Blog Post Three

Bizet: Suite from the opera Carmen - for clarinet choir

Thanks for stopping by, and welcome to my blog! For the next several weeks, I will be working on a new suite for clarinet choir from Georges Bizet’s dynamic and fiery opera Carmen. I have chosen five selections from the orchestral suites to adapt for clarinet choir. First will be the “Aragonaise,” or Entr’Acte from Act IV of Carmen. Next will be the “Seguidilla” from Act I, followed by the “Danse Bohème” from Act II. Then comes the famous “Habanera” from Act I, one of the most popular of all opera arias. Finally, I’ll close the suite with the lively and spirited “March of the Toreadors,” also from Act I. I plan to publish each movement separately and as a five-movement suite.

My favorite movement from this orchestral suite is the “Aragonaise,” which many of you know is a traditional dance from the Aragon region of Spain, showcasing authentic Spanish rhythms and an intriguing, lilting melody in triple meter. What’s your favorite movement from the Carmen Orchestral Suites? Tell me in the comments below. To bring this regional sound alive in the Aragonaise, your clarinet choir might have a few extra bodies who would like to step outside the box and add some Spanish rhythm to your performance with castanets or hand-clapping, as well as the provided, but optional, tambourine part. I am an advocate of supplementing traditional ensembles with some light percussion instrument(s) to increase their marketability. Even the difference of using just one percussion instrument, like a tambourine, can transform this piece from a great arrangement into an exceptional arrangement!

The fourth movement of my suite is another favorite, the famous aria “Habanera” from Act I. I remember hearing this music for the first time in a cartoon, I think it was Tom & Jerry, when I was growing up. I remember instantly liking that music. I also remember The Muppets putting their spin on this famous aria, employing their memorable characters, Beaker and The Swedish Chef. That show brought me many hours of laughter, and those two characters were my favorites. When I was stationed overseas in Germany with the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band, my band colleagues nicknamed me Beaker, possibly because I am easily spooked. Still, I always enjoyed any episodes that featured those two iconic characters.

One of the most memorable times I performed Carmen was during my first assignment with the U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, near Boston. While stationed there, I founded their clarinet quartet and led the group on three tours: one local and two throughout New England and New York State. For my final tour, we took five of our clarinetists, one of our vocalists, and a percussionist up to Maine and New Hampshire, performing a suite from Carmen, in some beautiful New England-style churches with their iconic white steeples. One of the churches in Maine invited the local media to attend, and they filmed the performance for a local TV station, broadcasting our music with their New England viewers, and giving our group a beautiful memory (and a DVD!) of that unique experience. That was one of many great memories from my time in the U.S. Air Force Bands.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read my blog. I hope you enjoyed my musings on music. I’ll be back next week with more anecdotes, memories, and passions for music. In the meantime, you can listen to my arrangement of the Aragonaise by clicking the thumbnail below, or check out my YouTube Channel score-following video of the Aragonaise (more to follow), and stop by my store to purchase this arrangement for Clarinet Choir. Did you like this setting of the Bizet for clarinet choir? If so, tell me your thoughts about it in the comments below. See you in the next blog, and Happy Halloween!

31 October 2025

Here is an MP3 of my arrangement of the “Aragonaise”, from Bizet’s opera Carmen, for clarinet choir