Klarinet Archive - Posting 000326.txt from 2003/07

From: CBA <clarinet10001@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Clarinet Sonata Research Questions
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 02:47:48 -0400

Bear,

With all due respect (and I do like your work, having gotten
music from you previously with a tape - it just wasn't
particularly right for the church setting I was going to use it
in, so I haven't been able to program any of the pieces on a
concert) I think you spend too much time thinking of HOW LONG
the pieces you write are, and HOW MANY FUGUES are in them. You
take considerable time and length in your posts to tell us about
the logistical parts of the sonata. I usually don't care about
how long and how many fugues...I just want to play good
music...PERIOD. It does help to have to times, for programming
sake, but it truly doesn't help, or entice any of us by being
told that you are interested in a comparison on if your sonata
is the longest or has the most fugues. Guinness Book of Records
we aren't.

I would suggest making sound files available on a web page, like
Oliver Seely has on his site, so we could HEAR the music, and
you could also put scanned in versions of the music (Sibelius or
Finale format,) so we could SEE the music. I think that would be
a MUCH more interesting way for us to experience your music.

Just an observation. No intent to offend. Again, as I said
above, your music is interesting, in my opinion. I just never
really look for music because it is the longest clarinet sonata,
or because it has double or triple fugues in it. Except for the
music you sent me, all I know about your pieces that you are
competing and writing about are the lengths of the compositions,
and how many fugues are in the piece.

As far as the research on clarinet literature, you can do
research at www.woodwind.org under the "Composition" link on the
left. There should be a wealth of knowledge about clarinet music
there to behold...As it is stated at the top of the site, there
are listed in the "Composition" database:

2691 Composers under 2723 names, 6558 Titles under 6677 names,
comprised of 7662 publications and representing 8016 sets of
instrumentation.

Hope this helps...

Kelly Abraham
Woodwinds - New York City
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--- Bear Woodson <bearwoodson@-----.net> wrote:
> Hello, Klarinet List.
>
> I'm trying to do research on details about the
> literature for Clarinet and Piano, especially in
> Clarinet Sonatas, so I might as well ask you
> people. This is because I just wrote my own
> long sonata, and need to see how it compares
> to what has gone before in history. Here are
> some of my facts, so that you will know what
> I'm trying to compare:
>
> "Sonata No. 1 for (Bb) Clarinet and Piano"
> (June 2003, 4 mvts., 26 min.)
>
> 1 Allegretto 5'
> 10"
> II Chaconne: Adagio 6' 45"
> "Undimmed by Human Tears!"
> (This Slow, Second Movement can be used
> as a separate piece, with String Orchestra
> accompaniment.)
> III Scherzo Slovenski - Swing Fugue
> - Scherzo Slovenski 6' 20"
> (The middle section is Swing-styled Fugue
> as a Tribute to Benny Goodman, and also
> has a Quadruple Directional Stretto Fugue,
> meaning that the Fugue Subject overlaps
> itself in Original, Inversion, Retrograde and
> Retrograde-Inversion, all in jazzy Chromatic
> Modal Harmony.)
> IV Triple Fugue: Allegretto 7' 45"
> (This movement reviews the Themes of the
> first 3 movements, and has a series of Fugues
> and Canons on each, including another Quad-
> ruple Directional Stretto Fugue, to finally com-
> bine into a Triple Fugue, followed by a Triple
> Fugue in Retrograde.)
> total playing time: 26' 00"
>
> People ask me why I make my newer, 4-move-
> ment Accompanied Sonata so long. Because I
> want to make the 2nd Movement about 5 to 7
> minutes long, to be usable as a Konzertstück with
> Strings, and thereby make the rest of the sonata
> of comparable length. So here are my questions:
>
> Do Accompanied Clarinet Sonatas usually have
> 3 or 4 movements? Please give some examples.
>
> What are the famous Konzertstücke for Clarinet
> and String Orchestra or Full Orchestra? (I think
> there is one by Rossini, Debussy, etc.)
>
> How long is the longest Accompanied Clarinet
> Sonata? What is the usual length of an Accom-
> panied Clarinet Sonata?
>
> Which Accompanied Clarinet Sonatas have
> Counterpoint (canons, fugues, etc.) in them?
>
> Are there any Double or Triple Fugues written
> originally for Clarinet, and if so, which works
> and written by whom?
>
> I am also considering MAYBE adjusting this
> Sonata for Bb Bass Clarinet, but the problem is
> not so much a matter of range, as the fact that
> some of the contrapuntal spots will sound bad
> with the one melody line sounding an octave
> lower. (It could cause some clumsy sounding
> Parallel Fifths, in a few places.) But if it were to
> work, sounding an octave lower on Bb Bass
> Clarinet, then it would also be feasible on
> Bassoon. The few highest notes are in Allegro
> tempi of Quarter-Notes and Half-Notes, at the
> Written E's and F, 3 lines above the Treble Clef.
> Would that be too high for most players on Bb
> Bass Clarinet?
>
> I thank you for your help.
>
>
> Bear Woodson
> Composer in Tucson, Arizona, USA
>
> Home: 520 - 881 - 2558
> "Bear Woodson" <bearwoodson@-----.net>
> http://www.fluteconnection.net/comp/woodson.html
> http://catalog.lib.asu.edu/search/a?SEARCH=McGale
>
>
>
>
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