Clarinet Choir Classics

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA CLARINET ENSEMBLEMITCHELL ESTRIN, MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR

PRODUCTION CREDITSExecutive Producer: Mitchell Estrin

Producer: John LavertyAssistant Producers: Jay Watkins, Chip Birkner

Music Recording, Editing & Mastering Engineer: David St. OngeNarration Recording & Editing Engineer: Fred Betschen

Music Editor: Mitchell EstrinLayout Design & Graphics: Jason Boldt, MarkArt

Text Editor & Proofreader: Jenny MaclayPhotography: Tracy Reinhardt-Goss, David St. Onge

Production Associate: Glen EstrinInstrument Technician: Darren McCarty

Digital Editing: Mark Recording - Clarence, New YorkMastering: DMS Audio - Ransomville, New York

Recording Dates: May 9-11, 2012Recorded in the Stephen Stills Band Room/George M. Steinbrenner Band Hall

University of Florida - Gainesville, Florida

50193-MCD

� 2012

Mark Masters • 10815 Bodine Road • Clarence, NY 14031-0406phone: 716.759.2600 • fax: 716.759.2329 • www.markcustom.com

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THE CLARINET CHOIR - A BRIEF HISTORYThe father of the clarinet choir was Gustave Poncelet (1844-1903). In the late 19th

century, he formed the first true clarinet choir at the Brussels Conservatoire. After hearingPoncelet’s ensemble in 1896, the great German composer Richard Strauss became acquaintedand enamored with all of the members of the clarinet family. As a result, Strauss used large anddiverse clarinet sections in many of his grand-scale orchestral works and operas, and othercomposers soon followed suit.

Several of Poncelet’s students came to the United States at the turn of the 20th centuryand began forming clarinet choirs. The most famous American clarinet choir was the BellisonClarinet Ensemble, founded in 1927 by Simeon Bellison, the celebrated principal clarinetist ofthe New York Philharmonic. Bellison’s choir was 75 players strong and often performed inCarnegie Hall. In addition to a huge complement of each member of the clarinet family, hisinstrumentation often included trumpet, harp, concertino, piano, guitar, organ, and percussion.The ensemble played its final concert in 1938.

In 1950, a movement started in the United States that began the golden age of theclarinet choir. It was appropriately called the “Balanced Clarinet Choir Movement” because thefounders proposed and implemented the use of an acoustically balanced instrumentationcovering the entire range of the clarinet family. A number of eminent clarinet performers andeducators including Thomas Ayres, Lucien Cailliet, James DeJesu, Harvey Hermann, DavidHite, Russell Howland, Donald McCathren, Harold Palmer, and Alfred Reed initiated andpromoted this concept. Many other music educators who were trying to improve their ever-expanding clarinet sections further stimulated the movement. This inspired many newcompositions and arrangements for the clarinet choir. During this era, most major universityand high school music programs boasted large clarinet choirs. All of the leading instrumentmanufacturers of the time strongly supported the clarinet choir movement. State, regional, andnational music conferences featured clarinet choirs and often included the formation ofconference mass choirs.

After several decades of relative dormancy, the American clarinet choir movement is onceagain alive and well. The annual Buffet Crampon/Vandoren Clarinet Ensemble Festival(founded in 2005) has been presented in Atlanta, Rochester (New York), Seattle, Chicago,Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, East Lansing, and Greensboro, featuring performances bymore than 75 clarinet ensembles from across the United States. Mass choirs are annually

ACKNOWLEGEMENTSClarinet Choir Classics would not have been possible without the creative talents and

dedication of my students and colleagues. I wish to express my sincere thanks to the performers,composers, arrangers, production team, sponsors, and the many contributors involved in thisproject. Special thanks to Dr. John Duff, Director of the University of Florida School of Music,for his support of the project; Dr. David Waybright for his friendship and collaboration; Dr.John Laverty for his producing expertise; David St. Onge for his masterful engineering; and JayWatkins and Chip Birkner for their creative contributions to the project. My appreciation to Dr.Madelyn Lockhart, Buffet Group USA, and Vandoren/Dansr for their generous sponsorship ofthe ensemble.

