Program Notes
These two etudes my contribution to Joshua Anderson’s volume New 32 — sets of fast and slow etudes by different living composers, each in response to a set from the original 32 Rose Etudes that are a staple of clarinet pedagogy.
My two etudes, the ‘A minor’ ones, are actually in Hindustani ragas that each have some resemblances to minor keys in Western classical music.
The slow etude is in Raag Bhimpalas (which has the same notes as a Dorian scale, but is navigated quite differently). This etude explores glisses, overblowing at the 12th, and the Hindustani form of aalap.
The fast etude is in a combination of Raag Bhimpalas and Raag Jog (which contains both the major and minor 3rd, and plays with the Western expectation of major and minor as two separate tonalities). It explores quick, vibrant passages that are typical of Hindustani ‘taans’.
The etudes are intended to be both pedagogical tools and performance pieces. They are suitable for advanced high school and college students and beyond.
Recording
(see above)
Special Performance Requirements
None. Western-trained clarinetists have all the training they need to perform this piece. See Joshua’s notes in the book for technical pointers and context. And watch my interview with John Kurokawa at the top of this page for a more in-depth discussion about the background of this piece, and my clarinet writing.
Premiere/Performances
Press/Reviews
After exploring this book and practicing these etudes, I came away particularly enjoying the Hindustani style of Reena Esmail, Emily Koh’s mixed meters, and Shuying Li’s beautifully challenging D-flat major etudes. The scope of these wonderful compositions exposes students and aficionados of clarinet to a host of new voices that represent the extraordinary diversity within our modern-day compositional community. On a personal level, I am extremely excited to introduce this book to my collegiate students and urge all to explore this incredible new etude collection.
– – Julianne Kirk Doyle, The Clarinet (International Clarinet Association Journal)
