 The Fingering Forum
|
Author: Aaron
Date: 2001-05-06 17:00
Here's a question. Does anyone here know the real reason why clarinets decided to play straight tones and use no vibrato? I heard that it was a reaction against jazz players by orchestral clarinetists; is that true? Second, how long has this been going on? Third, is there a move to reinstate (or start if they never did) the use of vibrato in contemporary playing?
My personal opinion is that clarinets sounds better without vibrato, but I doubt that my personal opinion as an oboist matters much to the clarinet world :-). To me the tone is rich enough that it seems to sing without wavering the pitch, and it gives the sound more tension without it. Anyway just saw some other posts that talked about vibrato on the clarinet, and I was like "Vibrawhat on the clariwho?" Any response is appreciated. Later.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 2001-05-06 19:17
I don't think anyone really knows the real reason that clarinettists typically don't seem to use vibrato. The reasons that you mention (reaction to jazz, interesting sound) probably contribute. Another contributor would be that vibrato is harder to do on the clarinet compared to sax, flute, or violin. Couple that with the fact that the clarinet has a lovely rich sound without vibrato means that players are much less motivated to try to develop and use it. On the other hand, for example, a violin *needs* vibrato to sound really good.
In classical solo work, the use of vibrato comes and goes and comes and goes and so on. Muhlfield, for whom Brahms wrote his clarinet works in the 1800s, is reputed to have used vibrato for example. Today some use it in solo work and some do not.
In an orchestral or group setting, blending is extremely important and that seems to be easier to achieve without the use of vibrato.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mike
Date: 2002-04-01 14:15
well, I always thought vibrato was a technique just used by oboists to hide their dodgy tuning....
but seriously, the clarinet has the purest sine wave of any instrument, meaning it naturally has a very straight and clean sound. As this is a "feature" of the clarinet, most players wish to emphasise the clear sound by not doing vibrato. There have been instances of famous virtuosi of the past doing it, for example Richard Muhlfield (the guy Brahms wrote the sonatas for) is said to have used a lot - probably because he was previously an outstanding violinist.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
