Work : Alabama Sketches


Composer : Sol B. Cohen https://localwiki.org/cu/Sol_B._Cohen


Difficulty Ranking : II


Publisher : M. Witmark & Sons


Year Published : 1935


Instrumentation : 4 Bb Clarinets


Potential Pedagogical Applications : Articulation matching, intonation (octave, unison, and chordal), ensemble mechanics, phrase matching and handoffs, solo passages, tone development and blend


Sample Recording :


Where to Purchase Sheet Music : OUT OF PRINT


Annotation : This work for four Bb clarinets aims to depict various scenes of life in Alabama during the early to mid twentieth century. To achieve this, the composer utilizes various folk and slave songs as the basis for much of the melodic content. Written in three movements, the work is ideal for a young ensemble. There are opportunities for short solo passages and several tempo transitions and fermati to help younger, less experienced ensembles become more familiar with ensemble mechanics. The range of the work does not often enter the altissimo register save for a few notes in the first clarinet part.