Though the sarabande and gigue are dances one may find in a Baroque dance suite, my dances are not quite Baroque.  They are instead inspired by the Baroque aesthetic but adopt newer, unfamiliar elements.  The most obvious is my choice of instrumentation: a solo bass clarinet... and that’s it.  These pieces intend to demonstrate the voice of the bass clarinet in the form of familiar dances from a Baroque dance suite.  Each of the movements have a fun quirk to them, too.  The sarabande would normally contain three beats per measure and emphasize the second beat, but mine contains five beats per measure and an emphasis on third beat. The double gigue uses a traditional Irish folk tune in the first part and contains a surprising breakdown in the second.

Thank you to Paul Schulz for taking up my composition.  It’s been a pleasure to work on it with him. 

Thank you!

... to the University of St. Thomas for permitting us to rehearse in the Iverson Center for Faith and record in the Chapel of St. Thomas and in Baumgaertner Auditorium. 

... to the faculty of the Basilica of Saint Mary for permitting us to record in the Basilica.

... to Paul Schulz for permitting us to record at his home during a pandemic.

... to Irene Domingo for teaching pronunciation for Y Dice el Pastorcico.

... to Dr. Sherstan Johnson and Jaclyn Schwartz for answering countless emails and fulfilling endless requests.

... to Joseph Ortiz for being an incredible and gracious director and editor for my 2021 Composition Recital.  Your contribution has been crucial to the completion of this project.  God bless you all your days and then some!