Belwin Master Solos, Volume 1 (Clarinet): Piano Acc. Book

This accompaniment book pairs carefully selected Baroque and Classical solos with accompaniments that genuinely enhance rather than merely support the clarinet line. The piano writing is accessible enough that teachers can focus on the soloist's development without wrestling with their own part, yet it avoids sounding thin or generic. The repertoire spans Handel and Telemann alongside folk traditions and original pieces, so you're not repeating the same harmonic language across the entire book.

Opening this book feels like stepping into a curated museum of musical styles. You move from the grandeur of Handel's opera to the intimate character of a Russian folk song to the geometric precision of a Baroque dance, each piece inviting a different tone of voice and approach to phrasing. The variety keeps practice engaging across an entire lesson or practice session.

Clarinet students working at the easy level who are ready to move beyond unaccompanied solos or simple duets, and their teachers seeking reliable accompaniment materials. This book serves both the student preparing for a recital and the teacher building a practice library that covers multiple musical periods in one resource.

• Use the accompaniment to anchor your own sense of phrasing and pulse; the piano part often guides where a line should breathe or build.
• Balance your tone so that charming moments (the folk songs, the Rigaudon) don't sound thin, and sustained passages (the Aria, the Sarabande) have warmth without overwhelming the accompaniment.
• When the piano part moves to complementary figuration rather than doubling your line, listen carefully in rehearsal to find where your voice leads and where it blends.

These solos work beautifully in a February or March recital alongside student performances at different levels; because the book offers graded material, advanced students and early-intermediate students can both have compelling solo moments on the same concert. You might also draw from this collection when building a thematic program around Baroque dance forms or when you need accessible arrangements that don't compromise musical substance.

• Reading articulation in Baroque contexts (staccato, legato, and detached styles)
• Sustaining tone and line in slow, lyrical passages
• Rhythmic accuracy in dance forms (Rigaudon, Bourée)
• Listening and responding to harmonic movement in the accompaniment
• Managing key signatures across multiple periods and styles
• Building confidence in solo performance with live piano support