Klarinet Archive - Posting 001241.txt from 1997/08

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Excerpts
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 1997 00:37:15 -0400

On Thu, 28 Aug 1997, Robert and Deborah Shaw wrote:

> My teacher recommends that I make very serious my study of orchestral
> excerpts at this time. Anybody have recommendations which ones would be
> the top ten to study?

A few suggestions off the top of my head, in no particular order:

1) Mendelssohn: Scherzo from "Midsummer Night's Dream"
2) Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol
3) Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade
4) Kodaly: Dances of Galanta
5) Ginastera: Variaciones Concertantes
6) Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 & 6
7) Brahms: Symphony No. 1, 3, & 4
8) Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, 5, & 6
9) Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2
10) Schubert: Symphony No. 6 & 8
11) Debussy: Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun"

As important as which excerpts you practice are the actual sources
of your music. In all cases, the best way to practice your excerpts
is from the complete orchestral part, rather than from an excerpt
book. Kalmus has complete parts cheap, but rife with errata. This
is still not a bad way to go if your teacher is an active professional
orchestral player and can help you correct the mistakes in the music.
If you are on a budget, Bonade's excerpt book is an excellent resource,
and I prefer it over the McGinnes series as edited by Drucker. The fault
isn't with Drucker in the latter case, but with the publisher, for there
are quite a few errata in those particular excerpt editions.

Best of luck. You'll receive many more suggestions. Pick & choose.
Follow your teacher's lead. Practice! Practice! Practice! And...
relax. :) Actually, the final suggestion should come before all of
the others.

Neil