 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LeWhite
Date: 2003-12-08 00:46
In theory, to land an orchestral job, one must play, extremely well, orchestral excerpts and the Mozart concerto. So why do we all waste our time doing other stuff?!
Until I came to college almost a year ago, I'd never prepared orchestral excerpts and this year was examined on them, as I will be for the next 2 years. I feel VERY behind, and just want to know - should I be practising these A LOT more? By that I mean, doing all the major ones DAILY if not more often?
(PS On an amusing note, I've heard of an Eb job where they wanted the 1st and 3rd movements of Weber Concerto in Eb, played on the eefer! Not to mention bassoon positions advertising the need to perform the Mozart bassoon concerto on contra...)
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-12-08 01:56
LeWhite wrote:
> I feel VERY behind, and just want
> to know - should I be practising these A LOT more? By that I
> mean, doing all the major ones DAILY if not more often?
Do not learn the orchestral excerpts in isolation. If you do, they will seem like nothing more than just a series of short solos.
Orchestral clarinet playing requires you to learn the entire part. There are many difficult soli passages that are not found in the excerpt books and cannot be sight read flawlessly the first time.
You must know the complete clarinet part in context. You are just one part of a bigger whole. You must know how your part works in relation to the other instrumentalists.
Listen to the works until you know them cold. Purchase or borrow the full scores. Always try to use original parts or scores. The orchestral excerpt books have a number of misprints and typos. These are well known. If you play one of the known printed errors it will highlight your lack of preparation.
The orchestral excerpt books are certainly a good starting point, but there is more. Much more... GBK
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2003-12-08 02:06
This isn't really to the point, but would you really like to do nothing except play the Mozart Concerto and orchestral excerpts? There's a lot to be said for variety.
More seriously, music is ART. Just because playing, say, Brahms, won't land me a job doesn't mean it isn't worth playing. In my mind, playing good music is never a waste of time. Brahms makes my life better. More practically, I can also play Brahms at a recital or for some other concert- auditions aren't the only gig in life.
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-12-08 02:10
If you're a brilliant sightreader, the orchestral exerpts won't be a problem. Symphony Australia's orchestra auditions (generally) send out the exerpts two days before an audition - most of the time they are horrendous.
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Author: LeWhite
Date: 2003-12-08 04:01
At least with MYO they're sent out 2 weeks before... But the current players get to choose what they are. And I spoke to them yesterday, and they're not being very kind at all.. Genestera (Spelling?), Bartered Bride, Peter & The Wolf, Dances of Galanta... Etc...
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-12-08 04:22
LeWhite wrote:
> And I spoke to
> them yesterday, and they're not being very kind at all..
> Genestera (Spelling?), Bartered Bride, Peter & The Wolf, Dances
> of Galanta... Etc...
The Bartered Bride? Put your transposition shoes on...GBK
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Author: msloss
Date: 2003-12-08 14:44
Excerpts are part of the basic skill set and representative of how you will perform if given a seat. GBK is completely right, and a good audition panel will be able to pick up how familiar you are with the complete work by how you present the excerpt. Listen, study scores, focus on how the excerpt fits into the complete work. It is a leading indicator of how complete a musician you are. Trust me, people who just practice excerpts and K.622 and don't study the literature don't find work.
And OBTW, all the "other stuff" is what makes you a better musician and culminates in a strong audition on those excerpts. Klose, Baermann, Cavallini, etc. are all part of the pedagogy to make you a strong, musical and consistent clarinetist.
Good luck with your practicing.
M.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2003-12-08 18:48
Many times it's not the standard solos that are the problem-instead the tutti parts can be incredibly menacing and require just as much practice...
Many times I find practice spent with a metronome not very helpful becuase the conductor or solist will do something with rythmn or rubato that makes what was a normal phrase into a nasty ensemble part....
Things required of an orchestral player are manifold:
Excellent tone and intonation
Ability to follow conductors of varied skill
Ability to transpose and play with soloists...
An ability to blend...and also stand out from the section
A desire to learn
An ability to work well with others as a part of a team
A love for classical repetoire and music of all types
An ability to take the most lifeless scale into art...
an ability to learn quickly an adapt one's tone to the requirements of the music
an ability to phrase naturally
An ability to learn from other instruments...strings and the way they play and articulate
An understanding of musical forms...fugues, sonata form....coounterpoint, atonality,
a committment to excellence and appreciating different musical styles of interpretation....
David Dow
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