Immer Kleiner: Clarinet and Piano Book

Immer Kleiner solves a real programming challenge: finding a Grade 3 solo that holds an audience's attention through novelty and humor while remaining musically legitimate. The concept of literal instrumental disassembly gives your clarinetist a memorable performance arc, and watching a soloist move from full clarinet to mouthpiece-only passages creates genuine theatrical magic that audiences remember long after the concert.

Whimsical and surprising. The music unfolds with a sense of playful deconstruction, gradually stripping away what you expect from a clarinet until you're left with something intimate and oddly moving. It's the sonic equivalent of a magic trick that actually teaches you something about how the instrument produces sound.

Grade 3 clarinetists ready to tackle something conceptually adventurous, and directors who want a showstopping solo for a concert finale or special program. This piece works equally well for solo recital contexts or as a novelty number within a larger concert.

• Establish clear articulation during the full-instrument sections so the gradual shift to mouthpiece-only playing reads as intentional musical choice rather than technical difficulty.
• Work the piano accompanist into rehearsals early; the keyboard writing needs rhythmic precision to support the soloist's unusual technical demands across different "versions" of the instrument.
• Practice the mouthpiece passages separately with focused breath control and embouchure awareness; these final sections demand absolute clarity despite the reduced acoustic projection.
• Mark your reed changes or mouthpiece transitions carefully in both parts so neither player is surprised during performance.

Reserve this for a concert closer or mid-program highlight where its theatrical nature will land with maximum impact. The humor and visual interest make it particularly effective in community concerts, family concerts, or chamber recitals where you want to balance traditional repertoire with something that reminds audiences why music can be genuinely fun.

• Control and projection across different clarinet configurations (full instrument through mouthpiece only)
• Extended embouchure control and breath management in unconventional playing situations
• Rhythmic independence from the accompanist while maintaining ensemble cohesion
• Interpretation of humor and theatrical character within a musical context