Music by
DANIEL DORFF

CLARINET

Andante con Variazioni for Flute and Clarinet
Duration: c. 5'

PREMIERED by Sharon Ostow flute, and Daniel Dorff clarinet, Bennington College, 1975.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.

RECORDED on Albany Records by Leonard Garrison and Shannon Scott.
More about this all-Dorff Flute-Clarinet CD by the Scott-Garrison Duo.

YOUTUBE of the Garrison-Scott CD recording.
PROGRAM NOTES

"interesting, imaginative... and certainly worthy of performance"
            – The Clarinet (West), Winter 1987.

BFF's for Eb Clarinet and Bb Clarinet

Duration: c. 9'

I. Burleska
II. Friends
III. Friday

COMMISSIONED by University of Alabama-Birmingham for the Amicitia Duo (Denise Gainey and Diane Barger).
PREMIERED by the Amicitia Duo at the International Clarinet Society's ClarinetFest, June 30, 2022.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.

YOUTUBE by Christine MacDonnell and Christine MacDonnell.
PROGRAM NOTES


Cape May Breezes for Wind Quintet

Duration: c. 18'

1. Breezing Into Town (Exit 0)
2. Autumn Monarch Migration
3. Victorian Garden Party
4. Dusk at Sunset Beach
5. Night Breezes on the Boardwalk

COMMISSIONED by The Monmouth Winds.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.

PROGRAM NOTES
ERRATUM: Mvt. 1, bar 37, the Oboe's last note should be G-natural.

WINNER, 2016 Newly Published Music award, National Flute Association.

Concerto No. 2 for Clarinet and Orchestra

Duration: c. 20'

COMMISSIONED by the South Dakota Symphony.
PREMIERE by Christopher Hill solo clarinet with the South Dakota Symphony,
conducted by Delta David Gier, April 13, 2024.

Cosmic Menagerie for Two Bass Clarinets

Duration: c. 20'

COMMISSIONED by the Morii Duo.
PREMIERE by the Morii Duo (Lindsey Hutchinson and Rick Ferrarelli) details t.b.a. in late 2024 or early 2025.

Dance Music for Mr. Mouse A Cartoon Ballet for Eb Clarinet and Piano (and optional Animation)

Duration: c. 9½'

COMMISSIONED by Sherry Hartman-Apgar.
PREMIERED by the Temple University Chamber Players: Sherry-Apgar Eb clarinet, Lisa Pressman piano, April 21, 1982.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.
RECORDED on Albany Records by Elizabeth Crawford and Lori Rhoden.
RECORDED on KTM label (Japan) by Tomomi Hiratsuka and Saeko Miyasho.

YOUTUBE of Elizabeth Crawford's CD.
YOUTUBE performance by Mark Margolies and Corry Bell.
PROGRAM NOTES and SCENARIO

"Dorff's work presents a variety of shifting styles and moods including jazzy dance-like melodies and swinging technical passages. The 10-minute piece with jazz, rock, swing, and ballad sections is delightfully programmatic, and Crawford and Rhoden deliver a convincing performance.
            – The Clarinet (Karen Dannessa), March 2020
"Daniel Dorff has written a most attractive work for the often-neglected Eb clarinet – at least when it comes to solo repertoire. As someone who held an orchestral position on Eb some years ago it was great to be provoked into taking the piccolo clarinet out again after years of neglect. It really was fun to play through this piece. It's not particularly difficult for a professional player and would certainly add variety and color to a recital program. It does go up to altissimo A towards the end, so for non-Eb players it will take a little while to get your chops in shape to play it. However, it certainly is worth the effort. The publisher describes it thus: "... using rock-infused themes and the squealing glory of the Eb clarinet... this dance suite, which is at once entertaining, and also a striking recital work... setting the tale of an exuberant mouse dancing himself to an early demise."
            – The Clarinet (Paul Roe), March 2005

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Dances and Canons for Flute and Clarinet
Duration: c. 7'

PREMIERED by Sharon Ostow flute, and Daniel Dorff clarinet, Bennington College, 1975.
PERFORMANCES include a spontaneous walk-on by Jean-Pierre Rampal, joining the composer on clarinet, Cabbagetown Cafe, Ithaca NY, Spring 1978.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.

RECORDED on Albany Records by Leonard Garrison and Shannon Scott.
More about this all-Dorff Flute-Clarinet CD by the Scott-Garrison Duo.

