Malcolm Arnold wrote this little Fantasy for flute and clarinet in the early 1960s as a present for his children, Katharine and Robert, to play together. It has many of the hallmarks of the Arnold style: the evocative melodic writing, together with the occasional dark dissonance.

Malcolm Arnold’s Fantasy for flute and clarinet was written for his children in the early 1960s. It is a delightful short piece, showing
many of the traits of his more famous wind-ensemble writing. For a good performance grade 6 standard is required, and preparation
for this piece would be very helpful for tonal-technique development.

Music Teacher Magazine

This charming work was written by Arnold for his children to play and does not pose any major technical problems for either instrument. It is very short and comes into the cameo category – ideal as an encore at the end of a recital.

The melody is carried mostly by the flute with clarinet as the accompaniment and the thematic material is reminiscent of his film music. A useful addition to the repertoire for flute and clarinet to complement the more substantial works for this combination.

The print quality is excellent and notation very clear to read. Suitable for players of grade four to five upwards.