 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: flyingllama
Date: 2003-04-09 02:43
Hey y'all.
As the final evaluation of my high school music career (*sniff, sniff*), I need to play a solo (accompanied or unaccompanied) of 1.5-5 minutes in front of an audience. Thought I might ask you kind folk if you could suggest anything.
A bit of background:
I play 1st clarinet in the Markham District High School Wind Symphony (won Best Band in Ontario last year, yadda yadda - basically, we're good!
Our band/I've played B500 and B600 level pieces (such as: Awayday, Blue Lake Overture and Incantation & Dance [James Barnes Chance], Chester Overture, Hounds of Spring and Armenian Dances I [Alfred Reed], Gandalf and Hobbits [Johann De Meij]), just to give a level of what I've been playing.
Supposedly I should be somewhere around an RCM grade 6 or 7...
Anyway, I'm looking for something on the faster side, preferably (or, rather, not a slow dirge or lyrical piece, because I get nervous, then my embouchure shakes and there's noticeable tone shifting when I sit on a long tone :/). I've become enamored with folk-ish dances (5/8 section of "Armenian Dances", for example), and other light-ish, dancing melodies (such as the 9/8 melody in "Vesuvius" [Frank Ticheli]). So something along those lilting, jaunty, light-ish, dance-like lines would be good.
Thanks for reading that loooong yarn. And thanks for your help. It's really appreciated. Post any suggestions here, or e-mail me at flyingllama@mail.com.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-04-09 04:31
Speaking of Poulenc Sonatas, my teacher just told me that that is going to be my project next semester (I'm in college). Same deal. I have to prove that the semester's "lessons" are paying off so I have to play the sonatas in front of the music department while they grade me. Strictly pass/fail. I just downloaded the poulenc sonatas in midi format, and honestly, they sound a little boring and easy to me. Maybe playing them won't be either, but they just don't have that sound that I like.
I am playing something called "Danza Slava" in my chamber ensemble. That's a pretty fun piece for clarinet with some background players (my chamber ensemble isn't very authentic so we have a flute, two violins, another clarinet, a cello and a bass playing in the background for me. Figure that one out . . .)
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2003-04-09 05:50
Midi does not do the Poulenc justice. I heard it first in midi and am sorry I did. It's really an extremely fun piece... there aren't long runs a la Weber II, but there's tons of music in it. I'm doing it this semester as well
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2003-04-09 11:45
It's not too easy to find a good 1 to 1.5 minute solo - not much time there.
Check out The Two Majorcan Pieces by Joseph Horovitz. Either one is quite nice and fits your requirments - especially the second piece. I've played both in concert and used the second one as a nice encore. There is a great recording of them by Gervase De Peyer.
Tom Piercy
Tom Piercy
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Author: R13A
Date: 2003-04-09 13:57
hi
although not technically challenging, for unaccompanied there is , among others, the Wison Osborne piece.
Accompanied, the Wanhal Sonta for clar/piano.
Both pieces will test your musicanship and technique (not the fast fingers kind) and have nice phrasing.
regards
dennis
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Author: Domingo
Date: 2003-04-09 16:50
a concerto by joseph stamitz............... I herd a freind playing it, its kind of jumpy and not extremly difficult. Ithink its the second tolast movement. I dunno, hehe .....
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Author: flyingllama
Date: 2003-04-09 20:31
QUOTE:
"It's not too easy to find a good 1 to 1.5 minute solo - not much time there. "
Sorry, I realized my 1.5-5 might not have been too clear :/
It's 1.5 minutes min, 5 minutes max.
That sounds better
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Author: Clare
Date: 2003-04-09 20:36
What about the second of John McCabe's Three Pieces for Clarinet and Piano? Great fun, provided you enjoy 5 in a bar syncopation.
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2003-04-09 20:41
Llama -
No, your writing was clear, my reading was too fast.
With 5 minutes to play, I still like either of the Horovitz pieces mentioned above. Something a little a different and not overdone - quite charming in the first and quite technically impressive in the second (it actually sounds harder than it is).
Tom Piercy
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Author: Stéphane
Date: 2003-04-09 21:56
Unaccompanied: the Study for solo clarinet by Donizetti is quite charming and technically challenging, my two cents...
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Author: Lori
Date: 2003-04-10 00:03
How about one of the Stanford Three Intermezzi? The 3rd one stands alone well.
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Author: Tom A
Date: 2003-04-10 01:26
I don't know if it'll be available in your fair land, but "Five Pieces for Clarinet" by the English composer Gordon Jacob is interesting. It's unaccompanied.
The first, for example is a Lento, based on a 12-tone row. The third is a fast one in two, entitled "Homage to J.S.B." (That's Bach, and sorry if I'm insulting your intelligence by explaining that). In the Australian exams, the entire suite is Grade 7.