YOUTUBES of the Garrison-Scott CD of this suite of 9 short duets appear as 9 separate tracks. Here's Mvt. 1, which will lead to the following movements.
PROGRAM NOTES

"interesting, imaginative... and certainly worthy of performance"
            – The Clarinet (West), Winter 1987.

Dark Romance for 3 Bb Clarinets & Bass Clarinet (Quartet or Ensemble)   

Duration: c. 4'

COMPOSED for Clarinessence.
PREMIERED by Clarinessence, Philadelphia, 1986.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.

YOUTUBE of students at Shenandoah Conservatory

Fast Walk for 3 Bb Clarinets & Bass Clarinet (Quartet or Ensemble)
Duration: c. 2½'

COMPOSED for Clarinessence.
PREMIERED by Clarinessence, Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, Pa., December 21, 1989.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.
Also available for Saxophone Quartet, Bassoon Quartet, Orchestra.
YOUTUBE of Steven Christ (on all parts)

PROGRAM NOTES

"This short, upbeat piece makes a terrific opener for a concert, or as the first piece after intermission.
          – Saxophone Journal (Susan Fancher), September/October 2007

Flash! for Bb Clarinet and Band   

Duration: c. 6'

PREMIERED by Sabrina Moulaï clarinet with the USAF Band of the Golden West, opening night gala concert, International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest, June 29, 2022.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.
AVAILABLE in piano reduction from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.


Flowers of St. Francis Five Scenes for solo Bass Clarinet
Duration: c. 14'

I. The Flowers, Celebrated by St. Francis
II. St. Francis Preaching to the Birds
III. St. Francis Pacifying the Wolf
IV. St. Francis Preaching to the Fish
V. The Starry Skies, Celebrated by St. Francis

COMMISSIONED by Barbara Haney.
Barbara Haney's premiere at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest, Assisi, Italy, July 2013.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.

YOUTUBE of Barbara Haney's preview concert in Perugia, Italy, July 2013.
YOUTUBE of Tim Haas's faculty recital at Grand Canyon University (with captions and artwork).
PROGRAM NOTES

Hot Spots for English Horn and Bb Clarinet
Duration: c. 8'

1. Sunsplash
2. On the Beach
3. The Bee and the Horseshoe Crab

COMMISSIONED by West Chester University for Duo Del Sol (Henry Grabb & Karen Dannessa).
PREMIERED by Henry Grabb & Karen Dannessa, Steinway Hall NYC (October 2018).
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.

YOUTUBE of live performance by Rachel Messing and Tim Haas.
YOUTUBE of live performance by Merideth Hite Estevez and Christopher Nichols.

"Daniel Dorff has been one of the most prolific composers for the clarinet, including his concerto Summer Solstice and his solo bass clarinet piece Flowers of St. Francis, premiered at the Assisi ClarinetFest. His music is full of interesting melodic invention and rhythmic vitality, and Hot Spots, composed in the summer of 2018, is a worthwhile contribution to the repertoire that is completely in line with his music aesthetic.
Hot Spots is an 8-minute, three-movement work of bubbly, beach-inspired music: "Sunsplash," a syncopated, predominantly homorhythmic piece; "On the Beach," a free call-and-response opening followed by a languid, cantabile duet in which the instruments walk in lock step and diverge with a particularly effective climax toward the end; and "The Bee and the Horseshoe Crab," a fast-paced flight with a hint of calypso and an exciting conclusion. Presser's music is always expertly printed and easy on the eyes. Hot Spots is adventurous chamber music with a light character and a sunny disposition.
            – The Clarinet (Osiris Molina), December 2019

In A Deep Funk Dance Set for solo Bass Clarinet (or Contralto or Contrabass)

Duration: c. 14'
Adapted from the work originally for contrabassoon:

1. Hustle Misterioso
2. Twist Variations
3. Bear Hug
4. Funk Scherzo

PREMIERED by Barbara Haney at ICA ClarinetFest. August 2014.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.

