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.
