 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2000-09-16 21:42
I occasionally run across band music parts for bass clarinet that have an few low Ds in them - Copland's "Hoe Down" and John Williams' "Far and Away" for instance. However, I have yet to see anything with a low C or C# in it. Does anyone know of any published pieces, particularly band pieces, that use either of these two notes? I'm hoping that I will someday get the opportunity to play that low.
--Don Poulsen
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-09-16 22:17
My experience exactly, Don, a few low D's, no C# or C's. Sure makes the additional investment in horns look marginal!! In our Tulsa Comm. Band, our bassoons need support about halfway thru the [good rendition of] Tschi's 1812, so I have a written-in part which is an octave above the buffoon, but would be better at the bottom of a low C horn! Otherwise, only in some studio-orch church "dis-arrangements have I seen any real need for the low C, since I only play symp music occasionally. Will be interested in other's comments. Don
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Author: Nate Zeien
Date: 2000-09-17 10:36
Don, I have run across several pieces where the bass clarinet goes down to low C. The great majority of the times that I've seen low C's it has been music of modern European composers. However, the music doesn't need to be recent or European. I know that Alfred Reed called for these notes in a couple of his pieces, an I believe there were these low notes in the band arrangement of Carmina Burana. These are in fact one of my favorite modern composers, and one of my favorite pieces - Good stuff :-) Like Don B. mentioned, I don't think it is worth spending the extra money to get a bass clarinet down to low C. It is very rare that you run into these notes, so I wouldn't get a Low C bass unless you play in a professional orchestra, or have a lot of money sitting around. -- Nate Zeien
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-09-17 16:00
Nate Zeien wrote:
<br>-------------------------------
<br>It is very rare that you run into these notes, so I wouldn't get a Low C bass unless you play in a professional orchestra, or have a lot of money sitting around.
<br>------
<br>If you were thinking about getting a Buffet 1183, then the incremental cost to get the 1193 (Low C) is only 300 bucks. Even bass clarinets are cheap - an 1193 is less than 5 grand in US dollars. Try getting a bassoon of that quality - you're going to spend about 3 times the price.
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Author: John
Date: 2000-09-18 00:41
There are a fair number of orchestral works that go down to
low c# or c. A few that come to mind are the Katchaturian
Piano Concerto, Shostakovich Violin Concerto, and Shostakovich 6th Symphony. You can also take stuff down in spots where the part should go down to those notes but the composer jumps the octave like Prokofiev 5th Symphony. Some people feel that the added length of a low C instrument give the entire instument more resonance.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2000-09-18 14:10
In my modest experience, I've also only had to use the lower notes a few times over the last 20+ years of playing bass clarinet. Specifically, I recall that Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet ballet music goes down to the low C in some spots, and I can't recall the couple of others. However, I've been told by a gentleman who plays a lot of contemporary classical music on the bass clarinet that many modern pieces do use the lower notes frequently. I personally don't believe the extra length of horn adds resonance; in fact I've often found the low-C version of a given instrument to be stuffier than the low-E-flat version. Another option one might consider is to have a low-C extension added to an existing instrument -- Steven Fox does this modification (for about $1050 Canadian, last I heard), and perhaps there are others who also perform this service.
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Author: SusieQ
Date: 2000-09-18 16:37
Hi Don!
Can't recall any band pieces that go down to, low C, although the Bach Cello Suites arranged by Michael Davenport use these notes frequenty. Unfortunatly my BC only goes to Eb. The Cello Suites are quite challanging and are great to practice on. This arrangement is written for solo bass clarinet. Best of Luck!
SusieQ
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Author: LynnL
Date: 2000-09-18 17:16
To add to what has been said already. I have a Leblanc Model 430 Professional(Low C) BsCl and play Community Band literature. While I agree that little of this material requires the Low D through C notes, there should be no problem with reading the above mentioned notes down an octave, using good musical taste. I had resonators added to my horn about a year ago by Peter Grenier, and Boy! what a difference it made. Those low notes and the others above it on the lower joint,in the Chalemeau and Clarion registers, really, really boom out and do resonate. There is a use for the extended range in capable hands. I also own and play a Leblanc Model 340 "Paperclip" Contra and the same thing applies. Those low notes can add definite value, if substiuted musically. Incidently, that horn has resonators too. And, Ken Shaw is right, the Leblanc's roar!
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2000-09-18 20:30
SusieQ--
I bought the Bach cello suites (It'll be a while before I can play them all.) and I recall nothing lower than a D. (Hmmm...Is this the lowest note on a cello?)
--Don
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Author: SusieQ
Date: 2000-09-19 13:36
Oops! Don you are right, but there are a lot of low D's, though. Unfortunatly my BC only goes to Eb, but I take the D's up an octave and it sound OK. I actually e-mailed Michael Davenport about playing the Cello Suites on a BC that only goes to Eb before I bought the music. He was gracious and prompt in answering my questions. It could be that he arranged the music so it can be played on any bass clarinet, just a guess. I couldn't tell you about the range of the cello though. Hope you find the music you are looking for.
SusieQ
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2000-09-20 04:48
One way to play the Bach cello suites on a low Eb bass is to use the violin transcription. Then the botom note is G below the staff. The violin transcription also works well for soprano clarinet.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-09-28 19:48
The bottom note on cello is C. If you get an edition for clarinet of the solo cello suites that's simply put into treble clef, then you will definitely need the low C, and quite often, too. Ditto if you simply learn to read bass clef (which, as a BC player you have to do anyway) and play the original (for which you will also need to learn tenor and alto clef, as well as scordatura (strings tuned to different pitches and the notes written out in transposition) for the 6th suite).
If you're playing in a band, there will be contra-altos and contrabasses to jump in for the low notes. If you're in an orchestra, you should be on good terms with your friendly next-door bassoonist.
My experience playing low C basses is that the extra length interferes with flexibility and dulls the sound. This is less of a problem on the newer instruments, which seem to have been redesigned to go to low C in the first place, instead of having the extra keys grafted on.
Leblanc paperclip contra-altos and contrabasses play more easily with the extension removed.
Certainly every A clarinet I have played with a low C extension has been tubby and unresponsive, and every recording of the Mozart Concerto I've heard has had an abrupt change of color between low E and low Eb.
Many flutists have a foot joint that goes only to C and use it unless the part calls for a B. One very fine flutist I know has a tiny foot joint that goes only to D, and both he and I prefer the way he sounds with it.
My bass clarinet (a 25 year old Buffet) goes only to Eb, and for me it plays easier than any low C bass I've tried. I'm also told that the bass clarinetist in the Philadelphia Orchestra plays the same model and uses a low C instrument only when he has to play those low notes.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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