Night Watch Rhapsody
Music for Orchestra, Music for Soloist, Music for Wind Band, New Compositions,

Night Watch Rhapsody

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

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:

Up-Hill
Music for Orchestra, Music for Soloist, Music for Voices,

Up-Hill

A song for soprano and orchestra freely after the poem by Christina Rosetti:

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.

But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.

Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.

Publisher: Janssen Music

Demo score: → Up-Hill – Soprano

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

Mythical Creature(s)

Instrumentation:

.

Grade:

Duration:

Publisher:

Demo score:

Solo horn part:

Horn & Wind band

Horn & Piano

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 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 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