Clarke, "Combined Carols" for string quartet DIGITAL
(Please note: Purchase of a digital version entitles you to one download copy only, which includes both score and parts. Please make sure to keep it somewhere safe, that you will remember (or is that just me?) Should you encounter a problem downloading the file, please contact [email protected] with the details and we will make it right.)
Rebecca Clarke's Combined Carols (or: "Get 'em all over at once") was first written in 1942, while Clarke found herself stranded in the United States due to war-time visa issues. It went through five different versions and eventually acquired a bass part that could be used in quintet or string orchestra settings (that will be available from SPP in the future). First published in 2012 in an edition that went out-of-print, this new version was made in consultation with the 5th version Clarke wrote and Christopher Johnson.
The piece is written in one, which allows divisions of parts into 4/4 and 3/4 bars, sometimes simultaneously. The mash-up of carols includes "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and "Silent Night", and will make you wish you'd paid more attention in counterpoint class (again, maybe that's just me). Please have a listen to this wonderful performance below by the Modigliani Quartet (with bonus brief animated bio of Clarke from La Boîte à Pépites) to appreciate not only the compositional magic, but also Clarke's sly humor in what should become a holiday favorite.
Print version coming soon!