Work : 3 Latin Dances No.2: Merengue Sempre di Aychem Sunal
Composer : Patrick Hiketick http://patrickhiketick.be/biography.html
Difficulty Ranking : IV
Publisher: Alry Publications http://www.alrypublications.com/ and Metropolis Music Publishers
Year Written : 2003
Instrumentation : 3 Bb Clarinets & Bass Clarinet (in bass clef)
Potential Pedagogical Applications : Intonation (interval, unison, octave), articulation matching, ensemble mechanics (cuing and tempo transitions), phrase matching, extensive range (bass clarinet to low c), bass clef reading (bass clarinet), Latin style (syncopated rhythms) and harmonic content, solo passages (difficult second clarinet solo), frequent metric shifts
Sample Recording : https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M8rFWt99Awg
Where to Purchase Sheet Music : https://ummpstore.com/products/hiketick-latin-dance-no-2-merengue-clarinet-quartet
Annotation : The second work in the 3 Latin Dances by Patrick Hiketick, Merengue Sempre di Aychem Sunal though less abrasive in mood is deceptively difficult. As with the Charanga, Hiketick gives each player a chance in the spotlight, but none as visibly as the second clarinet. The second clarinet solo nestled in the middle of the movement is a written out sixteenth note improvisation and at the tempo marking of quarter note equals 132, the solo is quite hard. Again, like most works in the in the Flanders Clarinet Collection, the bass clarinet range extends down to C 1 and requires the player be capable of reading bass clef.