-Mitchell Estrin

The University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble performs on Buffet Crampon clarinets.

The University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble performs on Vandoren reeds and mouthpieces.

This project was supported in part by the University of Florida Student Government.

© Copyright 2012 University of Florida School of Music

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presented at major symposia including the Texas Clarinet Colloquium, Oklahoma ClarinetSymposium, International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest, and Buffet Crampon/VandorenClarinet Ensemble Festival. Many of today's prominent composers and arrangers arecontributing new works for the clarinet choir. I am strongly committed to the success andpromotion of the American clarinet choir, and this recording represents my continuingdevotion to this wondrous musical medium.

– Mitchell Estrin, August 2012

PROGRAMHebrides Overture, Op. 26 Harvey Hermann CollectionFelix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) - arr. Daniel Freeman

Hebrides Overture, a concert overture composed by Mendelssohn in 1830, personifiesthe composer’s impressions and remembrances from a stormy voyage along the westerncoastline of Scotland. Originally entitled “The Lonely Island,” this work is also known as theFingal’s Cave Overture after a spectacular sea cavern on the uninhabited Scottish island ofStaffa, which left a lasting impression on Mendelssohn. Premiered in 1832, this overture bearsa dedication to King Frederick William IV of Prussia. The version presented here has beenbrilliantly transcribed for the clarinet choir by Daniel Freeman.

“Dance of the Buffoons” from The Snow Maiden Southern Music CompanyNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) - arr. George F. Roach

Rimsky-Korsakov is remembered today as a great melodist and master orchestrator. Asa member of the Russian nationalistic group of composers known as “The Five,” Rimsky-Korsakov employed exoticism, folklore, and brilliant orchestration in his diverse compositionaloutput. “Dance of the Buffoons” is a frenetic choreographic interlude from Act III of Rimsky-Korsakov’s 1881 Russian opera, The Snow Maiden, which is based on playwright AlexanderOstrovsky's poetic legend of springtime.

English Folk Song Suite Boosey & Hawkes Co., Ltd.Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) - arr. Matt Johnston

Ralph Vaughan Williams composed English Folk Song Suite for military band in 1923.Originally entitled “Folk Song Suite” and later renamed English Folk Song Suite, this was

“A word about the tonal spectrum created by this ensemble is necessary...This ensemble has wonderful blend and plays very well as one voice---inmagnificent tonal moments they have the majesty and breadth of a pipe organ.”

--AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE

“...recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in the clarinet choir and atthe vanguard of this movement here in the U.S. is Mitchell Estrin and theUniversity of Florida Clarinet Ensemble. ... The playing is well centered in toneand displays crisp technique throughout a wide variety of styles. This fine clarinetperformance is further enhanced by the tasteful phrasing found under the baton ofMitchell Estrin. ... The band director or clarinet teacher will find Wind in theReeds not only an enjoyable listen but also an excellent teaching tool. It superblydemonstrates the clarinet as it was meant to be played, as well as giving exposure tooften overlooked members of the clarinet family. I recommend it heartily to anyfan of the clarinet.”

--BANDDIRECTOR.COM

"This wonderful recording ... definitely deserves mention. The role of theclarinet ensemble is multi-faceted and this recording finely displays its variousguises. The recording is a treat for all listeners and it is a hopeful sign for renewedinterest in the clarinet ensemble."

--BANDWORLD

"...the ensemble plays beautifully and demonstrates conclusively the versatilityand sound only a clarinet choir can produce. This recording is a joy to listen to."

