 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Ralph G
Date: 2002-07-31 20:22
Remember me, the guy who asked if I'm deluding myself into thinking I have a chance at making my local symphony? Thanks for all the responses!
I emailed the guy who's gonna conduct the community orchestra at the community college where I work. He's told me that in orchestral work, not all clarinet parts are for Bb or A clarinet -- players use the Bb in parts with flats, or they use the A in parts with sharps, and then transpose from there. However, he's a violin specialist and wasn't sure if that was absolutely the case for clarinets.
Is this so? I've heard that players occasionally have to transpose sections for, say, a C clarinet when only an Eb is available -- but are orchestral clarinetists just transposing like madmen the whole time? Or is the situation the conductor described just an occasional thing?
Thanks for any guidance.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Steve
Date: 2002-07-31 20:38
Transposition is a very useful skill to have. A great deal of Mahler is written for C Clarinet (the whole of the last movement of the first Symphony for example) and alot of opera music is written for C Clarinet.
A teacher of mine once told me to make sure that I could transpose a tone up and a tone down (and everything in between) and I should be ok with that.
Hope this helps
Steve (UK)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Eileen
Date: 2002-07-31 21:02
My experience in playing with a community orchestra has been that most of the parts are for Bb clarinet. Occasionally, transposition has been necessary to play a part written for an A or a C clarinet. Sufficient whining by the Bb clarinets has been effective in proding our conductor to remember to order Bb parts if available. (He received a lot of well-justified bitching when he handed out Bb parts to the Messiah months after we had transposed the Halleluiah (sp?) Chorus from an A part). In this era of computerization and Finale type programs, it seems absurd that parts should not be available for Bb clarinet for those who would rather deal with a difficult key signature than invest a considerable sum of money into an additional clarinet.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: catina
Date: 2002-07-31 21:45
Ralph,
I'm not quite sure the conductor of the community orchestra knows what he's talking about. I use the Bb and the A and play in sharp AND flat keys. The only time I transpose is from Bb to C. There are rare occasions when we transpose for different singers or from Eb to D clarinet, but you'll probably never have to deal with that.
The A clarinet also has a different timbre than the Bb, so a lot of the parts for A clarinet are not necessarily based on key signatures.
Catina
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Pete
Date: 2002-08-01 01:04
Clarinet players are spoiled; pianists must take in stride difficult key signatures.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jerry McD
Date: 2002-08-01 01:29
If you play regularly in an orchestra an A clarinet should be considered standard equipment. Transposition is part of the gig but not as your conductor described it. A broad generalization is that if something is in sharp keys it is already written for the A clarinet, and if it is written in flat keys it is already written for the Bb clarinet. This is a VERY broad generalization and many examples can be found of the opposite. However, a better argument can be made regarding tone quality differences between the two instruments. Imagine the 3rd Mvt of Rachmaninoff Sym. #2 being played on Bb clarinet. Technically it could be done, but the tone quality would not be quite right (too bright). How about the 'Pines of Rome' or the Mozart Concerto? And for the transposing argument....have you ever seen the part to 'Daphnis and Chloe?' Yes you do need to transpose from the key of C, and you need to be proficient transposing to both Bb and A, but the majority of orchestral parts call for Bb or A and you should have both instruments available. I hope this helps...
Jerry McD.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: LaLa
Date: 2002-08-01 12:34
If i understand correctly the reason there are so many clarinets in different keys was originally due to literal technical difficulties. Composers would write a piece and because the clarinet was fairly new it hadn't developed into the highly mechanized beast we see today. Because of this and the difficulty in playing in certain keys on the standard clarinet of the day, different clarinets were made to facilitate easy mechanism as well as maintain the key of the piece intended by the composer. I hope this explanation isn't too convoluted. Also, i more strongly agree that nowadays the need for the A and Bb is moreso due to timbre of the instrument, granted there are some pieces that would be quite unbearable if written for the Bb clarinet and likewise for A. I personally couldn't imagine playing the 3rd mvmt. of Rach's 2 symphony on Bb, as mentioned above, the Bb is just too bright for the texture of the piece. Siempre Viva la musica clasical!!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2002-08-01 15:10
Personally, I play with a regional professional (for pay) orchestra and own Bb, A, Eb and C clarinets which I use in that order of regulrity. Still, I find it useful to occassionaly transpose to expedite "impossible" instrument switchs and ones of short duration where switching would cause more intonational problems than technical difficulty. My advice--own at least a pair of Bb and A clarinets, and don't leave home without them!!!!!
Still looking for a D clarinet as well. (I'd also like to own an Ab, just for the "fun of it") Arn't clarinets almost like harmonicas, in a "key" way. :>)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Dow
Date: 2002-08-06 11:38
I transpose all C clarinet parts all the time without trouble. If you can play a C clarinet in tune I would buy one. Beethoven 8 is always written out in C in our library but I have played Eb Johann Strauss waltzes at sight transposing. You really need this skill to be effective as an orchestra player. I note the above comment but if you ever get a chance to try some high quality C clarinets like I have, you become very dissapointed...I know of no colleagues who use them, and that on both sides of the ocean. Sincerely yours >>DD<<
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
