Klarinet Archive - Posting 000080.txt from 2004/02

From: Bear Woodson <bearwoodson@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Late 20th Century Music for C Clarinet?
Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 01:48:57 -0500

> Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2004 11:33:37 +0000 (GMT)
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> From: Roger Shilcock <roger.shilcock@modern-
> languages-library.oxford.ac.uk>
>
> Most clarinettists having only a B flat instrument
> will learn to transpose parts for A and for C
> clarinets before they get to acquire such
> instruments.
> Personally, I preferred transposing an A part - if
> not too difficult - to playing a part written for a
> B flat instrument with a large number of sharps.
>
> It seems psychologically easier. Professional
> players may feel otherwise - I don't know. In
> the U.K., at least, C clarinets seem to be pretty
> rare overall, even though affordable instruments
> are readily available.
> Roger S.

> Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2004 08:23:24 -0800
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> From: Gary Van Cott <gary@-----.com>
>
> Hello Bear,
> In the US, I would say that almost all
> professionals who play primarily classical
> music own A Clarinets. This would include
> many undergraduate and most graduate
> students studying clarinet. Some amateur
> players like myself also own them.
>
> C clarinets are not nearly so common but I
> believe the number in use is increasing. I am
> only sure of one person here in Las Vegas
> that has a C clarinet but there may be a couple
> more.

I was fairly certain that a lot of Advanced
Students in the USA owned Bb and A Clarinets,
but I'm still concerned about Clarinets in C.

I can imagine that transposing Tonal Music
would have patterns to make it easier to do. I am
thinking of the Piano Concerto and Symphony
by Beethoven in C, that specify C Clarinets, but
what about Post-Key-Signature Music from the
last 60 years?

How many people here have played symphonic
and chamber works by: William Schuman, Roger
Sessions, Vincent Persichetti, Christopher Rouse,
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Luciano Berio, Witold
Lutoslawski, etc., who:
1) used no Key Signatures, (and hopefully did
not use 12-Tone formulae), and
2) wrote for Clarinet in C?

The custom for many 20th Century Composers
was to provide a C Score. The Publishing Company
was then supposed to Transpose the Parts and
provide a Transposed Score, but they didn't always
do it. (Having met, known and/or studied with a lot
of prominent composers, I know this first hand. I
also know that almost NONE of them do their own
Computer Printing of their scores, nor any form of
copy-work or self-publishing! William Kraft is a
big exception to this rule.)

I write all of my symphonic and chamber works
in both C Score and Transposed Score, which are
labeled as such on every page. I even provide Piano
Reductions of my concerti.

A few years ago I wrote a Sonata for Trumpet
and Piano, and carefully designed the Trumpet
Part, so that the Trills and fingerings would work
well on a Standard Bb Trumpet . . . . only to be
told by the dedicatee, after the entire work was
done, that he ONLY plays a C Trumpet! He likes
the sounds brighter and is adept at transposing.
(Apparently many Professional Trumpeters use
a C Trumpet, for the brighter tone!) Since then, I
provide the Trumpet Parts to all my symphonic
and chamber works in both Bb and C.

I have NEVER use a Key Signature, and have
also NEVER used 12-Tone, but I DO write VERY
Chromatic "Modal" Harmony! It means more
work for me to provide the Parts Transposed to
Bb, A or C Clarinet, but I'd rather do that, than run
the risk of having it done wrong.

Meanwhile I am curious about those who have
actually played Clarinet in a lot of Late 20th
Century Music. Did you get Parts in Bb or A,
or were you stuck only with C Clarinet Parts and
compelled to transpose? Please let me know.

Bear Woodson
Composer in Tucson, Arizona, USA

"Bear Woodson" <bearwoodson@-----.net>
http://www.fluteconnection.net/
Then click on "Contemporary Composers",
then click on "Bear Woodson".
http://catalog.lib.asu.edu/search/a?SEARCH=McGale

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