Klarinet Archive - Posting 001028.txt from 2000/01

From: klar-ANN-ette H Satterfield <klarann@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] bass clar. Sym.Met..
Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2000 07:54:09 -0500

Neil,

Thanks for your detailed analysis. This helps current situation and
gives me very useful information for my own preparation to play bass.
Not Hindemith, this week!

On Thu, 27 Jan 2000 21:02:01 -0800 (PST) Neil Leupold
<leupold_1@-----.com> writes:
re: comparsion of bass clarinet parts tsch. nutcracker and Hindemith Sym.
Metamorphasis.

>What a fun question. I say this because both works are such mainstays
of
>the bass clarinet repertoire. In terms of thinking on your feet,
Nutcracker
>is a greater challenge, if only due to certain movements being in A,
gener-
>ating some unpleasant key signatures. Hindemith is a cakewalk in this
re-
>gard, the entire piece being in the key signature of concert Bb (or G
minor).
>Naturally, the Hindemith is a shorter piece, minimizing the fatigue
factor
>that can plague a bass player doing three Nutcracker runs over the
course
>of a single day. And since your question addresses a situation where
the
>player will likely need to be good on his feet, the Hindemith is a far
>easier piece in this regard.
< Hindemith can still present some appreciable
>challenges, depending on the tempi chosen by the conductor. There are
cer-
>tain staccato runs that might be difficult for somebody who isn't
comfort-
>able with rapid articulation on bass clarinet. The easy solution, of
course,
>is to play them tongue-two, slur-two, which is permissible on short
notice
>since those extended staccato passages occur in tutti sections of the
movement.
>This is not to say that such a shortcut is okay if adequate preparation
is al-
>lowed. Examples can be found at letters C in the first movement, and
possibly
>at letter E in the last.

The tempo of the last movement is likely to be 'exciting'.

Unless your player is an accomplished sight-reader
>(and, again depending on the chosen tempo), they might find themselves
sitting
>out a significant section of the first movement, from rehearsal J all
the way
>to rehearsal N, which would be a shame. The entire section is slurred,
but the
>rapid triplet movement of a highly chromatic pattern can be a challenge
even for
>somebody who is well-acquainted with the runs. It's a shame not to do
them be-
>cause the bass part makes a wonderful contribution to the sonority of
this clar-
>inet section soli. That's probably the most technically challenging
part of
>the piece.
Well, only the concertmaster can play all of the passage in Scherzo O to
P leading into the brass fugue. So when i think about it, i doubt that
the importance of the clarinet soli will have much weight. And it will
be better to have the rest of the piece played.

> If you have somebody who can sight-read that section, it also helps
>to have a good set of lungs.

Ah ha. Since i have started work on bass clarinet, i have had no
difficulty playing the long phrases on the 'sops'.

And Nutc. and Hind. are going into my bass clarinet practice file. I
plan to be ready for Nutcracker on bass next season. (we only do two
shows a day)

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