‘Lingering Longings’ composed by retired Troy professor

A retired Troy professor has composed songs for an album of clarinet and piano music that was released in January of this year.

“Lingering Longings: Music for the Clarinet and Piano Volume 2” was released on Amazon on Jan. 8, 2016. The album of 16 tracks is entirely composed by Carl Vollrath, who joined the Troy University faculty in 1965 and retired last year.

This will be Vollrath’s fourth album to be released. Two of his past albums have been recorded with Richard Stoltzman, a renowned American clarinetist who is currently on staff at the New England Conservatory and at Boston University.

Some of the songs are inspired by experiences in Vollrath’s personal life. The first song on the album, “Tim and Trina’s Ball,” is divided into four sections.

The song is based on a Christmas party where Vollrath attended and performed with Troy professor Tim Phillips and his wife, Trina Phillips.

A song dedicated to Phillips’ newborn son was featured on the first volume of Vollrath’s clarinet and piano compositions.

“The Odd Pieces” consists of eight movements, with every movement having a fantastical narrative behind it. The song “Trina’s Path” was written for Trina Phillips and is described by Vollrath as being “one big crescendo.”

Timothy and Trina Phillips, both clarinet players, performed some of the songs at various recitals and festivals in the United States and in Europe.

The town of Troy also influenced the album. A track on the album titled “Once A Bygone Time” is what Vollrath calls “an attempt to capture the essence of a small rural town like Troy, Alabama.”

Performing the songs on the album are critically acclaimed musicians Yoko Hagino and Michael Norsworthy.

“The quality that comes through most in Carl Vollrath’s music is his humanity,” Norsworthy said, in a statement included on the album.

The album is currently available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.