 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: brian
Date: 2000-01-31 20:14
Just purchased a great A clarinet. I was wondering if anybody could recommend any pieces written or arranged for A clarinet and piano. A pianist friend and I (both of us amatuers) do the church, nursing home, school routine in our little town and would like to explore this exciting "new territory". I am familiar with the version of the Mozart and Hindemith concertos for A clarinet and piano but any other suggestions would be most appreciated.
Brian
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Author: Gary
Date: 2000-01-31 20:49
Don't quote me on this, but I think there a Schubert piece (or a movement thereof) that is for A clarinet. I don't know the remember the name of the piece, but it shouldn't be difficult to find. Fantasiestuck, perhaps? And the 2nd movement of Gershwin's Three Preludes, arrange for clarinet & piano, is for A clarinet; at least it is in the two editions that i've seen.
Hope this helps,
Gary
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Author: Meri
Date: 2000-01-31 21:24
Gary:
You must be talking about the Schumann Fantasy-Pieces, op. 73.
Meri
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Author: Mario
Date: 2000-01-31 22:19
Hello Brian:
I see that this thread is well-started with a few references to Schumann. Strickly speaking, the music composed by Schumann at this time of his life (fairly late) was not written for a specific solo instrument. The intent (as demanded by Clara, his wife, who got tired of his husband not pulling his weight in the household - Clara was a very popular concert pianist at the time, and Schumann would have been destitute without his wealthy wife) was to publish music for amateurs amongst the wealthy bourgoisie who would buy the music to play at home with friends. The fantaisy pieces are most of the time played on the A clarinet (although the first movement sounds better on the Bb), but other (such as the delightful Romances) were composed for the violin but quickly transposed to whatever. A guy's got to make a livin'! Today, teh Romances tend to be played on the A for reasons described in the next paragraph.
That being said, there are not that many piano/A clarinet pieces out there that warrant studies early in one's life (i.e.: other things are more important to learn first). Understanding the origin of the A clarinet will explain why.
Clarinets, then (18th, early 19th Century) were primitive instruments with few, imperfect keys and random intonation. They could not play well in keys with #. It is still the case in 2000. Compare the D and Bb major scales across the two breaks and you can see what I mean. Bb is smooth and natural. D is clumsy and lumpy. You need years of work to get D right, while Bb, Eb and Ab just fall right into the fingers. This was even more the case 200 years ago.
However, clarinets had to play with strings and piano. Those two instruments love #. Strings are tuned to E, D, G, etc. Piano prefer arpegios with # instead of flats. So, clarinets had to adapt. The best way to adapt was to have instruments in many keys that the musicians could switch on request. Hence the early appearance of clarinets in all kind of keys. With mechanical improvements, an A and a Bb instrument became sufficient to play in most usual keys. The A takes 3 # away. So it is commonly found in orchestral music with tons of strings. Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky wrote wonderful solos for orchestral clarinets - mostly the A.
Mozart great concerto and quintet are pieces of music in the key of A major, hence use A clarinets. You can find piano reductions of these magnificient pieces that will please your pianist. It is probably where to start with this new instrument that Brian just got. After that, the Schumman (if you like that sentimental form of romantic music) is probably next, altough you might learn a lot less than with the Mozart's.
Jumping in time, you get to Brahms. It is interesting to note that his two sonatas (probably the greatest sonatas for clarinet ever written) are for the Bb. It is often tought that the A is a little bit more pastoral, dark than the Bb (the brillant one). If this were true, the two sonatas would have naturally been done for the A. Mais non! It is probably an indication that this so-called differences between the Bb and the A are due to construction than actual properties of the instrument (the bore issue - see a few thread back on this topic). It is quite possible that Brahms did not see the distinction, as didn't most other 19th century orchestral composers who used the A only to facilitate the life of the clarinetist (with no tone color intent in mind).
However, Brahms trio and quintet are for the A. Not surpisingly, they are pieces with strings around. So, here comes the A. There are two piano reduction of the clarinet quintet out there (one from the UK, one from Germany). The German one is $100.00 (no kidding), was done in the 30's, and is simply astonishing for the quality of the piano reduction contained therein (actualy, it should be called a piano augmentation since the 10 fingers are used extensively, while the British one only reproduces the 4 voices of the string, and actually take some notes away to make the pianist's life easier). Brian: If you are up to it, this clarinet quintet, reduced for piano, old german vintage, is magnificient. I have started learning the quintet. I figure I will never be finished.
