At Night - Clarinet Choir

At Night for Clarinet Choir (4 Clarinets in B-flat and 2 Bass Clarinets) was originally written for SATB choir a cappella. The poem At Night by Amy Lowell used for inspiration in both speaks of the wind singing through the trees and the excitement of the wild wind. The clarinets imitate this idea of the wind at the beginning and end of the piece through freely played sections. Much of the piece contains this feeling of joyful freedom, from a dance-like section to the feeling “wild, tumultuous joy” that grows and builds with excitement. Towards the end of the piece when the clarinets come together to explore the feeling of the text “And my mind, O Star! is filled with your white light,” we feel the true wonder of a hot July night and the freedom to enjoy the onward sweeping wind.

The Clarinet Choir version was arranged by Sheila Cullen and premiered by members of the United States Naval Academy Band in 2021. The choral version was selected as the recipient of the 2008 Sorel Medallion and was premiered in Zankel Hall in Carnegie Hall by Voices of Ascension under the direction of Dennis Keene on October 29th.

Duration approximately 5 minutes