Takashi Yoshimatsu
(b. 1953)

4 Pieces in Bird Shape
I. Ballade
II. Invention
III. Recitativo
IV. Divertimento
4 Pieces in Bird Shape was premiered in 1983 by pianist Midori Matsuya and clarinetist
Seiki Shinohe, and the piece lasts roughly 12 minutes. The first initial of each of the four
movements, Ballade-Invention-Recitativo-Divertimento, put together spells

out “BIRD” as well. The piece is largely tonal and features many “bird-like” sounds, such
as fast staccato leaps, flutters, and other free-time runs.

The first movement of the work starts with 2 long timbre trills, the first being on an F#. Each of these builds to a flutter and a burst of notes from the piano and clarinet, until relaxing and beginning the next part of the music. This idea is referenced later in the piece multiple times and sets the stage for the rest of the sporadic, animated, and colorful movement. The movement features several extended techniques such as flutters, resonance trills, multiphonics, and glissandi, all of which play into the character of the piece, which is heavily inspired by birds and their
motions. The piece also makes use of fast and large jumps, repeated articulated notes, trills, accelerandos, and senza tempo sections to achieve this goal. The piano and clarinet often trade off lines to add to the sporadicity of the piece, but also to add color, especially in places where the clarinet has crescendos into the piano part, which can create explosive effects.

Halfway through the movement, there is a long, sustained lyrical section, a stark contrast from the rest of the movement. The clarinet has a long, extended melody, while the piano plays a running 8th note line. This section could represent the tranquil nature of birds, soaring through the sky uninterrupted or in tranquil places in nature. The clarinet and piano end the movement together through a repeated 16th note line, blending the sounds of the clarinet and piano, so they are difficult to distinguish.

The difficulties in this movement stem from the drastic character changes in the piece. Many quick changes in tone color and dynamics are required to display the character of this movement. The composer puts the performer in charge of a lot of the decisions in this piece as well, such as how to handle time changes, section changes, and the use of multiphonics. Coordinating with the piano can also prove to be a challenge in this movement, especially in the Allegro section, where the clarinet and piano are rapidly trading off lines. The long legato section also requires the performer to lock into the piano’s rhythm perfectly.

The second movement of the piece, Invention, is drastically different from the first. Notably, the entire movement is a palindrome regarding dynamics and melodic material. The movement starts very quietly and sparsely, builds to a climax in the middle, and then fades until the end, each section being a mirror around the center. There are no extended techniques, and the whole thing is strictly in time at a consistent tempo with many repeated sections. The movement contains some very interesting effects, most notably in the beginning, where the piano starts the full melody, while the clarinet plays fragments of it. The goal of this structure is to blend the sound of the clarinet and piano, making it difficult to tell who is playing what notes, very similar to the end of the first movement. The clarinet also shows off its entire upper range in this movement, extending to B6.

The third movement, Recitativo, primarily features the clarinet, while the piano plays block chords. The movement is virtuosic, featuring many large jumps and fast runs. The movement also leaves a lot of the decisions on time up to the performer, with nearly the entire movement being senza tempo. The third movement is similar to the first movement in many ways, most notably in the beginning, where it references the beginning of the first movement, but then moves in a different direction. The third movement also has a lot of similar effects when compared to the first movement; accelerandos, fast jumps, and trills are all utilized by the first and third movements to create a sense of sporadicity and imitate bird calls. This movement is a significant challenge for the clarinetist, requiring complete control over voicing, fingers, and air support during the fast runs. The movement ends with yet another reference to the beginning of the first movement, a held G as an attacca into the fourth movement.

The fourth movement begins with a flurry of notes from the clarinet and piano, starting with the same structure as the first movement with the longer, held notes. The movement features many bird calls and the use of ad. lib/quasi-improvised sections. A lot of performance-time coordination and listening is required during this movement to accurately execute the ad. lib sections, tempo changes, and ritardandos.