Divertimento
Music for Instrumental Soloist, Music for Wind Band, ,

Divertimento

InstrumentationWind Band
Bb solo clarinet
Grade5 – (soloist): 6
Duration16 minutes
PublisherJanssen Music
Demo Score→ Bb solo clarinet
→ Demo Score
Divertimento – Full Midi Demo

Divertimento is a concerto for clarinet and wind orchestra freely inspired by portraits of Frans Hals.

Frans Hals (﹡1582/83 – ✝︎ 1666) is one of the most important painters from the Dutch Golden Age. He is especially appreciated for his loose touch and lively portraits of contemporaries, genre scenes and colorful militia pieces.

As early as the 17th century, people were struck by the liveliness of Hals’ portraits. Hals’ works contain such power and life that it seems as if the painter “seems to challenge nature with his brush”.

In this Divertimento, the solo clarinet takes us into an imaginary story behind the painting, in which the person in question plays the leading role. After a short introduction, a colorful parade of people and their stories is created based on these portraits;

  1. The Rommel Pot player (1618-22)
  2. The singing girl (1626-30) 
  3. The laughing cavalier (1624) 
  4. The lute player (1623-24) 
  5. The young violin player (1625-30) 
  6. The merry drinker (1630) 
  7. “Malle Babbe” (1633-1635)
  8. A young woman with a glass and flagon (the inn-keeper) (1635) 

Score and Set:

Little Folksong Rhapsody
Music for Ensemble, Music for Instrumental Soloist,

Little Folksong Rhapsody

InstrumentationWind quintet
Saz & Duduk
Grade4
Duration10 minutes
PublisherJanssen Music
Demo Score→ Download

…is based on 6 authentic Turkish and Armenian folk melodies as written / recorded by Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935). They are mostly songs taken from life and with a slightly melancholic character. The songs are about the different seasons, settling disputes, encouragement to dance and everyday activities such as visiting a market.

A special role is reserved for the Saz and the Duduk, two typical folk music instruments from Turkey and Armenia. The combination with Western wind instruments gives the work a special color and atmosphere, with the last movement having a rousing character.

Little Folksong Rhapsody was commissioned by wind ensemble Zuiderwind.

Night Watch Rhapsody
Music for Instrumental Soloist, Music for Orchestra, Music for Wind Band,

Night Watch Rhapsody

InstrumentationEb Clarinet & Wind Band
Eb Clarinet & Orchestra
Grade5
Duration11 minutes
PublisherJanssen Music
Demo Score (score)→ Download
Eb solo part→ Download
Night Watch Rhapsody (Full Midi)

Rembrandt’s Night Watch has already moved many people.

Whether it is the beautiful “clair-obscure” or simply the “moving” scene of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq and his men, the fact remains that the painting continues to attract you.

In this Night Watch Rhapsody I tried to translate the scene, as well as the many hues, as if the painting were being painted on the spot.

An important role is therefore reserved for the soloist on E-flat clarinet, who takes on the role of Rembrandt and, together with the orchestra – in which the orchestra does not merely take on the accompaniment – tries to bring the Night Watch to life.

This work was composed and dedicated to the E-flat clarinet soloist of the wind orchestra of the Royal Belgian Guides (Belgium), David van Maele

Version for Wind Band:

Version for Orchestra:

Mythical Creature(s)
Music for Instrumental Soloist, Music for Wind Band,

Mythical Creature(s)

Instrumentation:

Grade:

Duration:

Publisher:

Demo score:

Solo horn part:

Horn & Wind band

5

12 minutes

Janssen Music

Download
Download

Live Performance registration by “Royal wind band “de Kunstvrienden’ of St. Niklaas (B) – Peter Snellinckx, conductor – Eline Van den Broeck, solo horn

Concerto for Horn and Wind band.

In the Chinese mythology there are four heavenly animals.

  • The Chinese Dragon
  • The Phoenix
  • The Turtle
  • Ki-Lin (unicorn)

In this concerto for horn all of these heavenly animals are presented. The hornist is a kind of storyteller and evaluates to a mythical creature as well. The concerto contains four movements:

1. The Chinese Dragon – (Long)

The Chinese dragon is one of the four heavenly animals and would also be the founder of the Imperial Family.

Dragon Queens provides rain, rivers, lakes and seas. They represent wisdom, strength and goodness. An angry Long Wang causes storm, fog and earthquakes. He protects fishermen and watercourse, but punishes wasters of water. One of them is Pan Long, it lives in the ocean. It seems to be the seahorse we all know today.

2. The Phoenix – (Feng Huang)

His song would be the source of the Chinese scale. Feng Huang lives with Ki-Lin (see also 4th movement) in the Hills of Vermilion. Only in peaceful times, or when a great wise or good emperor is born, the Feng Huang leaves the Land of Immortals to announce prosperity, accompanied by many other birds who honour him as the most beautiful.

3. The Turtle – (Wugui)

The Turtle is one of the animals who was involved in the origin of the earth. It is seen as an oracle.

4. The Unicorn – (Ki Lin)

The unicorn is an animal with male (Ki) and female (Lin) powers. It’s voice is like a church bell. It was born in the heart of the earth and lives behind the clouds. It appears only to announce important events or births. (Just like Feng Huang (2nd movement)).

Il Pensiero dell’Arte
Music for Instrumental Soloist, Music for Wind Band,

Il Pensiero dell’Arte

This work was commissioned by “Limburgse Werkgevers Vereniging” (NL) as a tribute to their retiring president Mr. Wim Weijnen, and is freely inspired by the first sentence of the Hebrew Slave Choir from „Nabucco“ by Giuseppe Verdi:

„Va, Pensiero, sull’ali dorate, va, ti posa sui clivi, sui colli“

„Go, thought, on wings of gold, go settle upon the slopes and the hills“

Demo Score: → Il Pensiero dell’Arte

Publisher: Janssen Music

Also available for soprano saxophone solo and wind band.

Demo Recording: (Live recording during world first performance, performed by the wonderful violist Lei Wang, (concertmaster of the Philharmonie Zuid-Nederland) and Koninklijke Harmonie Sainte Cécile Eijsden conducted by Jan Cober)

Recitals
Music for Instrumental Soloist,

Recitals

a 3-part piece for (bass-)clarinet and piano. The parts are also playable separately.

  1. Andante con Moto – Agitato – Andante
  2. Allegro Scherzando – Trio – Allegro
  3. Maestoso – Allegro Vivace

Also available for flute and piano, bassoon and piano, and also (slightly different) for euphonium and piano.

Demo score: → Recitals for (bass)clarinet

Publisher: Janssen Music