Shortly after Brahms, his peers saw the potentiality of this instrument and wrote a few things quickly. Reiger (a contemporary of Brahms, more successful professionally, but humbled by Brahms' genious - his words) is quoted as saying: I need a few of these myself. Results: some late romantic stuff by minor composers like Reiger and Jenner (a pupil of Brahms) who pale in comparaison to the Brahms's stuff (although there are good moments here in there in seas of forgettable stuff). I am a little bit partial to Jenner sonata in G (in particular, the first movement), but as my pianist tells me: "it is icing on the cake better left aside until the great pieces of the repertoire have been mastered". One should spend as much time as necessary learning, say, the Brahms quintet, but should be proficient enough to punch through the Jenner in no time at all since it does not warrant the investment.
Fast forward to Stravinsky's famous 3 pieces for solo clarinet (great stuff to learn as a student - fun and technical, AND YOU DO NOT NEED A PIANIST). The first 2 movements are for the A, although many people do not bother. Stravinsky is rumored as having exploded in a fit of rage during a concert where the soloist played everything on the Bb. The purists will understand.
After that, you have to get to the Hindemith's concerto, whose first movement is very interesting and has an excellent piano reduction from Schott.
In the spirit of pieces for solo clarinets, I often used my A for these pieces to broaden its scope a bit. A good example: the Osborne Rhapsodie. This is originally a Basson piece. Playing it on the A (a little lower, darker, intimate instrument - at least in my pair of clarinets) is well suited to the character of this nice piece.
I have many other things in my collection for the A and piano. Nothing worth recommending here. The kind fo stuff you sight read once with your pianist, stop half-way bored solid, and never look back. The jewels are above. They are also in the orchestral repertoire or the great German compsers of the 19th Century.
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Author: Jessica
Date: 2000-02-01 03:46
I have a copy of the Rachmaninoff Vocalise for A clarinet and piano. Nice piece. I think it is arranged by Stanley Drucker.
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Author: John
Date: 2000-02-01 04:05
I might get put down for suggesting this, but any work written for Oboe d'amore works for an A clarinet - they are in the same key. This way, a clarinet player has the chance to play some of Bach's fine music for the instrument. The A major Concerto for Oboe d'amore is beautiful and works well on an A clarinet as long as there are no oboe players around to object. An oboe d'amore lies in the tonal range between an oboe and an english horn.
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Author: Daniel
Date: 2000-02-01 04:06
If you're up to the challenge, the Nielsen Concerto is for A clarinet and piano reduction... though you also need a snare drum for the full effect.
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Author: Graham Elliott
Date: 2000-02-01 08:44
As difficult works like the Nielsen has been mentioned I will weigh in with Herbert Howell's Clarinet Sonata. An original work of the highest quality, but difficult.
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Author: Brandon
Date: 2000-02-01 13:45
You could also try and get the Brahms Clarinet Quintet(if there is a piano reduction), the Spohr 4 Clarinet Concerto(w/ piano), and I have seen a Mozart Clarinet Quintet piano reduction scored with the A clarinet.
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Author: Margaret Copeland
Date: 2000-02-01 13:47
Jennifer Paull is the queen of the oboe d'amore and she has published music for it, http://www.amoris.com/.I don't see how you could be the Schumann for combination of beauty between the piano part and instrument.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-02-01 14:30
Brandon wrote:
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You could also try and get the Brahms Clarinet Quintet(if there is a piano reduction)
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No piano reduction available that I know of, and considering the complexities of the piece (using all the instruments so wonderfully), I don't know if a reduction would do any sort of justice to the piece. For practice only, perhaps a good MIDI rendition would be a better choice.
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Author: Katherine Pincock
Date: 2000-02-01 14:59
As far as I know, the Francaix Theme and Variations for clarinet and piano are written for A clarinet, and they contrast nicely with a lot of the other stuff mentioned here--they're in the typically lighter French style. They're somewhat advanced, though, with dramatic dynamic contrasts that can be hard to pull off when you're not used to the A, so you might want to save that for later. Hope this helps
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Author: Kim
Date: 2000-02-01 15:24
Most pieces that are written for Bb clarinet are originally written for A, like the Mozart Clarinet Concerto. IMHO, the hard Nielsen Concerto is also a good A clarinet concerto. I believe the Brahms Sonatas were also originally written for A. Check it out and ask local music retailers which clarinet pieces are for A clarinet. Some pieces that you have already played probably could be played on the Bb could be played on the A clarinet!