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Author: yo_dude24
Date: 2003-04-15 00:33
The 1st and 3rd movement by Gerald Finzi (or whoever) it's a nice peice, i mean if you need to practice i suggest you get smartmusic, it's a great program....it help ya practice your solos at your speen and time, it's perfect for solos, so i sugges that to most high school students....i'm not advertizing anythingWilliam the Conqueror wrote:
I'm just sittin here watchin' the wheels go round round....i really love to watch them roll
* John Lennon
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Author: Rick Williams
Date: 2003-04-15 11:28
Alexi:
Regarding Poulenc's Sonata, it's easy like Mozart's K622 2nd movement is easy. Track down a copy of Romanza: The Art of the Clarinet and listen to Karl Leister's performance of Poulenc's 2nd movement. It is absolutely beautiful!
The 2nd movement has two gliss's which getting even is a challenge, there is a real interesting slur from A-Bnat-Cnat-A6 at pp and repeating at ppp which I found difficult to do very well, then there are the two slurs from E6 and G6 down to the upper clarion that to sound right have to be smooth as silk.
I've heard several recordings of the 2nd mvt. with piano where I thought the piano came close to ruining the piece. If you listen to Leister, the notes hang on the main theme, where in other performances you get the impression the pianist is late for a date! It makes all the difference in the world.
Best
Rick
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Author: JupiterTC
Date: 2003-04-16 01:36
I've played the Poulenc sonata last year, and I liked it very much. I would also like to recommend Copland's Sonata for clarinet (not the concerto!). It was orginally written for violin in the early 1940s, but then it was transcribed by Copland himself in 1988 for clarinet. There is a recording of Victoria Soames playing it, and you can either order the CD from Amazon.com (which also has the Poulenc sonata!) or you can download it from the web.
~SAM~
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2003-04-16 05:23
Here are a few suggestions....
Dance Prelude, Lutoslawski (although a few movements are slow, very folky)
Sonatina, Malcolm Arnold
Four Short Pieces, Ferguson
Sonata, Alec Wilder (slow movement isn't really that slow)
I hope these are helpful
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-04-16 06:02
JupiterTC wrote: "...Copland's Sonata for clarinet ... transcribed by Copland himself in 1988..."
Actually, it was 1986 ...GBK
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Author: JupiterTC
Date: 2003-04-16 15:48
I was probably thinking about the publishing date then, either that or it was the year it was first performed. Sorry about that.
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Author: psychotic_clarinet_chica
Date: 2003-04-16 18:14
I would suggest one of the Weber concertos. They have enough jumping around in them, yet they're smooth and connected. They have a good level of difficulty. Good luck!
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Author: clarinetdaddy
Date: 2003-04-18 04:46
Here is a few more good , strong solo's that can show off your talents:
Capriccio by H. Sutermeister or maybe
Sonatina by Rozza or maybe
Concerto movements (I or III) by Spohr
Good Luck,
Miles
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Author: bobmi74
Date: 2003-04-19 01:26
Hey there. I'm a high school student on your level also. I'm currently playing Hobbits and Incantation and Dance. How'd you like that little solo in Hobbits with the 8th notes? It's really fun, and I'm still working on it. We just got it recently in class, so i'm still working. Incantion and Dance is really fun...those runs are easy if you get the pattern right. I don't have to do a solo for anything but a solo and ensemble competition, and I'm doing Crussell's concerto in F minor....i think it's F minor. Anyways, it's the 3rd movement (rondo) that I"m doing. It's...interresting. It's marked Allegro and it's got 16th triplet runs going up 3 then down 3 and all this crazy stuff. It's not technically difficult, but it's keeping the tempo the same throughout that's my problem. I guarantee you'll probably be the only high-school student in your state to play it. I am. Unless you live in Louisiana. Have you made your state-level honor band? I have. This year we had David Holsinger as the guest conductor. He is amazing. We played Cityscape 1. You ever play that one? it's pretty nifty. Well, i'll shut-up now. Hope I've helped with the Crussell piece.
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Author: fporky
Date: 2003-04-20 04:49
what about "introduction, theme, and variations" by rossini?
I tried this for my state solo and ensemble fest, which has a time limit of 5 minutes, and cutting out all repeats, introduction, and minore, was... something around 5 minutes, and w/ a lot of 16th note runs and the good stuff
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-04-20 05:23
fporky wrote: "...and cutting out all repeats, introduction, and minore, was... something around 5 minutes, and w/ a lot of 16th note runs and the good stuff..."
The "good stuff" (your words) is what you cut out! ...GBK
Post Edited (2003-04-20 06:24)
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Author: Jennifer
Date: 2003-04-20 16:30
From the pieces you've played in band, I think you would maybe like the Lutoslawski Dance Preludes. You can skip the slow movements and do movements 1, 3, and 5. Each is a little over a minute. Very upbeat music. Poulenc is a good suggestion as well - the third movement is 3 to 4 minutes and a real crowd pleaser. On the more traditional side, the second movement of the Saint-Saens sonata is quite cheerful and is under 3 minutes.
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