Sky (clarinet solo), by David Bennett Thomas

I sell this score as an affordable PDF through my site. If you'd like to purchase it, please send me an email through my contact page and I'll set you up. https://www.davidbthomas.com Thanks!

My playlist of clarinet music:    • Music for clarinets, by David Bennett Thomas  
My playlist of pieces for unaccompanied instruments:    • Unaccompanied pieces for each instrument- ...  

Sky Program Notes
Sky was composed in 2023 for clarinetist Antonello DiMatteo, whom I met when he was playing a student composition workshop with Network for New Music in Philadelphia. I heard Antonello play one note on his clarinet and immediately knew that I wanted to write a piece for him. In recent years I have been working on a series of solo pieces for each instrument. I’m not sure why it took so long to get to clarinet, one of the most popular instruments for which to compose a solo piece due to its wide ranges of pitch, dynamics, and colors.
The music is in three connected movements. In the first movement, we are introduced to the little F minor triad grace notes that will be used throughout the piece. The title of this piece is derived from the feeling one gets from these recurring upward gestures, which create a sense of ascending, as if the music is being lifted into the sky. The second movement is a departure into a new idea- this time fast, rhythmic outlines of major seventh chords in which the roots descend by whole step (BMaj7, AMaj7, GMaj7…). This harmonic idea is employed throughout this movement in a variety of ways. The final movement contains more fast and rhythmic material, more major seventh chord outlines, ultimately heading back to the F minor triad outlines from the opening of the piece.
Special thanks to Antonello for his great performance, and great advice on the writing of this piece!

Recorded in Philadelphia by Tom Spiker.