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Author: Doug P.
Date: 2000-02-01 18:56
Kim, the Brahms sonatas were definitely not written originally for the A clarinet! Another A clarinet piece with piano is the Sonatine by Arthur Honegger (1922)
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Author: Michelle
Date: 2000-02-01 21:15
Tarantella, Op. 6 (?) by Saint-Saens for Fl, cl, and piano. Very light showy piece--would be very easy to learn, if you know a flutist.
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Author: Mario
Date: 2000-02-06 16:40
In this thread on the 31th, I indicated that there were two piano reductions (with A clarinet) of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet. A couple of days ago, Mark said that he did not know any. I have the two of them right in front of me at the moment:
1 - Fentone F105 (Corby, England, 1974), arranged by Pamela Weston (a well-known scholar of the clarinet). About $15.00 US. I found in directly in the clarinet bin at Archambault Music (Montreal), so it should be available just anywhere.
2 - N. Simrock (Leipzig, Germany, 1931), arranged by Paul Klengel. About $100.00 US since it is an out-of-print edition that have to be assembled by hand on special order. I got it from a speciality shop in Dusseldorf, Germany.
While I agree with Mark that a "normal" reduction would not be able to reproduce the sublime beauty of this quintet (such as is the case for the Weston reduction), the way Klengel arranged the quintet is simply superb. It should be called a "piano augmentation." The result is very pianistic, sounds exceptionally well, and should be considered a piece on its own right (instead of a mere reduction). If one wants to develop this piece, has a great pianist available, this is a sound investment.
In the same order of idea, Edition Peters (another great German editor) has the only piano reduction of the Mozart Quintet for A clarinet and piano (while there are a few reductions for Bb available). As with everything Edition Peters do, this is a great reduction.
Peters is also coming out with a series called MusicPartner (the MMO concept) using competent musicians instead of the third rate ones used by MMO (I just cannot stand to terrible way MMO is put together - when I think that this is often used as a pedagogical tool...). They have done a few things of average interest, but recently released the two Brahms sonatas on this series. They are bound to come up with something for the A in the near future.
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Author: davyd
Date: 2012-03-06 03:55
" ... but I think there a Schubert piece (or a movement thereof) that is for A clarinet."
Schubert's Arpeggione sonata, perhaps? A good bit of it is in A major, and another chunk is in E major. I understand there's a transcription of it for clarinet & piano.
(Has this forum really been around for 12 years? Apparently so.)
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-03-06 19:05
The Schubert Arpeggione version that I have is for Bb clarinet - this was adapted by Bellison and Gervais dePeyer recorded this version with a few slight tweaks. It sounds good on clarinet (at least way he plays it).
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Author: donald
Date: 2012-03-07 08:14
There's at least one version of Arpeggione for A clarinet- i remember looking for it when in Germany some years back and finding 3 versions, the Brymer one for B flat and two others for A clarinet....
dn
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2012-03-07 15:31
The Schirmer's Vol 1747, "Masterworks for Clarinet and Piano" has the Schumann Fantasy Pieces transcribed for both Bb and A Clarinet.
Depending on your affinity for sharps or flats, you can swap clarinets between movements ---but that stinker ends each movement with the instruction "attacca," so you either insert a bit of a delay, or tough it out.
By the way, this collection which has the Brahms Sonatas, two Weber duos, and the Mendelssohn sonata has to be one of the greatest bargains in our published literature.
Bob Phillips
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Author: rtaylor
Date: 2012-03-07 15:57
I'll toss in the Sonata #2 by Max Reger. This is very dense and somewhat abstract music but it has some very good writing in it.
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Author: tacet
Date: 2012-03-07 18:23
Humphrey Searle's "Cat Variations" on the Peter and the Wolf cat theme.
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Author: Claristace
Date: 2012-03-24 17:17
Robert Schumann Fantasy Pieces for A Clarinet and Piano, Op. 73
Robert Schumann Romances arranged for A Clarinet and Piano, Op. 94
Gustav Jenner Sonata for A Clarinet and Piano, Op. 5 (student of Brahms)
Nino Rota Sonata for A Clarinet and Piano
Easley Blackwood Sonata for A Clarinet and Piano. Op. 37
Max Reger Sonatas (one is for A)
Francaix Tema con Variazioni
Stacy Smith
Post Edited (2012-03-24 17:18)
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The Clarinet Pages
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