Contemporary Music for Clarinet
The clarinet’s remarkable versatility — from warm lyricism to sharp rhythmic energy — has made it one of the most expressive instruments in my catalogue. This page gathers my contemporary music for clarinet across solo works, duos, chamber combinations, concert pieces, and stage music. Performers and teachers will find repertoire that explores the clarinet’s color, agility, humor, and emotional depth.
Contemporary Music for Clarinet
Modern clarinet repertoire spans an enormous expressive range, shaped by composers who have pushed the instrument’s technical and coloristic boundaries. My works for clarinet reflect this evolution, offering pieces that move between narrative lyricism, virtuosic motion, and vivid contemporary gestures. The sections below present my contributions to the clarinet repertoire across solo, chamber, and theatrical settings.
UNACCOMPANIED CLARINET
CLARINET CONCERTI
CLARINET CHAMBER MUSIC
Duets with Clarinet
Trios with Clarinet
Garden of Lost Yearnings
8'30"| alto flute, English horn, bass clarinet and piano
for clarinet and string trio
12' | clarinet, violin, viola and cello
Quartet for Flute, Clarinet Bassoon and Harp
27' | flute (doubles piccolo), clarinet, bassoon and harp
10' | reed trio | oboe, clarinet and bassoon
10' 30" | clarinet, cello and piano
Trio for Clarinet, Bassoon and Horn
5' | clarinet, bassoon and horn
10' | clarinet, alto saxophone and bassoon
Quartets with Clarinet
Quintets with Clarinet
11' | bass clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano
Six Short Stories for Woodwind Quintet
12' | flute / piccolo, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon
for Pierrot ensemble
13' | piccolo / alto flute; clarinet; violin; cello; percussion; piano
for Pierrot ensemble
22' | flute / piccolo/bass flute, clarinet / bass clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano
for chamber ensemble
12' | flute / piccolo; English horn; clarinet / bass clarinet; horn; tuba; percussion (2); harp; piano
for double wind quintet
18' | 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns, 2 bassoons
for chamber ensemble
16' | recorders (3), clarinet, trumpet, trombone, guitar, percussion, violin, double bass
Three Episodes for Chamber Ensemble
for chamber ensemble
12' | flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, percussion (1), piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass
Mixed Ensembles with Clarinet
VOCAL MUSIC WITH CLARINET
Bestiarius (The Book of Monsters and Creatures)
for alto/mezzo-soprano and ensemble
11' | alto / mezzo-soprano, flute / piccolo, clarinet, bassoon, violin, percussion (2), harpsichord
for soprano and ensemble
11' 30" | soprano, mandolin, clarinet, violin, cello and piano
STAGE MUSIC WITH CLARINET
Gitz & Spitz
for actor and chamber ensemble
50' | actor; clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon; horn; trumpet; trombone, tuba and percussion (1)
for three actors and woodwind quintet / orchestra
61' | 3 actors (F,M,M), flute / piccolo, oboe / English horn, clarinet, horn, bassoon and piano
OR:
3 actors (F,M,M), flute / piccolo, oboe / English-horn, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion (1), harp, piano, strings
for actress and chamber ensemble / chamber orchestra
36' | actress, flute / piccolo, clarinet, percussion (1), two pianos and string quintet
OR:
actress, flute / piccolo, clarinet, percussion (1), two pianos and string section
Sheet Music for Clarinet:
About Contemporary Clarinet Repertoire
The clarinet has one of the richest modern repertoires of any wind instrument, shaped by composers who expanded its expressive and technical possibilities. The list below highlights influential works for solo clarinet, clarinet and piano, chamber ensembles, and clarinet with orchestra — pieces that have become central to the 20th–21st‑century clarinet literature. This curated selection is offered as a resource for performers and teachers exploring contemporary clarinet music, alongside my own works for the instrument.
Key 20th–21st Century Clarinet Repertoire
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Berio, Luciano – Sequenza IXa – 1980 (solo clarinet)
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Bernstein, Leonard – Sonata for Clarinet and Piano – 1941–1942 (clarinet and piano)
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Bernstein, Leonard – Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs – 1949 (solo clarinet and jazz ensemble)
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Binet, Jean – Petit Concert – 1950 (clarinet and string orchestra)
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Bozza, Eugène – Bucolique – 1947 (clarinet and piano)
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Carter, Elliott – Esprit Rude/Esprit Doux – 1985 (flute and clarinet)
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Carter, Elliott – Clarinet Concerto – 1996 (clarinet and ensemble)
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Chin, Unsuk – Clarinet Concerto – 2014 (clarinet and orchestra)
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Copland, Aaron – Clarinet Concerto – 1947–1948 (clarinet, strings, harp, and piano)
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Copland, Aaron – Clarinet Sonata – 1980 (transcription of the 1943 Violin Sonata)
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Corigliano, John – Clarinet Concerto – 1977 (clarinet and orchestra)
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Damase, Jean-Michel – Concerto for Clarinet and Strings – 1957 (clarinet and strings)
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Debussy, Claude – Petite Pièce – 1910 (clarinet and piano)
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Denisov, Edison – Sonata for Solo Clarinet – 1972 (solo clarinet)
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Donatoni, Franco – Clair – 1980 (solo clarinet)
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Finzi, Gerald – Five Bagatelles, Op. 23 – 1943 (clarinet and piano)
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Finzi, Gerald – Clarinet Concerto in C minor, Op. 31 – 1949 (clarinet and strings)
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Françaix, Jean – Clarinet Concerto – 1967 (clarinet and orchestra)
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Grime, Helen – Clarinet Concerto – 2009 (clarinet and orchestra)
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Hindemith, Paul – Sonata for Clarinet and Piano – 1939 (clarinet and piano)
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Honegger, Arthur – Sonatine – 1921–1922 (clarinet and piano)
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Ireland, John – Fantasy-Sonata – 1943 (clarinet and piano)
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Lutosławski, Witold – Dance Preludes – 1954 (clarinet and piano version)
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Martinů, Bohuslav – Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano – 1956 (clarinet and piano)
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McKinley, William Thomas – Clarinet Concerto No. 3 "The Alchemical" – 1994 (clarinet and orchestra)
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Milhaud, Darius – Sonatine, Op. 100 – 1927 (clarinet and piano)
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Nielsen, Carl – Clarinet Concerto, Op. 57 – 1928 (clarinet and orchestra)
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Olah, Tiberiu – Sonate pour clarinette seule – 1963 (solo clarinet)
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Penderecki, Krzysztof – Prelude for Clarinet Solo – 1987 (solo clarinet)
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Poulenc, Francis – Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, FP 184 – 1962 (clarinet and piano)
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Scelsi, Giacinto – Ixor – 1956 (solo clarinet)
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Smith, William O. – Variants for Solo Clarinet – 1963 (solo clarinet)
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Stravinsky, Igor – Three Pieces for Clarinet Solo – 1918 (solo clarinet)
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Tomasi, Henri – Introduction et Danse – 1949 (clarinet and piano)
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Tomasi, Henri – Sonatine Attique – 1966 (solo clarinet)
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Tower, Joan – Clarinet Concerto – 1988 (clarinet and orchestra)
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Weinberg, Mieczysław – Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 28 – 1945 (clarinet and piano)
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Widmann, Jörg – Fantasie – 1993 (solo clarinet)