 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Erez Katz
Date: 2025-08-26 01:06
Looking at IMSLP, it looks like 1st Clarinet does the Eb role on the last movement, 2nd is Soprano (A/B/C).
Watching youtube videos, I have seen it played by 2nd clarinet, but not consistent.
What is the guidance or usual course ?
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Author: donald
Date: 2025-08-26 08:26
Ha when I was a kid I remember there being a big upset in NZ National Youth Orchestra because the 2nd clarinet (who was a killer Eefer player) got to play 1st for this very reason (Principal clar was offended blah blah blah)
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Author: lmliberson
Date: 2025-08-26 16:41
It depends on how many clarinets you have in the section and how you might want to divide the parts.
Yes, the Clarinet I part goes to Eb clarinet in the last movement but what does one do if that player doesn’t play the Eb to any level of adequacy? Well, I suppose that the Clarinet II player might take it on - OR - a third player who is an Eb “specialist” will be on stage solely to play that fifth movement while one of the other players are tacit.
I’ve done it different ways in my (former) orchestra. I’ve played the Clarinet I part as written, switching to the Eb in the final movement but, most often, I would sit on stage with my Eb waiting (and trying to stay awake!) until the fifth movement (in reality, I would play along in some of the louder spots in the previous movements to keep my Eb warm and in tune).
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Author: Jarmo Hyvakko
Date: 2025-08-28 09:41
I, as i am the principal clarinet in our orchestra, have usually offered the principal Eb-clarinetist to play that movement 1st clarinet part. It's easy to do, because the whole movement is with Eb. Just photocopy! And IT IS a generous offer, because the C-clarinet part in that movement is much more challenging...
By the way, i strongly suggest that, if you have C-clarinets use them in this piece! That nasty sound of it makes a huge difference!!!
Jarmo Hyvakko, Principal Clarinet, Tampere Philharmonic, Finland
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Author: Erez Katz
Date: 2025-08-28 16:33
This makes sense. I think some folks like the e-flat more than others so there is a give and take.
Cheers!
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Author: HANGARDUDE
Date: 2025-08-28 16:46
The practice I most often see is that the 1st & 2nd Clarinet play their respective parts for the 1st 4 movements(either with or without C clarinets), then swapping parts in the final movement so the 2nd player (usually the main assigned Eb player in the orchestra) plays the Eb part while the 1st player plays the Bb/A/C part original intended for the 2nd player.
In other cases an separate 3rd Eb player either only plays the final movements or as imliberson described above, doubling the louder moments of the previous movements(the Bb/A/C part could also be doubled for similar passages in the final movement). A similar practice has occasionally been observed for the C/bass part in Richard Strauss's Eine Alpensinfonie which is split into 2 players- one playing C and the other playing bass.
Josh
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