Seven Duets for Clarinet and Tuba
Brian Rice
About this work:
These duets are for performance and pedagogical purposes, with each duet increasing in difficulty. Before I started composing these duets I set up some parameters for myself: each duet would be roughly one minute long; the tempo would move from fast to slow to fast over the course of the seven duets; and the time signatures would move from 4/4 to 3/4 to 2/4 to 5/8 to 6/8 to 7/8 to 8/8. The first four duets are fairly straightforward in form and harmony. Duets #5 and #6 have the two instruments playing independent lines in different time signatures and key signatures. In #5, the clarinet line is in 3/4 and F Lydian, while the tuba line is in 6/8 and F# pentatonic. In #6, the clarinet line is in 5/8 and E Lydian, while the tuba line is in 7/8 and G Mixolydian; however, at the halfway point, the two instruments switch lines and play a variation on them. The last duet is dodecaphonic.
Year composed: 2005
Duration: 00:07:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 2-5 players
Instrumentation: 1 Clarinet, 1 Tuba