Jiàn – 渐

Jiàn – 渐, for clarinet in B b and organ is a work that highlights the notion of musical progression. “Jiàn” means “little by little” in Chinese. Over the course of the piece, the music gradually takes shape, starting with a single note blending the two timbres of organ and clarinet, and ending apocalyptically.
The clarinet is treated here as a kind of additional register to the organ. The interest lies in the idea that the first instrument almost always precedes the second in musical intent, as if the clarinet alone were the source of the music’s articulation.
The organ registrations are only indicative, and must be adapted both to the clarinet playing and to the organ available to perform the piece. For this reason, it has sometimes been decided to give priority to the notation of intensity through nuances, particularly during stop crescendos/decrescendos, without specifying the exact registrations, which depend on each instrument.