--THE INSTRUMENTALIST

For further information regarding the University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble, please visitthe University of Florida Clarinet Studio Website at: http://www.arts.ufl.edu/music/clarinet

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his first composition for band and has become a staple of the modern wind ensemble literature.Gordon Jacob, a student of Vaughan Williams, created the often-performed arrangements of thesuite for both orchestra and brass band. Vaughan Williams, like many of his nationalisticcontemporaries, researched and collected folk songs from his native country, and these tunesserved as his inspiration for this enchanting three-movement suite. The version performed onthis recording was prepared for the University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble by Matt Johnston.

Arrangement made by permission from Boosey & Hawkes for the exclusive use ofthe University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble.

Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 G. Schirmer, Inc.Samuel Barber (1910-1981) - arr. Lucien Cailliet

Adagio for Strings has become a 20th-century musical monument because of its ravishingbeauty, lush textures, and evocative melodic content. The work has become symbolic of the sad,serious, and solemn. Adagio has gained lasting international fame, even among non-classicalmusic aficionados, as a result of the many broadcast performances commemorating the passingof prominent world leaders, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, PrincessGrace of Monaco, and the victims of 9/11. Oliver Stone featured the Adagio prominently inhis 1986 Academy Award-winning film, Platoon. Originally composed in 1936 as the secondmovement of his String Quartet in B-minor, Op. 11, Barber subsequently arranged the piecefor string orchestra. Adagio was first performed in New York on November 5, 1938 by theOrchestra of the National Broadcasting Company under the direction of Arturo Toscanini. Thescore bears a dedication to Barber's aunt and uncle, Louise and Sidney Homer. Lucien Caillietarranged the work for clarinet choir in 1964.

The Young Person’s Guide to the Clarinet Choir Reynard MusicPaul Harvey (b. 1935) - Text by Paul Harvey and Mitchell Estrin

This work is a whimsical and characteristic set of masterfully written variations featuringall of the instruments of the clarinet choir. Each instrument performs an idiomatic tune, andthe work culminates with a big band style movement for the whole choir. Notes from thecomposer: “…a demonstration piece I wrote for a concert at one of my Benslow weekends,entitled The Young Person's Guide to the Clarinet Choir. Yes, I know the title has a familiarring; that's because it has exactly the same purpose as Ben Britten’s Guide, which I've playedmany times in orchestras. My piece is more simplistic, however, consisting of variations on

orchestra, and performed with the Philharmonic on numerous occasions on the PBS award-winning series, Live from Lincoln Center. Prof. Estrin has an extensive discography of solo,chamber, orchestral, and commercial recordings to his credit, including more than 100 motionpicture soundtracks. He studied clarinet with Stanley Drucker at the Juilliard School, where hereceived his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and was a Naumburg Scholar. Mitchell Estrin is aVandoren Performing Artist and performs exclusively on Vandoren reeds and mouthpieces. ABuffet Crampon Clarinet Artist since 1990, he performs exclusively on the Buffet R13 clarinet.He is the Artistic Director of the annual Buffet Crampon/Vandoren Clarinet Ensemble Festivaland the Buffet Crampon USA Summer Clarinet Academy. His biography is listed in Who’sWho in American Music and the International Who’s Who in Music.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA CLARINET ENSEMBLEEstablished in 1999, the University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble is a fully-balanced clarinetchoir comprised of twenty-one graduate and undergraduate students from the University ofFlorida School of Music. The ensemble is under the direction of University of Florida Professorof Clarinet, Mitchell Estrin. Over the past thirteen years, the ensemble has performed in concertthroughout the United States and Europe, including feature recitals at the International ClarinetAssociation ClarinetFest in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Kansas City. In 2011, theensemble toured Germany and France, performing at the University of Bremen, FrédéricChopin Conservatoire, and the historic Buffet Crampon factory in Mantes-la-Ville. Theensemble has performed at the Buffet Crampon/Vandoren Clarinet Ensemble Festivals inAtlanta, Rochester, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, East Lansing, andGreensboro. Additionally, the ensemble has appeared in recital at the Florida Music EducatorsAssociation Annual Conference, Walt Disney World, Society for Composers Inc., and ateducational institutions throughout the southeastern United States. The ensemble hasperformed fundraisers for several non-profit organizations including the Ronald McDonaldHouse and the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The University of Florida ClarinetEnsemble performs a wide variety of repertoire that spans from the standard literature forclarinet choir to contemporary premieres of arrangements and commissioned works. Theensemble has previously recorded and released two critically acclaimed CD recordings, Wind inthe Reeds (2006) and Clarinet Thunder (2009). Clarinet Choir Classics is the third CDrecorded by the University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble.