YOUTUBE by Barbara Haney
PROGRAM NOTES

"Based on the popular dance from the 1960s, [Mvt. 2] is a fun piece for the audience as well as the accomplished contra player. A standard rock and roll chord progression is treated in a variety of ways melodically and rhythmically, with a few nods in the direction of Dave Brubeck and other jazz musicians as well. Although its duration is less than six minutes, the piece is quite grueling. The entire four-movement set is quite a blow at around twelve minutes! ... the piece really is a hoot for both the player up to the challenge, and for the audience."
            – The Double Reed (Jon Beebe), Vol. 26, No. 4, 2003

"To say that Daniel Dorff is a prolific composer is a huge understatement. Thanks to him, our repertoire is vastly enhanced by many compositions for clarinet solo and chamber music, all for which he chose colorful and fun titles… Dorff writes that he was somewhat inspired by the Bach dance suite model, but uses dance patterns from the present era rather than the Baroque. Bass clarinetist Barbara Haney premiered it at the 2014 ICA ClarinetFest, and one of her terrific performances is posted on YouTube. "Hustle Misterioso" uses a hustle rhythm and was inspired by cartoon music, "Twist Variations" (my favorite movement) uses a walking bass theme in a 12-bar blues, "Bear Hug" is a 12/8 slow dance, and "Funk Scherzo" is very rhythmic, inspired by R&B soul-funk bass riffs. In A Deep Funk is a very well done and audience-friendly addition to our bass clarinet repertoire."
            – The Clarinet (Michèle Gingras), December 2015

Invention on Mozart's 11-tone Surprise for Flute and Bb Clarinet
Duration: c. 6'

WORLD PREMIERE by Katrina King and Tim Haas, July 2023 at the ICA ClarinetFest.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.

YOUTUBE recording by Katrina King and Tim Haas.
PROGRAM NOTES

It Takes Four to Tango for 3 Bb Clarinets & Bass Clarinet (Quartet or Ensemble)

Duration: c. 2½'

COMPOSED for Clarinessence.
PREMIERED by Clarinessence, Philadelphia, November 11, 1990.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.

RECORDED on Farao Classics by Interclarinet (clarinetists from Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic.)
Also available for Flute Quartet, Saxophone Quartet, and other scorings (see program notes).
YOUTUBE of Steven Christ (on all parts)

PROGRAM NOTES

It Takes Four to Tango for Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, and Bassoon

Duration: c. 2½'

PREMIERED by members of the Johnston (PA) Symphony, May 2021.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.

PROGRAM NOTES

Old New Borrowed Blue  for Flute and Bb Clarinet
A collection of 3 flute/clarinet duets that are also available individually:
1. Dances and Canons
2. Three Little Waltzes  
3. Andante con Variazioni

AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer or direct from Presser.
RECORDING of all 3 works on Albany Records by Leonard Garrison flute, Shannon Scott clarinet.

YOUTUBES of each work are linked on this under each individual work's title.
Complete collection is on the NYSSMA list of recommended contest pieces.

Pastorale (Souvenirs du Frög) for Bb Clarinet and Piano

Duration: c. 6'

PREMIERED by Daniel Dorff clarinet, and James Primosch piano, Bristol, PA, August 1994.
PERFORMANCES include David Peck of the Houston Symphony.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer or direct from Presser.
RECORDED on Albany Records by Shannon Scott clarinet and Rajung Yang piano.
RECORDED on Northbranch Records by David Hattner clarinet and and Albert Tiu piano.

YOUTUBE of Shannon Scott's CD.
PROGRAM NOTES

Perennials for Flute, Clarinet in A, and Piano
Duration: c. 20'

1. Joyous Overture
2. Romance
3. Scherzo
4. Winter
5. Spring Awakening

COMMISSIONED by Walfrid and Sherry Kujala in honor of the retirement of Helen Ann and Richard Shanley from Baylor University
PREMIERE by Sherry Kujala flute, Larry Combs clarinet, Nolan Pearson; Evanston IL piano, 10/12/11.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer or direct from Presser
RECORDING on Albany Records by Leonard Garrison flute, Shannon Scott clarinet, Rajung Yang piano.

YOUTUBES of each movement from the Albany CD, beginning with Mvt. 1 here, then sequencing through the following movements.
PROGRAM NOTES

review of the Perennials CD from Fanfare Magazine (David DeBoor Canfield)
review of the Perennials CD from Fanfare Magazine (Lynn René Bayley)
review of the Perennials CD from American Record Guide (Todd Gorman)
review of the Perennials CD from The Flute View (Tammy Evans Yonce)
review of the Perennials CD from Flutist Quarterly (Francesca Arnone)

Slippery Slopes for Mixed Clarinet Sextet (or Septet), or Clarinet Choir

Duration: c. 6'
VERSION 1: Eb Clarinet, Bb Clarinets 1-3, Bass Clarinets 1-2, optional Contrabass Clarinet (one to a part).
VERSION 2: Bb Clarinets 1-4, Bass Clarinets 1-2, optional Contrabass Clarinet (sections with multiple players as available)

COMMISSIONED by the Slippery Rock University Clarinet Choir, under the direction of Dr. Amanda Morrison.
PREMIERED April 30, 2023 at Slippery Rock University.

