Gibson - It Isn’t Easy Being A Cuckoo for Clarinet Choir

Four short songs all based on Cuckoo themes, skillfully arranged by John Gibson. Quite an ingenious collection that can be performed separately or as a suite.

I. The Cuckoo in the Forest (1886) - from Carnival of the Animals - Camille Saint-Saen

II. The Cuckoo's Courtship Waltz (1874) - H. D. Sofge

III. On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring (1912) - Frederick Deliu

IV. In Praise of Higher Understanding (a singing contest between a cuckoo and a nightingale judged by a donkey) (1896) - Gustav Mahler

Instrumentation:

• E-flat Clarinet
• 3 B-flat Clarinets
• Alto Clarinet (or Basset Horn)
• Bass Clarinet
• Contrabass Clarinet (or Contralto Clarinet /String Bass)