About the Music

During the pandemic, the one at the start of the third decade of the 21st century, all of Steven Henry-Buysse’s concerts and rehearsals were cancelled, due to the closure of nearly every public place and event. This gave him time to work on some new works and resulted, among others, in Bass Clarinet Disco Inferno for bass clarinet quartet & drums. Especially for the ICA Low Clarinet Festival in 2025 in Glendale, Arizona, he arranged the piece for low clarinet ensemble naming the piece Low Clarinet Disco Inferno. The piece premiered during this festival in this version, scored for alto clarinet, bass clarinets 1-4, contra alto clarinet, contrabass clarinet, optional bass guitar, and drumset. The piece is also available for clarinet choir.

Bass Clarinet Disco Inferno was inspired by the movie Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and then especially the song Guardians Inferno. Steven Henry-Buysse composed some new themes and harmonies, suited for a bass clarinet quartet, but kept nearly the same structure as the original song. If it’s up to him, this resulted in a fun piece, in a style seldomly used in (bass) clarinet music. So, make something crazy out of this piece and enjoy!

Score: 12 pages; parts: 2-4 pages. Extended-range instruments required for two of the four bass clarinet parts.

PDF Edition

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About the Composer

Steven Henry-Buysse is a bass clarinet specialist and (film) composer. He studied clarinet at the Fontys Conservatory in Tilburg and specialised on bass clarinet with the world-renowned teacher and bass clarinetist Henri Bok. At the Eindhoven University of Technology Steven Henry-Buysse graduated in the field of physics. Although classically trained, Steven Henry-Buysse enjoys exploring many musical worlds and technological possibilities; such influences can be heard in his compositions and performances, which often transcend genre definition.

As a performer he performs as a soloist, combining motion sensor tech with the bass clarinet, and with various musicians, engineers and ensembles, like the trio Rodinia. As a composer he made his first success with "Wals van Fantasie", a composition for concert band, which has been performed in various countries. In May 2016, one of his compositions, "Binary Digits", a work for wind ensemble and percussion regarding the basic computer language, was well received by musicians, press and public. In addition to compositions for large ensembles, Steven Henry-Buysse also composes works for smaller ensembles and short films.

Since October 2020 Steven Henry-Buysse is the artistic director of the MuST foundation. MuST, founded by Steven Henry-Buysse himself, organises and supports project in the fields of music, science and technology. At Microlab at Strijp-S, Eindhoven (NL) Steven Henry-Buysse has his own studio. This is the place where he experiments, rehearses, works on his new compositions, makes recordings and where he teaches (bass) clarinet.

Steven Henry-Buysse is an endorser for the (bass) clarinet brand Henri Selmer Paris.