5 miniatures for clarinet in Bb and piano (op. 34, 1971)
Movement titles
I., II., III., IV., V.
Instrumentation
Clarinet in Bb, piano
Duration: 5 minutes
Autograph
Title: 5 Miniatures (1971) for clarinet and piano - Length: 6 pages (clarinet part 4 pages) - Date: I. 6.1.71 II. 15.II.71 III. 15.II.71 IV. 15.II.71 V. 16.II.71 - Location: Bavarian State Library, Munich
Publisher
N. Simrock Hamburg-London (Boosey & Hawkes) ISMN M-2211-0847-0
The short, very contrasting movements are composed in a 12-tone style.
1) The restrained opening develops a fanfare-like character in a very small space, which is reduced at the end.
2) The clarinet rises quasi recitatively above a sound surface in the piano to end the movement with a short arioso.
3. the animated movement sequences were inspired by conversational gestures (clarinet solo - piano solo - clarinet solo).
4. a 3-part song form in slow time contains both lyrical and dramatic moments (piano solo - clarinet solo - piano solo).
5. variations in rondo form in fast tempo effectively conclude the aphoristic work.
Bertold Hummel