 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: klarenet
Date: 2008-05-20 21:24
Some of my friends and I are playing a chamber concert for an party with two clarinets and two flutes. We'd like to get a couple pieces in which we all could play. Does anybody know of any decent lit for this instrumentation? (Clarinets could be Bb/Eb, Bb/Bass, or Bb/Bb.) Thanks for your help!
Karen
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-05-21 00:31
That’s a tough call. You might want to try some easy string quartets. The two flutes can play the violin parts, a clarinet the viola; I believe playing the alto clef as if it’s the treble clef puts it in C clarinet. You might want to check that, I’m not positive; it’s been a long time since I did that. The bass clarinet plays the cello part and transposes to C, piece of cake. If it's for a party, after a few drinks no one will even notice if your transposing right or not. ESP
www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
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Author: James Langdell
Date: 2008-05-21 02:22
Here's a few more suggestions for music to be played by 2 flutes and 2 clarinets.
The Luyben Music website lists several pieces for that combination on this page that mainly includes duets for one flute and one clarinet:
http://www.luybenmusic.com/category.asp?section=Clarinet+and+Winds&category=MUSIC+for+CLARINET+and+FLUTE
A of those pieces are published by Kendor Music, and more detail is provided on that publisher's page listing Woodwind Quartets:
http://www.kendormusic.com/
You might also consider playing pieces composed as vocal music.
Four part canons (such as a Mozart Ave Maria) or SSAA works (several original by Brahms) should fit that combination well.
--James
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Author: mrn
Date: 2008-05-21 02:35
On alto clef, the middle line of the staff is what you'd call "middle C" on a piano (one ledger line below the treble clef staff). So . . .
To transpose a viola part to play on a Bb clarinet, add two sharps to the key signature, then pretend that the alto clef is a treble clef and that you are transposing to play the part on an A clarinet except one octave lower (so move everything up two letter names, then down an octave).
Example: Second space B in alto clef (written in key of C) becomes C# one ledger line under the staff in treble clef (key of D) when you transpose for Bb clarinet.
This works because when you pretend the alto clef is a treble clef, C's become B's (so everything moves "down" one letter name). To transpose for Bb clarinet, therefore, you have to compensate for this by moving the notes up *two* letter names once you pretend the alto clef is a treble clef, instead of just one letter name, like you would if you were transposing a part written in C on a treble clef. As it turns out, this is what you'd have to do to transpose parts written in C to play on an A clarinet, so if you can pretend you're transposing a C part to play on an A instrument, you've got it made.
The only possible snag is if your viola part calls for an open C or a low C# (just below the first ledger line under the alto clef staff). Those notes are too low for a Bb clarinet (although an A clarinet can hit the C#).
By the way, if you are used to reading alto clef, you can transpose flute parts for clarinet by doing the reverse thing--i.e., pretending the flute's treble clef is an alto clef.
Post Edited (2008-05-21 02:49)
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Author: donald
Date: 2008-05-21 06:18
I'm pretty sure that there's a piece written for this exact combination by a composer called... ummm... Greaves? It was a long time ago i coached a chamber group playing this... if it's not Greaves it's another "G" name. This piece is in the library at CCM (university of Cincinnati).
hope this was helpful
dn
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-05-21 07:58
As mrn has pointed out, Ed's statement that you can play alto clef on a Bb instrument by pretending it's treble clef is wrong. Maybe Ed is thinking of tenor clef.
The C-clef sign marks the position of C4, that is to say middle C. So alto clef has C4 on the middle line. To get this note on a Bb (soprano) clarinet, you have play D4. Ed's method would have you play B4, sounding A4, a sixth too high!
mrn's method works, but only if you are used to playing C parts on an A clarinet, which many of us are not.
Another method, which you might find easier, is to pretend that alto clef is bass clef, and transpose up an octave. How does this work? Well, imagine that the note on the middle line (which is meant to be C4) is in bass clef. Read it, therefore, as D3. Transpose up an octave to D4, play D4 on a Bb soprano, and you have the correct note.
You also need to add two sharps, of course. For example, the second space of the stave in alto clef is B. Read it in bass clef as C#, not as C.
mrn also points out that the viola goes slightly lower than the clarinet. A greater problem is that violins go down to G3 and flutes only to C4. The second flute, in particular, is likely to have to make some tricky decisions about when to go up an octave.
On another tack, maybe you can find music for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon; this should be very easy to adapt.
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Author: John25
Date: 2008-05-21 13:15
A glance through June Emerson's catalogue shows quite a number of suitable pieces.
2 flutes + 2 clarinets: Castle "Summer Sketches", Cowles "Twin Sets", Fairhead "Jazz Gavotte", Greaves "4 Bagatelles", Hanmer "Cuckoo Quartet"
2 flutes + 3 cls: Bonisch "10 little Pieces by Classical Composers", Caradon "Swingendo", Cowles "Suite Quintessential", Hanmer "Woodwind Quintets".
To see the catalogue go to www.JuneEmerson.co.uk
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