Chansons de la Nature pour la Clarinette for solo B-flat Clarinet, Jenni Brandon, Performed by Kale Welte

Kale Welte performs, in recital, Jenni Brandon’s  Chansons de la Nature pour la Clarinette for solo B-flat Clarinet on October 24, 2021 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Hahn Recital Hall at Ball State University School of Music, Muncie, Indiana. Kale, accompanied by pianist Michael Seregow, will also perform music by W.A. Mozart, Robert Muczynski, and Louis Spohr. Kale Welte is a clarinet student of Elizabeth Crawford, professor of music performance (clarinet). This recital is free and open to the public.

Chansons de la Nature pour la Clarinette for solo B-flat clarinet was inspired by the images presented in Aesop’s fables and tells a story about nature as told by the clarinet’s agile voice. The French titles and basis of the pieces were inspired by the lyrical and pastoral quality of the French language and the images it invokes. The piece is also inspired by the images presented in Aesop’s fables (and Jean de la Fontain’s retelling of them); in particular, the movement “Le Lièvre et la Tortue” tells of the slow tortoise beating the fast hare with his patience and determination. Both creatures are represented in this movement, from the plodding of the tortoise to the quick movements of the hare.

The other movements also represent a variety of characters and situations from these famous fables. “Le Poisson” darts, “Le Papillon” flutters and floats, “L’étoile” shimmers in the night sky, nature ‘dances’, and “Le Serpent” is slippery and quick.  Each movement is short, but just long enough to evoke a story and create a ‘song of nature’ for the clarinet.

  • Les Oiseaux
  • Le Poisson
  • Le Papillon
  • Le Lièvre et La Tortue
  • L’Etoile
  • Dansez!
  • Le Serpent

Chansons de la nature pour la clarinette was required repertoire for the 2020-2021 International Clarinetist Corona Competition – Classical Category! The sheet music for this piece is available on Jenni’s website at Chansons de la nature pour la clarinette – solo B-flat clarinet sheet music (jennibrandon.com)

This work appeared on Jenni’s CD Songs Of California: Music For Winds And Piano and is available through your favorite music service for your listening pleasure. 

Carrie RavenStem performed Chansons de la Nature pour la Clarinette at the 2020 Woodwind Fest.