Steep Steps was written for the greatly admired clarinetist and friend, Virgil Blackwell, during the summer of 2001. Its title comes from the fact that, unlike the other woodwind instruments, the clarinet overblows at the twelfth, a large interval that forms the basis of much of this composition.
Elliott Carter
Reproduction Rights
This programme note can be reproduced free of charge in concert programmes with a credit to the composer