Klarinet Archive - Posting 000218.txt from 2001/09

From: "Rien Stein" <rstein@-----.nl>
Subj: [kl] Music for Solo Bass Clarinet
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 04:43:17 -0400

It was not my intention to join in in this discusion. Now I read these
words:

>>
One of the most wicked pieces for bass clarinet solo is "Time and Motion
Study I"
by Brian Ferneyhough. This is recorded on a CD by Harry Sparnaay called
"Ladder of Escape". (ATTACCA 8945-1). There are several wonderful pieces
for bass clarinet on this CD including the title piece written for an
ensemble of bass clarinets and contra bass clarinets! Harry plays all the
parts -overdubbed.
<<

however, I decided to enter.

I know this record, I own it. I have heard many of the pieces mentioned ön
this list recently.

When some six months ago Harry Sparnaay played in Utrecht, I was with the
recital. One of the pieces he played was "The jack daw" for bass clarinet
and tape, by Wayne Seagall, an American composer, still alive, I think. I
had it also heard played by Uldis Locenieks, a couple of years ago. I liked
it very much, and it did not sound overcomplicated to me. Thus I asked Harry
about how playable it might be for an amateur. He answered me he did not
think any piece he had played in the last twenty five years would be
playable for an amateur.

And that is, I think an important point many of you forget. When someone
asks something like "I need some titles for a recital" often many answers
follow. And not always the easiest ones. If someone puts such an answer on
this list, maybe he should be aware of the difficulty of the pieces. In my
opinion if someone asks a question like the above one he or she will not be
very advanced: if he or she were, he/he would have built up a repertoire of
his own, as learning clarinet and advancing on the instrument implies to
play lots of different kinds of music.

I think Harry Sparnaay was right. Ferneyhough is beautiful. The "Jack daw"
is. And so on. Strawinsky's "Three pieces" (I got acquainted with them by
this list) is. Strawinsky is plyable for a good amateur, it took me lots of
time to learn them. Modern bass clarinet music for solo bass clarinet is
not, as far a I know it, with the exceptions of "Spotlight on the bass
clarinet" by Jan Haderman and the bass clarinet concerto by Kees Vlak. Both
are written for windband. But a mediocre amateur will never manage to play
them: you must already be a very goor amateur.

By the way: Bozza wrote a "Ballade" for bass clarinet and piano, Klughardt a
"Romanze" for bass clarinet and orchestra. Both are lovely pieces, and very
playable. The Klughardt ha also been prepared in a piano version.

Rien

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