Milonguitas (1998) by Pablo Ortiz
for bass clarinet

Starting in 1992 I began to compose what was to become a number of works based on the idea of tango and memory. The Milonguitas for bass clarinet are miniatures, abstracted versions of traditional milongas. The pieces seek to recover the remains, the fragmented memories of these forms, internalized almost subconsciously through repeated listening in childhood. I try to make use of the expressive range of the instrument to bring to the fore the sentimental nature of the musical material. The piece was written for and dedicated to Peter Josheff, who is a good friend and has been a patient editor of my music for clarinet for many years.