, I’m here to help!
Simply find the appropriate response to each prompt to see what my Clarinet Recital Repertoire Generator chooses for you!
(By the way, if you want to design your program from scratch, you might find this article helpful: How to create a great recital program and how it’s like hosting a dinner party)
I’ve mixed standard repertoire with lesser-known gems, and I hope these pieces serve as inspiration as you select your recital program!
First up, a fun piece that’s not too long (or too difficult, so your nerves don’t get the best of you)! Choose your birth month to find a piece:
- January: Paul Reade – Suite from the Victorian Kitchen Garden
- February: Leonard Bernstein – Sonata
- March: Henri Tomasi – Introduction et Danse
- April: Gabriel Pierné – Canzonetta, Op. 19
- May: Alec Templeton – Pocket Size Sonata
- June: Clémence de Grandval – Deux Pièces
- July: Malcolm Arnold – Sonatina, Op. 29
- August: Bohuslav Martinů – Sonatina, H. 356
- September: Leó Weiner – Peregi Verbunk
- October: Charles-Marie Widor – Introduction and Rondo, Op. 72
- November: Joseph Horovitz – Sonatina
- December: Witold Lutosławski – Dance Preludes
Next, let’s follow up with a lyrical piece: Add up the digits of your clarinet’s serial number until you get a single number from 1–9. That’s your piece for the program!
(Example: Serial 4832 → 4 + 8 + 3 + 2 = 17 → 1 + 7 = 8 → Your piece is number 8. If you get 10, you’d add 1 + 0 for a sum of 1.)
- Augusta Holmes – Fantasie
- Gary Schocker – Dear Diary
- Michele Mangani – Romanze
- Phillipe Gaubert – Fantaisie
- Sarah Feigin – Fantasy
- Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen – Romanze
- Lera Auerbach – Prayer
- Fernande Decruck – Cantilène
- Peter Schickele – Elegies
Nearly time for intermission! But first, you should perform an unaccompanied work. Find the initial of your first name to see what piece to perform:
A. Jean Ahn – Blush
B. Louis Cahuzac – Arlequin
C. Miklós Rózsa – Sonatina for Solo Clarinet, Op. 27
D. Elena Kats-Chernin – Three Short Pieces for Solo Clarinet
E. Regina Harris Baiocchi – Karibu
F. Keiko Fujiie – 3 Pieces, Op. 5
G. William O. Smith – Five Pieces for Clarinet Alone
H. Henri Tomasi – Sonatine Attique
I. Ida Gotkovsky – Sonate pour Clarinet Solo
J. Shulamit Ran – For an Actor: Monologue
K. Meyer Kupferman – Moonflowers, Baby!
L. Elena Kats-Chernin – Three Short Pieces
M. Derek Bermel – Thracian Sketches
N. Theresa Martin – Gryphon
O. Germaine Tailleferre – Sonata for Clarinet Solo
P. Margaret Brouwer – No Rotary Phone
Q. Armando Ghidoni – Virtuoso Swing Solo
R. Yvonne Desportes – La naissance d’un papillon
S. Heinrich Sutermeister – Capriccio
T. Libby Larsen – Dancing Solo
U. John Mayer – Raga Music
V. Jürg Baur – Six Bagatelles (Vogelrufe)
W. Young-Jo Lee – Sori Nr. 3
X. Jenni Brandon – Starry Night
Y. Joan Tower – Wings
Z. Elliott Carter – Gra
Intermission! Make sure to grab some water, swab thoroughly, and get ready for the second half!
Time for an incidental work (non-sonata or concerto). Find your birth year below for your piece!
(I included pieces through last year, although if you’re under the age of 5 and reading this blog – let alone playing clarinet and planning a recital – I’m very impressed!)
• 1950–1954: Jeanne Schaffer – Three Faces of Women
• 1955–1959: Stacy Garrop – Phoenix Rising
• 1960–1964: William Daley – Daley’s Arc
• 1965–1969: Ruth Gipps – Kelpie of Corrievreckan, Op. 5b
• 1970–1974: Qigang Chen – Chant de l’aube
• 1975–1979: Rick Sowash – Sanctuary at 3am
• 1980–1984: Ida Gotkovsky – Images de Norvège
• 1985–1989: Michael Ball – Four Charms and a Curse
• 1990–1994: Juri Seo – Arcade
• 1995–1999: Iain Hamilton – Three Nocturnes, Op. 6
• 2000–2004: Anita Sleeman – Two Pieces
• 2005–2009: Árpád Könczei – Sekler Devilishly
• 2010–2014: Eunseon Yu – Red Light! Green Light!
• 2015–2019: Barbara Kolb – Related Characters
• 2020–2024: Yvonne Desportes – Trois petits contes
Finally, the pièce de résistance! Find the first letter of your surname to see what you’ll be performing!
A. Arnold Bax – Sonata in D Major
B. Kalevi Aho – Concerto
C. Felix Draeseke – Sonata, Op. 38
D. Gustav Jenner – Sonata, Op. 5
E. Margaret Sutherland – Sonata
F. Mieczysław Weinberg – Sonata, Op. 28
G. Amanda Harberg – Sonata
H. Louis Théodore Gouvy – Sonata, Op. 67
I. Johannes Brahms – Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 120 No. 1
J. Peter Hope – Sonata
K. Oscar Navarro – Concerto No. 2
L. Nino Rota – Sonata in D Major
M. Robert Muczynski – Time Pieces
N. Carlos Guastavino – Sonata
O. Johannes Brahms – Sonata No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 120 No. 2
P. Francis Poulenc – Sonata
Q. Violet Archer – Sonata
R. Josef Rheinberger – Sonata, Op. 105a
S. Gerald Finzi – Concerto
T. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco – Sonata, Op. 128
U. Camille Saint-Saëns – Sonata, Op. 167
V. Kenji Bunch – Cookbook
W. Paul Schoenfeld – Klezmer Sonata
X. Egon Kornauth – Sonata
Y. Lowell Liebermann – Concerto, Op. 110
Z. Gioachino Rossini – Introduction, Theme and Variations
Congrats on a wonderful recital! Do you feel like adding a fun encore? If so, choose your favorite season to see what you should play:
• Winter: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov – Flight of the Bumblebee
• Spring: John Williams – Viktor’s Tale
• Summer: Adolf Schreiner – Immer Kleiner
• Autumn: Vittorio Monti – Czardas
I hope you enjoyed this Clarinet Recital Repertoire Generator! What do you think of your program?