Klarinet Archive - Posting 000182.txt from 2002/10

From: "Fernando Silveira" <amigo222@-----.br>
Subj: Re: [kl] Brahms Clarinet Sonata No. 2
Date: Fri, 4 Oct 2002 16:07:19 -0400

Dear Tom,
is already known that Mufeld, the clarinetist who Brahms wrote all his
pieces for clarinet, used a large vibrato in his playing. Prior to play
clarinet, Mufeld used to play violin in the orchestra. There are some
depoiments that Mufeld used more vibrato then Joaquin(Brahms prefered
violinist).
The school of clarinet in that period is remarcable for that reasons. Even
the french clarinetist used it a lot(see the beautiful article of Pamela
Weston in the last issue of "The Clarinet" magazine).
So, all music of the romantic period asks for some vibrato - french or
german.
In north and south americas the vibrato were "out of fashion" in the
begining of the XX century with the advent of JAZZ, were "classical"
clarinetist didn't liked the way the "jazz clarinetist" used the vibrato.
For that reason, to make diference in sound from those who play classical
and jazz, the vibrato were said "out of fashion".

I hope it helps.

All the best

Fernando Silveira
----- Original Message -----
From: <Tom.Henson@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] Brahms Clarinet Sonata No. 2

> I am preparing the Brahms Sonata No. 2 in Eb for a recital in December.
>
> In doing so, I have purchased several CD's with this work on it so that I
> could get an idea of what they should sound like since I have never
> performed this piece.
>
> Second, I wanted to see if there were any distinct variations in style
that
> I would tend to prefer one over the other.
>
> One is performed by Paul Meyer. Nicely done on a Buffet RC I believe.
Slight
> Vibrato in places. Uses some legato articulation on slurred passages.
>
> Another by George Pierterson. Beautifully done. Sounds like a French
> clarinet instead of German, not sure. Very prominent vibrato on almost all
> long notes.
>
> Finally, Karl Leister on German clarinet. No deliberate vibrato that I can
> tell.
>
> Surprisingly, there were only minor differences in the way the three
> performances sounded. The use of vibrato or not was one of the main
> differences. There were a few cases of legato articulation being used
where
> the passages were marked with slurs, and slight differences in tempo. The
> biggest differences I could see were not in the clarinet part, but the
> piano. Some tended to play with a choppier or heavier style, while others
> played very smooth and light.
>
> My question to the list is for those that have played this piece. Do they
> prefer vibrato or not? Any suggestions or comments also would be
> appreciated.
>
> I also wanted to say that this piece does not seem to be performed as
often
> as other clarinet/piano duo pieces. I suspect because it may not be
> considered a virtuosic piece. Maybe the piece is harder to understand than
> others, I don't know.
>
> On the surface, the clarinet part appears fairly straight forward and
> simple, not having a lot of difficult runs and passages. I believe the
range
> is limited to three octaves (e to e) also. I would have to check, but this
> again makes this piece appear fairly simple by modern standards.
>
> However, I feel that both of the Brahms's sonatas are not about playing
> notes, but of creating moods. I didn't want to play this piece at first,
> wanting to play something with more "show." I've changed my mind though.
> There is a delicacy in the way the melody and variations play out with the
> piano. If played poorly, this subtlety will be lost. I also feel that this
> piece in not about how fast you can play, or how loud, it goes to the very
> heart of melody and variation with romantic and tender appeal.
>
> The biggest challenge I have faced in my practice sessions are the large
> interval jumps and making them smooth and part of a musical phrase. The
fact
> that so many are over the break from the chalumeau to the clarion only
make
> this more difficult. Especially in the throat tones.
>
> I have also come to the conclusion that this is a "tone" piece. Meaning
that
> the tone (sound) you produce is as important as the notes themselves as a
> good tone lends itself to the reflective mood of the piece. I know that
you
> should always play this way, but it is possible to get by with a less than
> perfect tone if the piece is very technical and fast.
>
> Tom Henson
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>

---------------------------------------------------------------------