PROGRAM NOTES


Sonatina d'Amore for Two Bass (or Contrabass) Clarinets

Duration: c. 6'30"

COMMISSIONED by Susan Nigro for "The Two Contras" - Susan Nigro and Burl Lane (contrabassoonists of the Chicago Symphony).
BASS CLARINET VERSION: for the Morii Duo, 2023.
AVAILABLE in April 2024 from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.
PROGRAM NOTES

Summer Solstice Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra

Duration: c. 19'

PREMIERED by Orchestra 2001, Arne Running clarinet, James Freeman conductor, March 30, 1994, Philadelphia.
PERFORMANCES have also included John Bruce Yeh with Alan Gilbert conducting the Haddonfield Symphony (now Symphony in C).
AVAILABLE (clarinet with piano reduction) from your favorite sheet music dealer or direct from Presser.
(Orchestra score and parts on rental.)

AUDIO EXCERPTS: John Yeh's performance with the Haddonfield Symphony conducted by Alan Gilbert:
          from Mvt. 1
          from Mvt. 2
          from Mvt. 3
PROGRAM NOTES
View the complete orchestra score

"Summer Solstice is very pleasant music - light without being insubstantial, melodic without being obvious. It has an invariably American sound."
          – Philadelphia Inquirer (Peter Dobrin), April 2, 1994
"Summer Solstice
opened with Arne Running's jazzy, dancing clarinet playing in front of the kind of American country fair music that makes you feel like someone should step out of the crowd and start dancing. The slow movement was easy and full. The finale was sweet and driving."
          – Philadelphia Welcomat (Tom Purdom), April 20, 1994
"Notable events of 1994 included the impressive premiere of Daniel Dorff's Summer Solstice."
          – Philadelphia Welcomat (Tom Purdom), December 28, 1994
"... gave a distinctive contemporary accent to the Haddonfield Symphony's third program of the season... For those who braved the first storm of winter - and most did - there was much to enjoy... Dorff's 18-minute piece cast a friendly glow with its jaunty rhythms and sunny musical themes.Summer Solstice falls on the ears like the graceful caress of a warm day. Superbly performed, the score radiated an old-fashioned charm. The three-movement score is a gift for a superb soloist."
          – Camden Courier-Post (Robert Baxter), February 10, 1997
"... a delightful three-movement work for which the description "rollicking" is most often the apt word... a celebration of summer filled with bright harmonies and happy spirit."
          – Classical New Jersey (Paul Somers), February 12, 1997
"Summer Solstice
is lyrical and fresh as rainwater. [John] Yeh gave a bright turn to its tangled tunes and merry melodies and a subtly nuanced performance of the languid larghetto. His clarinet cut like a lean laser above the lush cohesive strings.
          –Pioneer Press (Dorothy Andries), March 1998
"I had the great pleasure of premiering this version, and have performed the full orchestral concerto as well. I love this piece, and recommend it highly to everyone. It is in the Amercan symphony language of midcentury neoclassicists and is extremely beautiful. The first movement opens with a tremolo landscape introduction with a long phrase in the high clarinet. The rest of the movement is taken up with a fun romp reminiscent of children playing in the summer sun, running through fields laughing and leaping, occasionally catching their breath. The coda increases the humor with large "heee-haw" leaps and hoedown rhythms in the piano, end with a spectacular arpeggio up to double-high C.
"The second movement opens quietly and contemplatively, and continues the deep exploration of beautiful sounds. Lush, expressive passages contrast with this contemplation and occasional forays into a lullaby before ending with the opening material. The third movement opens with slow and low material that makes up the bulk of the "triple time! ma energico" to come. The second theme is a slightly wobbly slower dance. The third is a jazzy theme that leads back to the first material in a mad crescendo to the end.
"This concerto manages to be tonal, expressive, and beautiful without seeming cliché. At 18 minutes, it makes a great recital piece and is perfect for high school and college students as well as professionals. The parts are well laid out and easy to read. Highest recommendation.
          –The Clarinet (Sean Osborn), June 2018


John Yeh and Alan Gilbert applauding the composer
after their performance.
Summer Strut for Bb Clarinet and Piano

Duration: c. 2'

Available from your favorite sheet music dealer or direct from Kendor Music.