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Hickory Dickory Dock. ‘Why did he choose a nursery rhyme?’ I hear you ask. ‘Is he in hissecond childhood?’ Well, yes, that's partly the reason, but also I was writing my Playing by Earbook for Reynard Music at the time, and my head was full of simple one octave scalic tunes, ofwhich that is just about the most scalic and suitable for a simple demonstration of aninstrument’s sound.”

Overture to Oberon Harvey Hermann CollectionCarl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) - arr. Daniel Freeman

Clarinetists love Carl Maria von Weber - his friendship with the great 19th-centuryclarinet virtuoso Heinrich Baermann led to the composition of some of the most revered soloworks ever written for the instrument. Weber’s thorough knowledge of the clarinet, combinedwith his magnificent gift for composing melody, has been celebrated by clarinetists for over twocenturies. Weber is most remembered as the father of Romantic opera. His final opera,Oberon, was commissioned by London’s Covent Garden. Weber conducted the premiere in1826, less than two months before his death. Oberon is in three acts with the libretto inEnglish, which was quite unusual for the time. The opera contains a magnificent overture,Weber’s last composition for orchestra. The overture begins with a magic horn call, fittinglyperformed by the solo basset horn in Daniel Freeman’s splendid transcription.

Walking the Dog Reynard MusicGeorge Gershwin (1898-1937) - arr. Russell Denwood

Walking the Dog was written in 1937 for the RKO film Shall We Dance, starring FredAstaire and Ginger Rogers. Collaborating on a Hollywood musical for the first time, GeorgeGershwin composed the score, and his brother Ira wrote the lyrics. First published in 1960under the title “Promenade,” Walking the Dog features a swinging jazz clarinet solo and setsthe background for a scene on a transatlantic ocean liner where Astaire and Rogers are walkingdogs on deck. Skillfully arranged for the clarinet choir by Russell Denwood, this arrangementfeatures the remarkable solo E-flat clarinetistry of Dale Fedele. Our ensemble affectionatelyrefers to this piece as “Walking the Dale.”

Capriccio Brain Co. Ltd.Satoshi Yagisawa (b. 1975)

Capriccio for clarinet octet was commissioned in 2002 by the Tokai TakanawadaiUniversity High School Band. Replete with rhythmic vitality and flowing melodic lines, thisoriginal work for clarinet ensemble is expertly written in a style reminiscent of contemporarywind ensemble literature.

Bohemian Rhapsody ManuscriptFreddie Mercury (1946-1991) - arr. K. Tod Kerstetter

“Bohemian Rhapsody” was written by Freddie Mercury and originally performed by theBritish rock group Queen on their 1975 album, A Night at the Opera. This song has becomean international cult classic because of its unique synthesis of musical elements, including four-part a cappella singing, operatic style melody, and driving hard rock. This edition of“Bohemian Rhapsody” was adapted and arranged for the University of Florida ClarinetEnsemble by K. Tod Kerstetter.

