 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Rachel
Date: 2003-11-25 22:09
I don't know how correct this is, but it seems that most of the "great" composers were either piano players or string players. Even at university last year, when I asked the composition students if they played an instrument, they would say "I play the piano".
Being both a clarinettist and a composer (and a piano player, too, but I started composing BEFORE I started playing the piano ) I was wondering if anyone knew of any famous composers who were also clarinet players?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-11-25 22:41
From the historical period:
Franz Tausch
Bernhard Crusell
The Baermanns
Klosé
Lazarus
Cavallini
I am certain there must have been a number of "household" name composers who may have dabbled on clarinet at one time or another.
Many modern jazz/big band musicians played clarinet (and saxophone) as well as wrote tunes: (ex. Charlie Parker, Jimmy Dorsey)
More recently, we should perhaps mention John Williams (composer/conductor). Coincidentally, his successor at the Boston Pops, Keith Lockhart studied clarinet for 4 years at Furman University...GBK
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2003-11-26 01:28
I read that Bernstein dabbled in clarinet before writing his Sonata - that's what it says in the "Clarinet Concordia" Cd booklet
Don Hite
theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-11-26 05:28
100-200 years ago:
Iwan Müller
Cyrille Rose
Louis Cahuzac
Henri Lefèvre
Contemporary:
Stanley (Mr. Acker) Bilk
Eddie Daniels
David Trainer
While some of these are hardly universally known, all were/are professional Clarinetists and composers (primarily for Clarinet). And hey, how's that for a spread?
Regards,
John
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-11-26 06:30
theclarinetist wrote:
> I read that Bernstein dabbled in clarinet before writing his Sonata - that's what it says in > the "Clarinet Concordia" Cd booklet
Doubtful.
I've read both major biographies of Bernstein (Humphrey Burton, Joan Peyser) and there was never a mention of him "dabbling in clarinet".
Perhaps the annotator of the CD notes was confused due to Lenny's "friendship" with David Oppenheim...GBK
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2003-11-26 13:26
Pamela Weston wrote the liner notes to "Clarinet Concordia." According to her, after "the summer of 1941, ... Bernstein travelled down to Key West ... to try and find relief from the hay fever that was plaguing him, and there began composition of the Sonata. Having fooled around with a clarinet, bought two years earlier from a pawnshop, he was familiar with the instrument's capabilities and wrote a work which makes no great demands on the players...."
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-11-26 14:48
Jack...Interesting. Thanks for the additional info. I stand corrected.
Humphrey Burton (Leonard Bernstein) talks about Bernstein taking a train to Florida for some rest in the summer of 1941 and renting a room in a house in Key West. There he indeed did work on the Clarinet Sonata while listening to the Cuban bands (those influences would later find their way into West Side Story).
On further rereading, Burton does mention that in August of 1939, after working on his "Hebrew Song" for mezzo-soprano and orchestra and with his NYC sublet apartment lease having ended, he used his last four dollars to purchase a clarinet from a pawnshop.
I'm guessing it wasn't a Buffet...GBK
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Author: Ed
Date: 2003-11-26 15:05
In Drucker's recording of the Corigliano, John Corigliano mentioned in the interview there that he had taken a few lessons on clarinet with Drucker in his youth. I don't know if he played it much or studied to learn better to compose for it.
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2003-11-26 15:29
Is it right that Percy Grainger played Soprano Saxophone??? Was he a wind player primarily?
WT
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Author: Ed
Date: 2003-11-26 17:08
Donald Martino played clarinet. Bio at: www.dantalian.com
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2003-11-26 18:39
Wayne -
Percy Grainger was primarily a pianist, and quite a good one. There's an uproarious recording of him playing the Grieg Concerto, with enough dropped notes to put Rubinstein to shame, but with more music in it than almost anybody.
I think Esa-Pekka Salonen is a clarinetist, and he has composed a number of pieces including clarinet. Do a Google search on Salonen and clarinet to find them.
Harpo Marx played clarinet in one of the movies, and he fingered the correct notes. Presumably he composed his own harp pieces.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-11-26 21:47
GBK - I'd hardly call any of your list "famous" with the possible exception of Crussel ... and, do you ever hear his concerto/i performed nowadays ... very seldom, I'd suggest ... if you take the word "famous" out of the equation then your answer is splendid. I guess my definition of famous is if your local fishmonger's heard of him (her).
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
Post Edited (2003-11-26 23:38)
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Author: tsmith
Date: 2003-11-27 14:18
Unfortunately, Elgar played violin primarily, and also bassoon as a young man, later dabbling in trombone, but he never played clarinet. From his suberb writing for clarinet, it might seem as if he would have!
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Author: john gibson
Date: 2003-11-28 19:47
Kukalakhah Mishobab of the East Indian Philharmonic although many dispute the claim it was his primary instrument. His "Of the Dreamwind Merchant in G# minor", is an excellent yet esoteric piece for those on a budget.
jg
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-11-30 23:11
clarinetstudent wrote:
> I'm not sure, but I think Mozart might have played the
> clarinet.
Perhaps Stadler let Mozart hold his or perhaps even blow into it once or twice (although knowing Stadler, he probably would have charged him for the privilege) but in all the Mozart bios (Jahn, Einstein, Deutsch, etc...) and articles I've ever read, there has never been a mention of Mozart ever playing the clarinet.
Mozart admiring its sound and capabilities? Yes, ever since first using them in 1771.
Mozart playing it? Highly doubtful...GBK
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Author: allencole
Date: 2003-12-01 17:27
Stephen Foster at least dabbled on clarinet (given to him as a gift in his teens) and supposedly composed his 'Tioga Waltz' on and for the instrument.
I can't find whether Percy Grainger actually played saxophone. His biography does quote him as saying that the saxophone is the instrument which mostly closely resembles the human voice.
hmmmmmmm..........
Allen Cole
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Author: jim S.
Date: 2003-12-01 17:42
I've read that Grainger played the sax in a WWI military band.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-12-01 17:47
After reading the above posts one would have to conclude (unless one stretches the definition of 'famous' to its breaking point) that there were no truly famous composers that played the clarinet. Perhaps clarinettists are so busy searching for the Holy Grail Ligature that they have no time to compose?
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Author: William
Date: 2003-12-02 15:04
Just yesterday I read in an old issue of THE CLARINET that in addition to being a world class composer and a violaist, Paul Hindemuth played the clarinet. News to me..............
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-12-02 20:54
GBK what's that famous Mozart quote about "if you could only hear the clarinets in (forget the name of the city, Paris?) ..." I think writting to his mother on one of his enforced journeys across Europe
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Author: jo.clarinet
Date: 2003-12-02 21:24
He was writing to his father from Mannheim: "Oh, if only we also had clarinets- you cannot imagine the splendid effect of a symphony with flutes, oboes and clarinets"
(from Jack Brymer's book)
Joanna Brown
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-12-02 21:56
Diz...The actual translation (from Jahn's Life of Mozart):
" Oh, if we only had clarinetti! You cannot think what a spendid effect a symphony makes with flutes, oboes and clarinets" - written from Mannheim, December 3, 1778 ...GBK
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