Klarinet Archive - Posting 000483.txt from 2005/06

From: David Niethamer <niethamer@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Schubert "Arpeggione"
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 23:09:46 -0400


On Jun 24, 2005, at 2:21 PM, Margaret Thornhill wrote:

> I was just looking into this same topic, and purchased the Barenreiter
> and the Brymer edition( Weinberger) having only had an copy of the
> old Bellison version transposed to G minor.
> Both Brymer and Bellison are b-----dizations for students, with long
> cuts and simplified piano parts. The Brymer is intended to be played
> on A clarinet, though.
> Why a part for A clarinet (which would be playing in the keys of C and
> C minor! instead of B and B minor)wasn't included in the Baerenreiter
> edition blows my mind! I just now tried playing through it
> (transposing) and it is so much more suited for the instrument, and
> doesn't even go out of range. The piano part is so much cleaner in
> this edition (which purports to be urtext) that it would be a shame
> not to use it.
>
I love this piece, and I'm grateful that the arpeggione fell out of use
so that we have a rationale to transcribe it for our use as
clarinetists.

20 years ago I made my own transcription, working form the complete
Schubert edition and a viola edition published by Schirmer. All of that
was inspired by Bellison's transcription, which even then was obviously
flawed.

First of all, I think Bellison was on the right track to find good
music for his students to play, since, especially at that time, good
repertoire was limited, and some of it unknown. But Bellison didn't
know how the arpeggione notation worked, so he transcribed the clarinet
part an octave too high. The arpeggione sounds (sounded?) an octave
lower than the notation on the page.

One of the problems with playing this piece on clarinet is that there
are not enough places to breathe. Bellison and Brymer attempt to remedy
this by putting some of the solo material into the piano part. If
you're already training for a marathon, you might be able to play it,
breathing-wise!

Why the Barenreiter edition editor didn't consider the A clarinet I'll
never know. On the A clarinet, there are a very few places that descend
below the written range of the clarinet, so you need to account for
those in any transcription. It ascends to altissimo G (4th leger line
above the treble staff). The keys are C minor and C major, which is a
bit more manageable than B minor/major.

There was a recording of this piece on DG Archiv in the LP era played
on an arpeggione and a period piano which is quite interesting. The
arpeggione had 6 strings and frets, so the possibility for vibrato was
minimal. When you hear the real instrument, it gives you more of a
sense of how to approach it on clarinet than when you hear it on a
modern cello or viola, where the vibrato is much more intrusive.

David

David B. Niethamer
dnietham@-----.edu
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/index.html

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