Parabola Vertex (Bass Clarinet in Bb and Piano)

Parabola Vertex
By Derek Charke

Year Completed: 2022
Duration: 8 mins
Instrumentation: Bass Clarinet and Piano
Credits: Commissioned by Eileen Walsh
Premiere: 2023 Low Clarinet Festival. January 8, 2023. Glendale, Arizona. Eileen Walsh, bass clarinet and Gail Novak, piano

Notes:

Parabola Vertex is a virtuosic composition showcasing the technical possibilities of the bass clarinet. It’s a bit jazzy, and deliberately so. It’s also a bit atonal, and a bit modal. It’s a bit rhythmic, and a bit free form in structure. The name relates to the shape of the lines, the many twists and turns, and the up and down motions which reminded me of the shape of a Parabola. The low and high points of the lines can be thought of as vertex points, or pitch centres where the piano and bass clarinet meet and then suddenly change direction. In mathematical terms the vertex is where the parabola makes a sharp turn.

Purchase includes 3 PDF files:

2 PDF Piano Scores (untransposed bass clarinet and transposed bass clarinet)

1 PDF Bass Clarinet in Bb