Denny-Chambers - Cortejo de Aves

FIRST PRIZE WINNER in the post collegiate category of the 2021 Clareidoscope Composition Competition, Cortejo de Aves, Spanish for “Courtship of Birds,” features grace notes and jumpy, bird-like gestures along with a variety of tempo shifts and characters—reminiscent of the style of Manuel de Falla. A beautiful, soaring melody is found in the middle of the piece, followed by a frenzied accelerando punctuated by a climactic flutter tongue gesture (the only extended technique featured in the otherwise tonal and tuneful phrases). With a modest range of the lowest E to Db just crossing into the altissimo register, the music is meant to be accessible to be performed using ANY clarinet in the clarinet family. Set in the key of Bb minor, Cortejo de Aves will challenge a developing player and will push advanced players in different ways.

Motivated by the International Clarinet Association’s Clareidoscope clarinet festival and composition competition, Cortejo de Aves was written in February of 2021 with the intention of entering the contest. I was thrilled to find a competition available for my age group and equally pleased with the piece that resulted from this inspiring opportunity. Cortejo de Aves was selected as the FIRST PRIZE WINNER in the post collegiate composition category. I am extremely excited, thankful and happy to share this music with the clarinet community.

You can find a beautiful recording of Trevor Stewart playing Cortejo de Aves at clarinetplayground.com as well as the Clarinet Playground YouTube channel (see link below along with a recording by Chris Mothersole on basset horn). Trevor also served as the primary musical editor and consultant for this project. His feedback and expertise were invaluable. Expect to see much more from Trevor as Clarinet Playground continues to grow.

Performance notes are also included (provided by Trevor Stewart).

This music is registered with ASCAP. Please report all performances and/or send a program to Dr. Kristen Denny-Chambers at Clarinet Playground. Thank you!

Pages: 2
Key: Bb minor (5 flats)
Meters: 3/4 and 6/8
Range: Low E to high Db (just crossing into the altissimo range)
Extended Techniques: Flutter Tongue (one instance)
Level: Solid Intermediate and Beyond
Duration: 2'20"