Klarinet Archive - Posting 000197.txt from 1995/10

From: David Ross <dross@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: c clarinet works
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 1995 15:33:36 -0400

Recent postings have suggested that part of the reason for the demise of
the C-clarinet was a very small repertory. Such is certainly not the case.
On the contrary, between ca. 1760 - 1850, there was a great deal written
for the C-clarinet by a wide number of composers. It's repertory, while
never as wide as the Bb clarinet, is certainly much broader than that
written for the A-clarinet during the same time frame, and probably exceeds
that of the basset horn during this period (at least in number of
compositions, though certainly not in musical value!) For obvious reasons,
only a small percentage of the music for C-clarinet has been reprinted or
published in recent times, though with the fairly recent revival of
interest in the C-clarinet more music seems to be appearing in publisher's
catalogues these days.

I have in front of me a listing of C-clarinet works published and for the
most part available today (though it may take some searching in some
instances). A brief listing of composers represented will give one some
idea of the scope of the C-clarinet repertory, keeping in mind that this is
only the very tip of a large repertory iceberg.

Composers include: Bottesini, Friedrich Beer, Beethoven, Bassi, Bellini,
Bochsa, Brod, Carulli, Devienne, Dussek, Anton Eler, F. Gebauer, V.
Gambaro, F. J. Haydn (Notturni), X. Lefevre, Mozart, Moart/arr (Quartet 3),
Onslow, Ozi, Pleyel, Paisielli, Rolla, Rossini, Rummel, Schubert, K.
Stamitz, Solere, Wanhal.

All of these composers wrote either concertos, sonatas, or chamber music
with significant clarinet parts, for the C-clarinet. I am sure that a
systematic search would reveal much more, and bear in mind that I have
attempted to include only works basically from this earlier period and that
I have tried not include
the many generic works (ie parts for oboe, violin, or C-clarinet) popular
in the late eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth centuries. And of
course there are the woodwind quintets such as those by Reicha which
originally called for C-clarinet.

I suspect the reason for the decline of the C-clarinet are several. These
include:
a) a changing sound aesthetic; b) mechanical improvements which made
C-clarinets somewhat redundant in terms of available keys/tonalities for
composers; c) an economic and convenience factor for players in needing
only two instruments. But certainly a small repertory is not one of these
reasons! In fact, it is just the opposite--the disappearence (almost) of
the C-clarinet made relatively inaccessible a large body of clarinet works.

David Ross
dross@-----.edu