 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Rachel
Date: 2004-07-30 07:20
I know that similar topics to this one have been posted before, but there has been a few new people here lately and they will have different opinions than the older people.
Are there any works for the clarinet that you feel overshadow everything else that has been written for it?
The ones I would choose are (and my composition teacher would kill for for this; he'd say that I was unadventurous and conservative)
The Mozart Concerto
The 2 Brahms Sonatas
probably also the Brahms Trio and Quintet.
I have reasons for this opinion, and I will put them into words as soon as I learn to dance about architecture.
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2004-08-02 04:26
I think that when naming the "best" pieces, we tend to all fall back on the monumental works like the Brahms Sonatas and Mozart Concerto too quickly (no offense, they're great pieces). There are numerous smaller pieces that are equally good, yet don't compare with Mozart on a theoretical level. Think of it like this. On a theoretical level, Filet Mignon would beat a hamburger anyday in a "which food is the better" contest (for any burger-loving, Filet-Mignon-haters out there, save your breath... it's just an example). I personally don't feel like eating Filet Mignon all the time, even if it is better than a hamburger. Similarly, while the few "monumental" works are theoretically better than other pieces, you don't always want to hear them. There are many times when I prefer Five Bagatelles to the Brahms Quintet (though the latter, I assume most would agree, is much more brilliant).
The greatness of a work depends on it's purpose (or rather, the purpose of the listener). If you want a historically significant piece that is well-crafted and yada-yada-yada, the Mozart Concerto would be your "best piece" probably. If you are a musical "thrill-seeker", Mozart probably wouldn't do much for you, and the Corigliano might be more in order. I understand where you are coming from and (despite the evidence of my many past posts) don't mean to be antagonistic, but I think that we should be less quick to just rank the few "elite" pieces as the best and regard everything else as the stuff that's not as good as Mozart....
That being said, here are some pieces that (for a variety of reasons) I think are great...
Five Bagatelles, Finzi
Concerto, Copland
Concerto, Corigliano
Concerto, Milhaud
Contrasts, Bartok
Pretty much everything Francaix wrote for clarinet
Sonatina, Milhaud
4 Pieces, Berg
Sonata, Bax
Quintet, Weber
Intro, Theme, Var, Rossini
Concert Piece Op. 113, Mendelssohn
Those are some that rank high on my list...
DH
theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: Karel
Date: 2004-08-02 04:43
And then there is the Mozart Quintet .......
Karel.
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Author: Kevin
Date: 2004-08-02 12:31
Don is right. Too many times have I seen threads discussing top literature and too many times have I seen replies that start with Mozart.
I've overplayed my K622 recordings so much that the work is starting to seem unamusing to me. Perhaps I'll just put it away and then rediscover it some time later.
Now, as for the original question: I would put up there Weber Grand Duo, Weber Op74 slow movement, Poulenc Sonata, Copland Concerto, and Corigliano Concerto as solos that really stand out.
The Brahms sonatas are up there as well, but aren't really for every listener.
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Author: William
Date: 2004-08-02 14:13
Also, I like these works by Hindemuth: 1) "Sonata" very melodic, rhythmic style; fun to play and for the audience to hear; & 2) "Concerto" technically challenging, but musically expressive and fun to play (and hear). But, unfortunately, these are just a couple of another old persons's favorite picks. Come on, "newbies", how about some current (good) stuff??
Post Edited (2004-08-03 14:21)
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2004-08-02 16:50
A more modern piece which I think is EXCELLENT is John Adam's "Gnarly Buttons". While the piece is excellent on it's own, I think I also like it because it is a refreshing change from many other modern works for clarinet that just sound "predictably modern" (things like the Musgrave and Denisov Concertos). Too many modern pieces all sound the same to me (they don't all sound exactly the same, but it seems like most of the composers were drawing from the "modern music cliche" bag when writing them), but Gnarly Buttons is wonderfully fun and original. Hopefully it will become a classic.
DH
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2004-08-02 17:38
Shumann fantasie pieces
Baermann quintet and Aire Varie
and of course (someone has to say it) Stranger on the Shore
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Author: Rachel
Date: 2004-08-03 03:33
Don- I was thinking on a theoretical level as well as how much I like the works. In terms of balance, eloquence, beauty and purity of expression and so on, I haven't found anything to match the works I listed.
I love all of the pieces you've said that you like.
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2004-08-03 21:44
Rachel - I completely understand. I Love the Mozart and Brahms Pieces very much, and I think that you are correct about the "balance, eloquence, beauty..." etc. However, those characteristics don't necessarily make for the "best music" (at least to me) all the time. Sometimes I want something more in your face or abrasive. If beauty and eloquence were the only hallmarks of good music, there would be many great modern composers that we'd have to do away with...
As a composer, It's a little discouraging to think that no matter how hard one tries or how well one writes, it is virtually impossible to write a piece of music that will be regarded as being "as good as the Mozart". There are many pieces that I regard to be as good as the Mozart (Copland Concerto, for example), though this distinction is hard to quantify. It's like (to fall back on food metaphors!) trying to say if a piece of cake is better than a piece of fish. It just depends. But, for whatever reason, people just hold the Mozart up on a pedestal. I'll admit that if the Mozart is a piece of cake, it's probably the best piece of cake that exists. But what if you prefer fish?
For me, personally, I try to judge music by it's "level of perfection" in my mind. For example, could Mozart have done anything differently to make the Concerto better? I would say no. Could Copland have done anything differently to make his Concerto better? Again, I'd probably say no (obviously, this is impossible to say for sure, but I don't hear anything in either of these pieces that doesn't seem to fit... they just seem perfect to me). So I would consider these two pieces to be about the same amount of goodness... that's just how I judge it. I realize that this is very subjective, but that's pretty much how it is...
I just feel like sometimes, there are numerous pieces which I would deem "perfect" for their own sake (whether they be perfectly beautiful or perfectly abrasive) that just get swept under the rug because they aren't Mozart. That's all I meant.
DH
Post Edited (2004-08-04 03:47)
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-08-03 22:35
Don ... I agree, having composed music for various ensembles of clarinets ... Mozart is a hard act to follow ... for the record, not a big fan of the concerto (I've heard too many clarinetists masacre it) ... I much prefer his late piano concerti.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-08-04 10:19
"predictably modern"... nice term, and I know the sound all too well. I picked up a copy of Gnarly Buttons a couple months ago (along with a bunch of other stuff so I haven't played through it much). Seems like quite a cool piece so far.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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