 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dan Oberlin ★2017
Date: 2009-02-14 21:46
Until a month ago I'd only used an A clarinet once in a concert band, for the big solo in the transcription of Pines of Rome. For the concert our group is giving next Sunday, I'm using an A in two of the pieces. The first is a transcription of Franck's Le Chasseur Maudit done by Paul Hanna, one of our trombonists. The first clarinet part had about three pages of very fast difficult passages in C# minor for the B flat clarinet, and it was no problem for Paul to print out those pages in D minor for the A clarinet. All our firsts have access to A clarinets, and it sounds much better. The second A clarinet application is more interesting, though. Our first piece is the Overture for Band by John Heins. It contains a fast and extremely awkward four bar clarinet solo (and Heins is a clarinetist!). I'd played it once before, and, while it was not a disaster, it definitely could have been better. It turns out that the solo is eminently doable on the A clarinet, as is the entire piece. That observation transforms the beginning of the concert from a tense experience into an enjoyable one (which is good, because our second piece is Blue Shades).
Aside from the Mozart Concerto on A with band, are there instances where you've used an A clarinet in a band?
D.O.
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Author: Merlin_Williams
Date: 2009-02-15 03:06
Russlan and Ludmilla. The clarinet runs in there sat much better on A.
Jupiter Canada Artist/Clinician
Stratford Shakespeare Festival musician
Woodwind Doubling Channel Creator on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/WoodwindDoubling
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-02-15 13:58
Well, I was once dragooned into playing in a pep band for a basketball game - familiar school songs and marches. I used my A for a little transposition practice.
Ken Shaw
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Author: William
Date: 2009-02-15 16:33
Band transcription of Coplands, "Hoedown". Like in the orchestra, part is for Bb but lies better for the A. I have also tried it on my C, but prefer the A.
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Author: MBrad
Date: 2009-02-15 22:57
In the Ingolf Dahl saxophone concerto, the 1st clarinet 2nd chair part requires an A clarinet for only two bars, as the passage descends to a low concert C.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2009-02-15 23:30
A fine ? Dan, did we play our first [BVL] "Music Man" together? , or was it with your dad?? I recall fighting a number of altissimo bars in the Shipouppi [sp??] "ballet" and trans.ing it to A , as you say to de-tense it. I do admire your continuing/advance to good music. REgards, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Tony Beck
Date: 2009-02-15 23:36
The band transcription of "The Cowboys" movie music has the third part going down to low Eb. I tried it on A one evening, but it fit better on my Full Boehm Bb.
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2009-02-15 23:49
I use the A clarinet whenever the part is absurd or would have simply made more sense on A... Actually, you have brought up one of my pet peeves: wind composers and arrangers that ignore the A clarinet and never write for the instrument, and then write for the Bb clarinet as if it's a violin! Furthermore, It's safe to assume that the skill level needed to play high-level wind rep. will attract players that have an A and Bb clarinet. They often supply a bass clef and treble clef Euph. part, would it be so hard to include a proper clarinet part?
Anyways, notable examples include: The Firebird transcription, Pines of Rome transcription, and Rodrigo's Adagio for Wind Instruments.
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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Author: William
Date: 2009-02-16 00:03
"They often supply a bass clef and treble clef Euph. part, would it be so hard to include a proper clarinet part?"
Probably a question of economics--cost of printing the A clar part would not be recovered in sales for "that reason" alone. As trumpet players are often recruited for baritone or euphoneum parts when necessary, it is more likely a treble clef part will be used as much as the bass and, therefore, "economically justifiable". Not necessarily so for the A clarinet parts. But I do agree, it would be nice if publishers could see past the dollar signs once in a while and include a few extra A parts for those difficult Bb clarinet parts.
Post Edited (2009-02-16 15:52)
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-02-16 02:23
In a community band I used to play in, there was a new transcription of one of the Slavonic Dances that would have been much easier on an A. I can't remember which one but the clarinets could not really hack it so it never got out of rehearsal. It was really hard and all over the break as well.
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Author: davyd
Date: 2009-02-17 20:34
I've used my clarinet in A a few times in pit orchestra to simplify keys, and been accused of "cheating". Well excuuuuuuuse me! I've got the equipment; why shouldn't I use it? It's not my fault that there are no tenor saxes in A or oboes in Db.
Returning to topic: someone once told me about a Grainger piece that calls for 3rd clarinet in A, but I don't recall any specifics.
Has anyone ever used a clarinet in D or a bass clarinet in A in a band context?
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