Rollicking themes, tuneful melodies, and a flurry of eight-note passages (in cut-time), Molly On The Shore is a wonderful work by the Australian composer Percy Grainger. Today, it is recognized as a staple in band literature, and arguably the most characteristic of all his works. Here is a thrillingly furnished arrangement for clarinet quartet. Clarinet often cited as the main draw of his symphonic version, clarinetists will want to own this distinctive version of Grainger's masterwork, sure to charm audiences again and again.
**Check out this latest version with an E-Flat Clarinet substitution, here.**
Molly On The Shore: for Clarinet Quartet (Grade 5)
Title: Molly On The Shore
Author: Percy Grainger
Time: 4 minutes
Orchestration: Clarinet Quartet
Kind: Arrangement
Instrumentation: 3 b-flat clarinets, & 1 bass clarinet
Commissioned by: 10th & Broadway Clarinet Quartet
Andy Hudson
Brady Richards
Michael Waller
Jason Thorne (Bass)
Key: A-Flat
Written: 2008 / Premiered: December 2008
Program Notes: Many of the great orchestral composers of the early and mid- 20th Century also served as forerunners and innovators of today’s modern American band. Percy Grainger is no exception. Molly on the Shore, a staple in symphonic literature, is an Irish reel consisting of rousing melodic figures, tight knit harmonies, and a flurry of eight notes, all of which are set in half time. As one of Grainger’s most popular works for wind band, most people do not know that is was originally written for string quartet and was later arranged for wind band. This arrangement serves twofold – not only as a tribute to the original intent of Grainger’s masterpiece, but also as a tour de force for the modern clarinet quartet.
**Check out this latest version with an E-Flat Clarinet substitution, here.**