Abstract
This easy lyrical piece was written to exploit the mellow, wistful tones of the clarinets, ranging from the higher E flat instrument down to the bass clarinet. It was written for Andrew Uren, Gretchen Dunsmore, Donald Nicholls for their tour of NZ in 2010.
It was subsequently arranged for string trio.
Easter Melancholy was written for a clarinet trio consisting of Gretchen Dunsmore, E flat clarinet, Donald Nichols, clarinet in A, Andrew Uren, Bass clarinet in B flat. The piece is lyrical in style and reflects on personal associations with Easter. It uses a variety of modes to create different feelings and moods. The melody at the start provides most of the material for the piece, and re-appears later in a decorated version, with the tune on the bass clarinet. Lines are often ornamented, giving the music a slightly improvisatory character.