Two weeks ago, I visited my brother in Texas and did what we love during Sabbath afternoons, make music! It’s been years since we played together and it was a lovely experience to collaborate with him again. We played several pieces of music, but we played heavily from Ed Hogan’s Instrumental Duet Series, Book 3 for clarinet and piano.
Personally, I loved his style. Simple yet elegant, some sections had contrapuntal parts but refreshing. There’s only one piece we didn’t record, which was the last one in the book, “When We All Get to Heaven.” I love this hymn, but the way he arranged it was something I wasn’t really keen about. There was one section that had a jazzy swinging mood. And to be honest, I’m not really into jazz and hymn fusions. To me, it’s just two contrasting ideas. So we left that one out.
One other thing I didn’t like was the pagination. I guess that’s not Hogan’s fault, but the publishers or editors. Generally, I’m a good self-page turner. But this book had some awkward page turns for the piano accompaniment. At one point, I had to photocopy one page so I don’t have to worry about that section.
When it comes to difficulty, I would say it’s intermediate, both for the accompaniment and the solo.
Needless to say, I liked 8 out of 9 arrangements from this book. So it’s a pretty good investment! If you’re looking for hymn-based music for the clarinet, I would highly recommend Ed Hogan’s Instrumental Duet Series, Book 3 for clarinet and piano.
Here’s how websites describe it:
Woodwind solo clarinet and piano – Intermediate
Stylized Selections for Clarinet and Piano. Composed by Ed Hogan. Worship Suite. Clarinet and piano parts. Lillenas Publishing Company #9780834173583. Published by Lillenas Publishing Company (LO.9780834173583).
Item Number: LO.9780834173583
Book Three of the Lillenas Instrumental Duet Series, arranged for clarinet and piano by Ed Hogan and Mary Ellen Kerrick, is organized into three, three song thematic medleys. Each song has an ending, so that they can be presented individually, or as two or three song medleys. The piano is an equal musical partner with the clarinet in these arrangements. The companion split-channel CD can be useful as a helpful practice aid for the clarinetist or piano player, giving them a “virtual practice partner.” The instrumentalist may also perform with the piano trax if no accompanist is available.
If you’d like to see all my brother’s performance of it, here goes! Below is a sample.
*This post contains affiliate links. Which means, if you buy the music through my links, I get a small commission. A win-win situation, if you ask me! You get your book, and in return, a small portion of your payment goes toward Hymns for Worship. However, we were not paid to promote these arrangements. We really, truly, honestly liked it!
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