 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: John Walker
Date: 2009-04-21 14:00
I am working on a project involving Leon Lester's 60 Rambles, and have some questions about tempos.
On the whole, the metronome markings are a little slow in relation to the tempo terms, such as Moderato, Q=63 (which is more in the Adagio range). Since these are teaching pieces it makes sense to suggest somewhat slower rather than faster tempos.
But three pieces in particular seem far out of line with their tempo terms. These are: No. 19 Jim Dandy marked Giocoso moderato (Q=58), No. 22 Hill and Dale marked Allegretto (Q=50) and No. 28 Syncopated Study marked Moderato (Q=60). The pieces all are intrinsically quick by their title and nature, but those slow metronome numbers do not fit their characters at all.
Does anyone who has taught these pieces know what Mr. Lester was thinking in those cases? Does anyone know him personally, with insights into this collection? And do you have any other thoughts on tempo within the whole collection? Thanks very much for your help.
Dr. John M. Walker
Director of Keyboard Studies
South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD 57007
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-04-21 14:52
Hi John,
I regularly use the Leon Lester Rambles series with my saxophone, flute and clarinet students.
You might find it interesting to note (no pun intended) that the "50 Rambles for Saxophone" book has no metronome marking on ANY of the pieces. The 50 pieces only have the Italian terms for tempo.
The flute book, "60 Rambles for Flute", only indicates metronome markings on 5 of the pieces and they all seem to be reasonable. (ex: Allegro marked as quarter note at 120)
For some reason, the clarinet book "60 Rambles for Clarinet" has metronome marking on almost EVERY piece, even though many of them are the identical music as the saxophone and flute versions (with no metronome markings), but just in a different key.
I think the clarinet metronome markings for the most part are wrong, and probably the work of an over zealous editor. Just looking at pages 28 and 37 of the clarinet book will show that the markings are flawed, since both pieces are in 6/8 and the indicated unit of measure is the QUARTER NOTE ?? (not the dotted quarter?) I also agree with you in that the printed metronome speeds are generally too slow for the character of the pieces.
Thus, I would use your best musical judgment and find reasonable tempos that will fit the style and mood of each selection.
...GBK
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-04-22 01:30
I used to use them years ago when I taught younger students as a supplementary "solo" book. I adjusted the tempo marking to the level of the student at the time. Taking into consideration the difficulty of the piece, the students level and the style of the music to capture the "mood" of the solo.
ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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