During the time the arranger studied bassoon in college, he always got the impression that the Premier Solo by Eugene Bourdeau was one of those minor pieces, meant to be played early on as a student before being able or allowed to play the “real” repertoire. Originally composed for the Concours of the Paris Conservatory, there really is a lot going on in such a relatively short piece and the piece transposes remarkably well for the bass clarinet! Included are a part for a standard-range instrument (to low E-flat), and for an extended range instrument (to low C), with the latter being identical to the original bassoon part. From the edition for bass clarinet and piano, this arrangement has been created for solo bass clarinet and clarinet choir, although it is perfectly suitable for a bassoon to be the soloist as well.

Instrumentation:

• Solo Bass Clarinet (or Solo Bassoon)
• 4 B-flat Clarinets
• Alto Clarinet/Basset Horn (alt. parts for Clarinet 4)
• Bass Clarinet
• Contrabass Clarinet (Contralto Clarinet/String Bass)