MITCHELL ESTRIN, MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTORMitchell Estrin is Professor of Clarinet at the University of Florida andMusic Director & Conductor of the University of Florida ClarinetEnsemble. Concurrently, he holds the position of Education & CreativeDevelopment Manager for the Buffet Group USA. Widely acclaimed asa conductor and proponent of the clarinet choir, Prof. Estrin has servedas director of the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest Festivaland College Clarinet Choirs, Texas Clarinet Colloquium Clarinet Choir,Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium Clarinet Choir, and has publishedseveral articles on the history, development, and logistics of the clarinetchoir. Prof. Estrin has a long-time association with the New YorkPhilharmonic, where he has performed in more than 2,000 concerts as

principal, second, and E-flat clarinetist under such distinguished conductors as Alan Gilbert,Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Erich Leinsdorf,Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Klaus Tennstedt, André Previn, and Leonard Slatkin. Heaccompanied the Philharmonic on 19 international tours, made dozens of recordings with the

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA CLARINET ENSEMBLEMITCHELL ESTRIN, MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR

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A-Flat ClarinetJenny Maclay

E-Flat ClarinetDale Fedele, Brendon Lucas,

Patrick Sikes

B-Flat ClarinetAlexandra Chiaradonna, Ian Durie,

Dale Fedele, Caleb Hsu,Brooke Jackson, John Kreis,

Brendon Lucas, Jenny Maclay,Amanda Mihalik, Corey Moran,

Emily Norris, Patrick Sikes,Michael Tran, Kali Woodruff

Basset HornJohn Divine, Keith Northover

Bass ClarinetMikey Arbulu, Peter Geldrich,

Kali Woodruff

Contralto ClarinetBrian Schaefer

Contrabass ClarinetDavid Goss

String BassAshley Dudash

PercussionChip Birkner 7

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� 2012Mark Records, 10815 Bodine Road • Clarence, NY 14031-0406Ph: 716 759-2600 • www.markcustom.com • Support Music, Don’t Copy.WARNING: All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.

Clarinet Choir ClassicsUNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA CLARINET ENSEMBLE

MITCHELL ESTRIN, MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTORDAVID A. WAYBRIGHT, GUEST CONDUCTOR

1. Hebrides Overture, Op. 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Felix Mendelssohn/arr. Daniel Freeman 10:12Jenny Maclay and Patrick Sikes, clarinet duet

2. “Dance of the Buffoons” from The Snow Maiden . . . . . . . Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakovarr. George F. Roach 4:03

English Folk Song Suite . . . . . . . . . . . . Ralph Vaughan Williams/arr. Matt Johnston3. March – “Seventeen Come Sunday” 3:334. Intermezzo – “My Bonny Boy” Brendon Lucas, solo clarinet 3:425. March – “Folk Songs from Somerset” 3:436. Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Samuel Barber/arr. Lucien Cailliet 8:41

The Young Person’s Guide to the Clarinet Choir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paul HarveyMitchell Estrin, Narrator

7. M 1 (B-flat Clarinets) 1:548. M 2 (E-flat Piccolo Clarinet) Patrick Sikes 0:289. M 2½ (A-flat Piccolissimo Clarinet) Jenny Maclay 0:57

10. M 3 (Alto Clarinet) Keith Northover 0:5111. M 3½ (Basset Horn) Keith Northover 1:1212. M 4 (Bass Clarinet) Mikey Arbulu and Peter Geldrich 1:0113. M 5 (E-flat Contralto Clarinet) Brian Schaefer 0:5414. M 6 (B-flat Contrabass Clarinet) David Goss 1:0415. M 7 Hickory, Bickory, Bop! 1:0916. Overture to Oberon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carl Maria von Weber/arr. Daniel Freeman 9:17

Keith Northover, solo basset horn; Michael Tran, clarinet solo

17. Walking the Dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George Gershwin/arr. Russell Denwood 2:53Dale Fedele, solo E-flat clarinet

18. Capriccio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Satoshi Yagisawa 5:08David A. Waybright, Guest Conductor

19. Bohemian Rhapsody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Freddie Mercury/arr. K. Tod Kerstetter 6:09 Total Time: 67:25