Klarinet Archive - Posting 000310.txt from 1995/10

From: Martin Pergler <pergler@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: more chamber music
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 1995 10:23:21 -0400

On Thu, 12 Oct 1995, MArilyn Fassett wrote:

> Like the earlier listmember posting on chamber music, I am also in
> an unusual ensemble. Mine includes 1 violin, viola, cello, and clarinet.
> (Basically a string ensemble with clarinet instead of one violin.) We are
> high school students, but play at a college level, and are interested in
> locating some interesting, yet challenging music. Any help would be much
> appreciated.
> Marlys Fassett
> fassettm@-----.edu

Here is stuff I've played through:

ORIGINALLY FOR THIS COMBINATION
Hummel, Quartet. Rhythmically interesting 2nd movement "seccatura".
Conradin Kreutzer, Quartet Eb, Eulenburg GM179
Leopold(? didn't write this down) Winter, Quartet Eb, Musica Rara
2 quartets for this combo by Karl Stamic (Carl Stamitz).
Also quartets by Franz Krommer, Bernhardt Crusell, Vanhal which I haven't
played.

PERIOD ARRANGEMENTS
Haydn arr. Gambaro, Quartet Bb (after mvmts of string quartets), Musica
Rara MR 2199
Mozart, 3 quartets probably arranged by his publisher Andre, after
a piano&violin sonata and 2 other pieces I can't remember, Musica Rara
(we discussed these on Klarinet a while ago [actually, I asked, Dan replied])

These are all roughly of the same period, and as I remember feature
relatively florid but not very difficult clarinet lines and varying
but usually not extensive musical interest in the string
parts. They are fun to play through, fun to perform for the right audience,
but I don't think any one is a must-play work. I believe someone somewhere
did a doctoral dissertation on a vast number of works of the classical period
for this combination, many of which are lost.

With cooperative (ie. unoffended) string players, it can be fun to
read through string quartets with the clarinet on the 1st violin or viola
line. This provides good transposition practice.

Of more recent vintage, I think works of Peter Schickele and Gordon Jacob
for this combo have been positively mentioned on this board. I may be off
base here though, I'm not on the computer where I saved the respective
messages.

Martin

-------------------------------------------------------
Martin Pergler pergler@-----.edu
Grad student, Mathematics http://www.math.uchicago.edu/~pergler
Univ. of Chicago