A Little Cartoon Music

For Bass Clarinet

and Piano

By James Fry

    

For Christopher Kendall and the 21st Century Consort

 A Little Cartoon Music
— or —
Sketches at an Exhibition

Musical Miniatures Based on Drawings of Saul Steinberg

For Bass Clarinet and Piano
By James Fry

I. March—April 1:05
II. 16 Horizons 1:05
III. Birds & Insects 1:05
IV. Giuseppe Verdi 1:10
V. Comic Strip 1:20
Total Duration: 5:45

Commissioned by Christopher Kendall and the 21st Century Consort

A Little Cartoon Music reflects the wit and whimsy of the drawings of Saul Steinberg. Any depiction or
representation of actual music is strictly intentional. The composer offers sincerest apologies to the fans of
Medieval English rounds, Wagner, Rameau, Mussorgsky and Liszt for any musical misappropriation which
may have occurred. Seriously… Steinberg used drawing as a way of examining style. A Little Cartoon
Music, with its “found styles,” does the same.

Reference List of Saul Steinberg Images*:

▪ March-April, cover drawing for The New Yorker, March 26, 1966
▪ 16 Horizons, 1972
▪ Birds and Insects, 1945
▪ Giuseppe Verdi, 1964, originally published in the New Yorker, November 7, 1964
▪ Comic Strip, 1958
* from Saul Steinberg, by Harold Rosenberg (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978.)

A Little Cartoon Music for Bass Clarinet and Piano by James Fry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
You are free to:

Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format

Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Under the following terms:

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
 March-April James Fry
q. = 138
      
     
Giocoso
Bass Clarinet
in Bb         
mf
        
                     
  
Piano

 
mp sempre
                 
         
sim.

    
  
 

without pedal
7
                         
         

                  

       
             

          
  

  

   
 
     

 
     


     


14

   
 

                                  
    
f          
    
         

     
           


 
 

 
           

   



    
  
19

      
    
   mf

     
 
     
     

 
© James Fry, 2007
           
  



  
2
25
                          
          

                

                   

  



    


     
    


    
 
    


 

     
31

        


  
    
            
                 

  



  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  

     
       
37

   
   
                                   
     
f
         
   
             

            
 


 
  



         


    

43

         
 
               

          
 

    
                 
 3

      
                      
51

  
5
mf

                            

  
           



        
   
     
   
  



     
       


58
                        
     
5

           
        
   

     




 
   



    
 
   


 
  
 
 

63
                 
    

                 
         
 
  


 



   
 
  


    

 
 
 


68
 
    

                 

   



 
 
 
 
 
 
  



 [1:05]
4
16 Horizons
Mesto q = 54
         
pp

       

 
pp

   
una corda
with pedal
        

        
p
 
         

      
  
p

         
pp ppp

       

   
 
pp

       


14
 
          
   
  
    
      

 ppp

    
without pedal
    

 
(tre corde)
  


[1:05]
 Birds & Insects 5

Allegretto q = 128
   

                            
   
f
   
              
   

 
f

    
without pedal
    

 
    
    


   
4

            
    
mf
              
               
                  

 
mp

    
 
  

 
   

 
       

sim.
  

  
   

             
10

       
        
  
f
  
                     
              

       f
        
   
         
without pedal



      
14

     
   

           
       


 


     
3
   
light pedal
3
3

3


3
   
3
3

  
3
6

   
17

   
   

mf
    
                 

     
(loco)

     


3 3

     
3 3 mp

  
3
 
     
3

         
       
   
3 3 3 3


21

     
    
  

      
        
                      

    
3 3 3 3

          
f

         
   
3 3 3 3
light pedal

25

         
      
 f
  
          
3
   3
 
  


secco

3 3 3

3 3

            

3

3 3
     
3 3 3

    
3
  

       
29

     
    

      
      f

                    
  


   mf
   
3 3 3
   

               
 
    
without pedal
 7

  
34

       
 
         
              
   
                


 
 
  
 

sim.
  
   
  
   

       


  
39

           
    

          
                       


        
          
         

45

        

 
 
             
      
   
                


  

   
  
      f mp
 
  
 
    

 
50

           
  
    
                            


       

  
    
     
8

 
54

            
   


                                  


           

       
  


[1:05]

Largo q = 48 Giuseppe Verdi

     
sub tones
       
ppp
   
3
     
3
 
             

  
una corda
pp 3

      
3

      

Hold pedal.
8 e = 48 accel.
      

     
     
tenuto
6 6 6 6
                        

    
  




niente


  
with pedal

  

  

  

12 q = 48 legato
  

mf
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
              


           
p (murmur)
                        
       

 9


14

    
6 6 6 6 6 6

     

6 6


  
    
                         
   

  
16

     

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

  



 

  

  


  

                
 
18

      

6 6 6 6

                              




mf
            
          
   Hold pedal until end.

        
21

     
 
3 (loco)
 3
f

      

3


3 3 3

  
    


3 

f
pp 3
   
         
   
tre corde [1:10]
10 Comic Strip
          
 
Energetico q = 152

   
     
      
f
   
                         
  

  


   p
    
f
                  
        
     
   
no pedal

no pedal
          
 
6

   
 
    
 
 
             
              


   
     
f
                   
  
  
10                 
   

 
      
mf

             



    
  
       
          


   
     
p mp

               

              
 
 
 no pedal
            
15

              
        
     
    
 
      
           
 f
 
  
  
     
  


 
       
         
f

       
 
 
 11
20
             
      
      

 
f

                 

    


   

 mf
     
  

p
 



      

                         

26


  
mf

 
                      



   
 
                       
   


        
32

    

     
 
                

  mf
     
              
     
 
with pedal

         
37

  
  
     
              
f
                 
       
  


f

                           
      
 without pedal
  
     
12

      
42

         
 
             
   
       
 
    
   
       
   
  

  
  
 

   



 

    

 

   



mf

     
  


47
           
               
 
f     
     
                 

     


    f 
   f

         
          
  

 
53
             
  
      

              
     
mf
 
      
         
          


  sfz
f mp
         
            

 

       

    

          
60

  
sf sf sf sf

   

   

   

           
                  
             


sfz sfz sfz

                             
 
 13
66
             
                         
mf
     
    
    
 
   
   
 
 
 

    

    
    
    

        

 mp

            
     
         
                     
71

        
      
     


         

 
    



    
  
         
 

 
      
    
with pedal
         
75

      
f      
              
                      
  


f
                   
        
            
without pedal    

    
79

    
      
 
      
      
               
 


   


   
  


 


    


    


            
14
83

  

 
    
           
               


 
             
  

 
         

p
    
f
         
           
   

no pedal
          
 
88

   
   
 
       
                     
     


   
 
                 
p
    
       
   sim. 
92
            
   

   fp
         
       
            
      

    


 
f

   

  


   


fp
      

96
                          
  

 
 
f
    
                
      

                 f
      




[1:20]