Klarinet Archive - Posting 000799.txt from 1997/03

From: Cadenza <Cadenza@-----.COM>
Subj: Bach on Clarinet
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 12:26:32 -0500

I love to play Bach on the clarinet. Aside from the Voxman-Rubank and
Delcluse books it is really a lot of fun to play some of this various sonatas
with piano! Yes the sound of clarinet and piano with Bach works much better
than with harpsichord. The tone of clarinet, especially in the clarion
register, coupled with piano and the typical three part writing of these
sonatas is aesthetically very pleasing. Of course its difficult and must be
played in tune.

I've performed transcriptions of two of the flute sonatas, both attributed to
Bach but probably not written by him, in g minor and E flat major. I've also
done the e minor flute sonata and the G major violin (Bellison did the
arrangement of this, pub. Carl Fisher). All the flute sonatas work well
especially the first two that I mentioned which are a little lighter than the
other two. I just bought the flute sonatas (Henle Edition) and used that
keyboard part and transposed from the flute part. Some of the passages I took
down an octave. Do your own experimenting. I did the e minor sonata on A
clar.

I really think it is important for a clarinetist, or any musician, to play
Bach. It works very well on the clarinet, not only playing the cello suites,
and some of the movements from the violin sonatas and partitas, but especially
with piano. You have to be very careful with breathing, Its easy to hyper
ventilate. I wish Bach could have heard the clarinet