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Richard Dudas – Passacaglia (for Bb Clarinet and Piano) (2014)

Music ©2014 Richard Dudas.

Publication

Passacaglia (for clarinet and piano) is published by Swirly Music, Catalog No. SWM-108.

Program Notes

Passacaglia, written between 2012 and 2014 in versions for multiple instruments, is a lyrical single-movement concert piece, about 7 minutes in duration, that takes a fresh look at an old form. The ground bass upon which the passacaglia is based contains a “rogue” bar, shorter in duration than the rest, which meanders throughout each repetition of the ground, so that no two repetitions are exactly identical. Although the piece is diatonic (it is, in fact, completely devoid of chromatic alterations), its musical texture is tightly and carefully constructed to offer the performer emotional depth and expressivity, and to provide the audience with a clear, relentless forward-moving musical drama.