 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bcl1dso
Date: 2006-02-14 15:20
I am doing a report on french music, and I was wondering if there was a piece that would express the french culture(sound french) that would be a good piece to play for a class. Nothing terribly hard.
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Author: crnichols
Date: 2006-02-14 15:44
Hmm, that's a tough question. If you look at French music throughout history, you'll note that there is no way that you could find an all-encompassing piece. Between the nationalistic revolution against the "Germanic" diatonic scale, and then the efforts of Les Six, we have many different harmonic languages that can be called "French sounding." If you are referring to something that you would associate with impressionism (which is what I think is commonly associated with French music, even though it really is only one chapter), and not terribly difficult, perhaps Ravel's Piece en Forme de Habanera would be appropriate. Even though it has a Spanish twist to it, it's unmistakably French. Also, you'll be able to mention the fascination with spanish culture that was common.
Good Luck!
Christopher Nichols
1st Infantry Division Band
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2006-02-14 16:38
The most obvious French pieces are perhaps the Poulenc and Saint-Saens sonatas.
I don't know the Ravel piece, so can't comment on it. However, Ravel was not really French by blood. Wikipedia tells us:
"Ravel was born in Ciboure, France near Biarritz, part of the French Basque region, bordering on Spain. His mother, Marie Delouart, was Basque while his father, Joseph Ravel, was a Swiss inventor and industrialist."
Also, see http://www.touradour.com/towns/ciboure/cibravel.htm
I was in Ciboure not so long ago and they are very proud of him.
Note that some sources claim that Ravel was of Jewish descent, but that seems to be incorrect - not that it would bar him from being French as well.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: nickma
Date: 2006-02-14 17:13
Poulenc's sonata would be great, though I wouldn't call it straightforwward to play.
Maybe Debussy's Reverie or Claire de la Lune?
Nick
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-02-14 17:58
If I remember right the Saint Saens sonata is not extremely hard and is very good music.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-02-14 18:14
I have a small 3 x 4" book, "The Story of Orchestral Music and Its Times" by Paul Grabbe which mentions many composers and works in relation to dates and "events of note". Related to 1882-3, it mentions Chabrier as a FR composer even tho Espana may seem otherwise. Then there are Franck, Faure', Debussy, Offenbach etc, and some lesser-knowns of the late 1800-early1900 s that seem very French to me . Also arias from some FR operas might "fit your request". Bizet's Carmen might be too Spanish, but L'Arlesienne is a fav of mine. Lots to choose from. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2006-02-14 18:26
Don - Franck may seem very French to you, but he was Belgian.
The other great French composers were Berlioz and Messiaen, but I don't think there are any suitable solo works (assuming L'abîme des oiseaux to be MUCH too hard to play!)
It is worth bearing in mind that there is a tremendous French popular music tradition, which has produced poet-singer-songwriters who far surpass just about anyone from the English speaking world. I'm thinking especially of Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel, the latter being another Belgian. They aren't sources of clarinet music, of course, but may be worth a mention in your paper none the less.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-02-14 18:36
Pierre-Max Dubois - Sonata Breve.
You can't get much more French than that, and it's unaccompanied.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-02-14 21:32
Clarinet: Debussey's Premiere Rhapsody
Generic Orchestral: Debussey's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: bawa
Date: 2006-02-15 09:15
I have this CD titled "French Clarinet Art" - Paul Meyer & Eric Le Sage, and besides the composers mentioned in the previous posts, it also includes works by
Chausson, Milhaud and Honegger.
It is a CD that I like very much.
David, ciboure/ziburu is very very nice indeed as is the rest of the coast (and inland)...what other places did you get to visit?
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2006-02-15 16:49
bawa - shouldn't really have private chat on the BBoard, but don't have your email address. So, very briefly (sorry Mark, GBK): Bilbo, Donostia, Donibane Lohitzun, a week walking inland as far as Donibane Garazi. I speak French, a little Spanish, but no Euskera!
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: nickma
Date: 2006-02-16 23:22
If you want really easy try Faure, such as Berceuse from the Dolly Suite.
Nick
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Author: Zauberklarinette
Date: 2006-03-30 01:53
what do you consider identifiably french sounding? why not find some according or concertina stuff that is stereotypical always associated with France. it's usually used in cartoons and stuff. Anyway when i think if French music, two composers come to mind, Achille-Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.
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Author: larryb
Date: 2006-03-30 02:42
You didn't specify any particular genre of music, so I would recommend;
Edith Piaf (Non, je ne regrette rien; la vie en rose)
or
Django Reinhardt (Belgian born gypsy, very popular in Paris)
Both very archetypical French.
Post Edited (2006-03-30 02:55)
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Author: DougR
Date: 2006-03-30 04:06
First off, I'd endorse the recommendation above for the "French Clarinet ARt" CD by Paul Meyer and Eric Le Sage--and add a recommend for Ricardo Morales' "French Portraits" on Boston Records.
Listening to these CDs might tell you more directly what "sounds French" to YOU.
"Caprice" by Milhaud and "La fille aux cheveux de lin" by Debussy sound French as all getout to ME...and both have the virtue of being relatively simple and relatively easy. (also relatively SHORT, unlike a lot of the French standard rep.) Also the "Gymnopedie" by Satie, I know there's a piano/flute edition which would be easy to transpose to clarinet--might check to see if he's actually French, though.
all 3 of these pieces have that sort of "suspended in reverie" impressionistic quality that I think of as ineffably French, with tonalities that unexpected and bracing at the same time.
You might check & see if your local library has the CDs first, though.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2006-03-30 06:16
For flute, good French flute compositions are often those imposed on students for graduation concours.
There is a book titled 'Prestige de la clarinette' par Guy Dangain. I have a copy of its translation to Japanese.
It includes a very long list of imposed compositions fro graduation(le morceaux imposes et palmares du concervatoir de Paris) for year 1806-1991.
A typical example is solo de concours de H. Rabaud in 1901.7.26. However, Professor of clarinet of each year did not necessarily imposed Frenc composer's composition.
I cannot type this list here since it is too long.
You may acquire it from CNSMDP(Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris) if you iare interested.
http://www.cnsmdp.fr/interface/frame/frame_all.htm
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Author: Gobboboy
Date: 2006-03-30 09:40
bc11dso
>>a good piece to play for a class. Nothing terribly hard.
How about The Girl with the Flaxen Hair by Claude Debussy?
This allows you to be as expressive as you like, and is not too difficult.
You can get it here
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/pages.html?cart=335268591920458423&target=smp_detail.html%26sku%3DHL.50560496&s=pages-no-referrer&e=/sheetmusic/detail/HL.50560496.html&t=&k=&r=wwws-err5
Good Luck
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