Five Dances for Five Clarinets: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Reed's five miniatures function as both a technical showpiece and a practical solution for clarinet sections that need moments in the spotlight. Each movement spotlights a different member of the clarinet family with music that sounds genuinely idiomatic to each instrument; the writing never feels like an exercise, even as it introduces tonal and range qualities that students and soloists often overlook.

Five contrasting windows into global musical idioms, each rendered in Reed's clean, singable voice. The Sarabande carries baroque dignity; the Guaracha pulses with Latin syncopation; the Hora spins with folk exuberance. Each dance announces itself immediately and leaves a clear impression.

Conductors seeking a substantial yet concise clarinet feature that works for a full section or a single advanced performer. Student clarinetists benefit from the stylistic variety and the opportunity to perform on less familiar family members, while audiences encounter music that educates and entertains without theatrical pretense.

• Decide early whether you'll feature five soloists or a single clarinetist rotating instruments. Five soloists requires careful balance work between parts; a single performer shifts the focus to technical preparation and embouchure transitions between clarinets.
• Record a preliminary rehearsal with your selected soloists or soloist to identify which movements need the most work. The Hoe-Down and Guaracha tend to expose intonation issues in the outer clarinet ranges.
• Consider the concert space when balancing the five parts. The higher instruments (E-flat soprano and B-flat clarinet) cut through; the bass and contra-bass need forward placement and clear articulation to avoid muddiness.
• Extract individual movement parts if you plan to program only some of the five dances. You need not perform all movements in sequence if your concert architecture calls for spreading them out or pairing one with different repertoire.

Build an entire first half around clarinet repertoire by pairing these five miniatures with a larger concerto or multi-movement work featuring the same family of instruments. Alternatively, extract the Hora as a closer for a family concert that also includes younger student ensembles, since its energy and accessibility appeal across age groups.

• Switching between instruments with stable intonation and consistent tone quality
• Idiomatic articulation across different clarinet ranges and tessituras
• Stylistic interpretation (baroque, folk, Latin, and African musical idioms)
• Balance and blend when five melodic lines compete for attention
• Quick embouchure adjustment and register transitions