Composer’s Note:

Slapstck, for clarinet and piano, was completed in the spring of 1977. Inspired by slapstick comedy, Warner Bros. cartoons, ragtime, and the multitude of incongruities found in 20th-century concert music, Slapstck presents a surreal cross-section of these influences within the context of a more-or-less unified composition. The work features an abundance of trills for the clarinet, glissandos, clusters, and a mix of different styles. Slapstick was premiered in Paris in June, 1977 by clarinetist David Harman and pianist John York.