Three Little Waltzes for Flute and Bb Clarinet

Duration: c. 5'

COMMISSIONED by Cindy Anne Broz
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer or direct from Presser.

RECORDED on Albany Records by Leonard Garrison flute and Shannon Scott clarinet.

YOUTUBE of Little Waltz No. 1 from the Scott-Garrison CD; all three waltzes are on YouTube as separate tracks.
PROGRAM NOTES

"Little gems with a Peter Schickele-esque whimsical quality. These duos rise above the mundane with interesting harmonic twists."
            – The Clarinet (Gregory Barrett), March 2016

Three Romances for Flute and Bb Clarinet
Duration: c. 8'

I. Languid
II. Sultry
III. Frisky

AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer or direct from Presser.
RECORDED on Albany Records by Leonard Garrison flute and Shannon Scott clarinet.

YOUTUBE of a live performance of Mvt. 2, by Lois Herbine and Arne Running at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center.
Many more YouTubes are available, including the Scott-Garrison CD.
PROGRAM NOTES (and PERFORMANCE SUGGESTIONS)

NYSSMA list of recommended contest pieces.

Two Cats for Flute and Bb Clarinet
Duration: c. 8'

1. Hootie
2. Tiki

COMPOSED FOR the Dutchess County (NY) SPCA's annual fundraising gala.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer or direct from Presser.
RECORDED on Blue Griffin Recording by the Crescent Duo (Joanna Cowan White and Kennen White).
RECORDED (private label) by Martha Grener.
RECORDED on Albany Records by Leonard Garrison and Shannon Scott.

YOUTUBE of the Scott-Garrison CD
PROGRAM NOTES

FINALIST, 2010 NFA Newly Published Music awards.

Woodland Reverie for solo Bass Clarinet
Duration: c. 3½'

AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer or direct from Presser.

YOUTUBE by Chastine Hofmeister

Zoe & Xena A Romp in the Park for Piccolo and Bass Clarinet

Duration: c. 7'

COMMISSIONED by Leonard Garrison, for Shannon Scott in honor of their dogs Xena and Zoe.
PREMIERED by Leonard Garrison and Shannon Scott at the 2015 NFA Convention.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer or direct from Presser.
RECORDED on Albany Records by Leonard Garrison and Shannon Scott.
PROGRAM NOTES

"Perennials was devoted to the amiable music of Daniel Dorff, a release hailed by Fanfare critic Peter Burwasser as "a rich soufflé of wonderfully conceived and executed chamber music." Similar could be said of this new release... Dorff's delightful Zoe and Xena: A Romp in the Park (2015) is a concept left over from the earlier CD, and realized instead for this release. The composer did not care to write yet another work for clarinet and flute, so produced for his two friends a sprightly mouse-and-elephant sort of dance for piccolo and bass clarinet. Of course, the image one is supposed to get is of the couple's young chocolate Labrador and golden retriever cavorting in a park; that works for me, too."
            – Fanfare Magazine (Ronald E. Grames), February 2017
"Zoe and Xena: A Romp in the Park was composed for the duo's two dogs. Because Dorff had already written Two Cats for clarinet and flute, he wanted a different challenge, so he scored this for the unusual combination of piccolo and bass clarinet. This too is a fun, toe-tapping piece, gaining added interest by the wide difference in pitch separating the two instruments (there is no piano in this piece to bridge that gap). The music is picturesque and in the best sense of the word, catchy."
            – Fanfare Magazine (Henry Fogel) February 2017
"I have positively reviewed a few works by Daniel Dorff prior to his present Zoe and Xena: A Romp in the Park, a piece for the delightful and quite unorthodox duo of piccolo and bass clarinet. The work is an exuberant portrayal of the two dogs owned by Scott and Garrison, and is a sequel to Dorff's previous Two Cats, an equally delightful work portraying the feline contingent of the Scott-Garrison household."
            – Fanfare Magazine (David DeBoor Canfield) February 2017


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leonard Garrison &
Shannon Scott's CD of
Zoe & Xena


 
last updated January 12, 2024
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