Pat-a-Pan: 6 Clarinets Score & Parts

Rustic and charming, with a folk-song simplicity that feels both festive and intimate. As voices layer into the round, the piece develops a gentle momentum, and the optional percussion drone grounds everything in a warm, traditional holiday feeling that avoids cliché.

Clarinet choirs and flexible ensembles working at the intermediate level who want accessible Christmas repertoire with real musical substance. This arrangement rewards players of varying abilities since the round structure guarantees everyone performs the tune at some point, making it ideal for rehearsals where clarinet skill levels vary.

• Balance the drone parts carefully so they support rather than overwhelm the melody line; have your lower clarinetists practice their accompaniment at moderate dynamic levels during sectionals.
• Establish the round entry points precisely in rehearsal by having each voice mark their entrance measure clearly and count silently through their rests.
• If you use the optional percussion, rehearse it separately first so the ensemble can absorb the harmonic color before combining all six clarinet voices.
• Shape the melody through each voice transition by having the entering clarinet slightly emphasize the first note of their phrase, then blend back into the texture.

Program this for a holiday concert where you want clarinet ensemble music that's musically rewarding but doesn't demand virtuosic chops from your entire section. It pairs well with other Christmas pieces at varying levels, and the round structure makes it an effective encore or closer since the ending point is flexible.

• Entering cues accurately in round structures
• Balancing melody against harmonic accompaniment
• Blending multiple clarinet voices at the same dynamic level
• Following a flexible formal structure (round with optional extension)
• Playing sustained drone parts with consistent tone production