Clarinet Sonata (Howells)

Herbert Howells's sonata for the clarinet in A in two movements was written in 1946. It was written for British clarinet player Frederick Thurston and was the composer's last major chamber work.

The music is typical of Howells's improvised sound world and is technically challenging, with sweeping arpeggiated figurations. The piece is also available transcribed for the B♭ clarinet from Boosey and Hawkes's music archive.

It has been conjectured that the work is based on a sonata written for oboe, but withdrawn following criticisms by its original dedicatee, Léon Goossens.

The two movements have the main tempo indications:

1. Con moto, dolce e con tenerezza
2. Allegro, ritmico, con brio