Description
Aria for Clarinet & Strings Op.114
Aria for Clarinet & Strings Op.114-Audio Performance
Level: Intermediate-Advanced
About Aria for Clarinet & Strings Op. 114
The first sketch for this work was completed in February 2008 and was one of those rare pieces that appeared to me almost fully formed. The entire score was completed within a few hours, followed by the creation of a demo track using MIDI strings and a live clarinet. After that, the piece was quietly buried on my hard drive and largely forgotten. One of my aims with this work was to create a solo part that is technically accessible, yet challenging to perform in terms of expression, control, and tonal beauty.
In December 2025, while converting my Finale notation files to Dorico XML, I rediscovered the work. Listening to it again after seventeen years, I concluded that—with a few fixes and alterations—it was of sufficient quality and interest to warrant publication and inclusion in my Signature Series.
The Work
An aria is traditionally a song for a solo voice, with or without accompaniment, that expresses deep emotion and meaning. In the context of Aria for Clarinet & Strings Op. 114, the term refers simply to a melody that floats and gradually unravels as the work progresses, allowing itself to be influenced and shaped by the harmonic and counter-melodic material in the strings.
There is also an unmistakable sense of Italian and continental folk melody woven into the fabric of the piece, which is entirely intentional. Given that the aria developed as part of the operatic tradition, it felt appropriate to imbue the work with stylistic elements of 18th-century opera, while introducing subtle twists to the harmonic language.
Andy Firth
January 2026
This product comes with clarinet in Bâ™, violin 1, violin 2, viola & cello parts as well as mp3 performance & backing tracks
Duration: circa 6 mins
