 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bookron ★2017
Date: 2015-06-26 04:30
I'm writing a poem in which the narrator is a clarinetist. He's sitting in a hospital room with his father, who is dying of emphysema. They share memories of their lives, of failures and hardships, and at the end, as his father is giving up, the clarinetist grasps for hope instead, and he thinks of the opening to a piece of music that he has played often.
I need a recommendation for that piece. I need a classical pick, 18th or 19th Century, that begins with a strong, sustained, exposed note. (One the requires fine breath support, as contrasted to the father's emphysema.)
Any ideas? Thanks in advance, and I look forward to seeing your suggestions.
Post Edited (2015-06-26 04:32)
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Author: brycon
Date: 2015-06-26 05:24
Brahms's second clarinet sonata. It's (and the first sonata's) melodic material comes from the final chorus of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, the text of which reads "Rest ye softly, softly rest! / Rest your exhausted limbs!"
This sense of resignation permeates the sonata.
Or Schubert's "Shepherd on the Rock." It's text is about love but could apply just as well to death: "When on the highest peak I stand / And look down into the valley below / And sing and sing, / Then from the distant vale’s dark depths / The echo soars up towards me, / The echo of the chasm."
Not to mention the piece moves from darkness to light, and the resonances of "shepherd" are numerous. Both pieces were also written at the end of their composer's life (the Schubert right before his death, in fact).
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Author: concertmaster3
Date: 2015-06-26 05:29
Also...
Poulenc Sonata, mvt. 2.
It might be a little later than your mentioned, but the melody is beautifully breath taking (which fit's the theme in my opinion). It's also the theme from the "Domine Deus" in his Gloria (FP 177). (This was going to be part of my original dissertation idea...). This piece was composed at a time of loneliness and being aware of his fading health.
I had another piece, but it just left me...I'll edit the post if I recall it.
Ron Ford
Woodwind Specialist
Performer/Teacher/Arranger
http://www.RonFordMusic.com
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2015-06-26 06:24
Brahms' Second sonata was my first thought, although it doesn't start with a single sustained note.
The Weber Concertino is probably the best bet, although the Mozart Concerto slow movement is also extremely requiring of strong breath support too!
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Author: bookron ★2017
Date: 2015-06-26 06:25
Thank you, everyone, for the input. These are wonderful, insightful suggestions.
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2015-06-26 07:25
The beginning of the Vanhal sonata in B-flat is one possibility.
I was also thinking of the first of the three Schumann Fantasy Pieces. I can't explain why, but something about this piece seems to fit the mood of the poem you're describing.
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Author: brycon
Date: 2015-06-26 08:10
Oops--just read the bit about you wanting something that begins with a long, held note. Scatch the Brahms (my bad). Schubert certainly works still.
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Author: davyd
Date: 2015-06-26 22:10
In Donizetti's concertino for cor anglais, the soloist's first entrance is a strong, sustained, exposed note. But that's not a clarinet piece.
Of course, there's Rhapsody In Blue. But that's not in the specified time frame.
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Author: ClarinetRobt
Date: 2015-06-30 03:06
My first thought was the Copland Concerto.
~Robt L Schwebel
Mthpc: Behn Vintage
Lig: Ishimori, Behn Delrin
Reed: Legere French Cut 3.75/4, Behn Brio 4
Horns: Uebel Superior (Bb,A), Ridenour Lyrique, Buffet R13 (Eb)
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