Hanns Eisler’s “Moment Musical” is a short, expressive piece for solo clarinet, originating from his incidental music for Clifford Odets’ play Night Music.

The clarinet in Clifford Odets’s comedy “Night Music” is directly involved in the stage plot: it is played by the main character and characterizes his moods and actions.

The composer Hanns Eisler’s estate contains several clarinet solos coming from the play’s context; the most challenging of these is the Moment Musical (called that only later), evidently deleted by the composer in favor of alternatives that were easier to play.

Two such alternatives are reproduced in the appendix to this first edition. All three works are suitable for pedagogical practice as well as for concert performance, thanks to their sometimes brilliant, sometimes pensive musicality, together with their exemplary musical quality.

Potentially challenging, it showcases Eisler’s distinctive musicality, offering both pensive and brilliant passages,