 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Curinfinwe
Date: 2009-11-27 20:37
I was listening to Bolero today, and I'd really like to know what all the instruments and combinations are playing the theme. These are my guesses from listening through once:
1. Flute
2. Clarinet
3. Oboe d'amour?
4. Eb clarinet
5. Oboe
6. Trumpet
7. Saxophone (Soprano?)
8. Flute
9. Flutes, maybe a fifth apart?
10. Flutes and something else in fifths?
11. High brass- trombone?
12. Lots of high winds?
13. Winds with strings?
14. Tutti?
15. Winds and strings with trumpet?
16. Tutti?
17. Tutti?
18. Tutti?
As you can see, I'm not sure about most of them. I'm sure there's people here who've played it, and for my own curiosity I'd love to know the instrument order.
Thanks!
Anna
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Author: davyd
Date: 2009-11-27 21:22
I haven't played this (I'm not sure I want to) but I have a copy of the score.
1. Flute
2. Bb clarinet
3. Bassoon
4. Eb clarinet
5. Oboe d'amore
6. Flute & muted trumpet in octaves
7. Tenor saxophone
8. Sopranino and soprano saxophones
9. Horn and celesta in octaves; piccolos at the 3rd and 5th
10. Oboe, cor anglais, and Bb clarinets in octaves; oboe d'amore at the 5th
11. Trombone
12. Flutes, piccolo, oboes, cor anglais, Bb clarinets, and tenor sax, in 3 part harmony
13. Flutes, piccolo, oboes, Bb clarinets, and 1st violins, in octaves
14. Flutes, piccolo, oboes, cor anglais, Bb clarinets, tenor sax, and violins, in 3 part harmony
15. Flutes, piccolo, oboes, cor anglais, trumpet, and violins, in octaves
16. Flutes, piccolo, oboes, cor anglais, Bb clarinets, trombone, soprano sax, violins, violas, and cellos, in 3 part harmony. Four bars from the end, piccolo and soprano sax drop out; bass clarinet and tenor saxophone join.
17. Flutes, piccolo, trumpets, saxophones, and 1st violins, in 3 part harmony
18. Flutes, piccolo, trumpets, trombone, saxophones, and 1st violins, in 3 part harmony
Solo #4 is the only entrance for Eb clarinet in the piece. I'm supposing it could be doubled by one of the two Bb clarinets.
As printed, solo #8 begins on the F sopranino saxophone, switching to the Bb soprano saxophone near the end. A teacher who was a regular sub with the local professional orchestra informed me that the solo is customarily played on the soprano saxophone all the way.
Oboe d'amore is a double for Oboe II. I've been informed (don't recall by whom) that the oboe d'amore passages are often played on cor anglais.
The bassoon and trombone solos begin (cold) on Bb4, a seriously high note for both instruments.
The trumpet section consists of 3 trumpets in C and a piccolo trumpet in D.
Post Edited (2009-11-27 21:41)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-11-27 22:34
There's only two sax solos, Soprano and Tenor. No bass clarinet solo but one of the most boring parts in the literature but I still enjoy playing it. Ravel should have written a bass clarinet solo, I'll have to talk to him about that. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2009-11-27 23:35
You forgot the main part.....the Stripper.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-11-28 00:01
I've always loved the part where the horns, piccolos, and celesta play together--a really ingenious combination.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-11-28 01:56
Don't forget the movie "Ten", with Bo Derek, that's what Bolero is all about. O yes, the snare drum. ESP
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2009-11-28 03:24
Ed,
Ravel actually scored the "soprano" sax solo for sopranino sax with the tenor sax player jumping in and playing the last few bars, where it goes below the sopranino's range, on soprano. Given the scarcity of sopranino saxes in orchestras (even more rare than C clarinets, I'd wager ), most saxophonists probably play the entire solo on soprano (transposing or reading the tenor sax solo).
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-11-28 08:22
And the likelyhood of anyone having an F sopranino sax isn't very likely either!
Shame the sax solos are played so boringly straight in nearly every recording - hardly any of the players make the most of the lip gliss up to the high Eb and do a fingered gliss, and they play the notes all exactly as written (all very precisely and 'nice') instead of making a solo out of it.
I just wish some Classical sax players would just lighten up sometimes and not play everything so boringly straight. As you probably gathered, Classical sax playing does absolutely nothing for me when played in such a rigid manner.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-11-28 16:06
I've done many pieces over time with Saxes in my orchestra, including recording Bolero. It's almost always the conductors choice of how that and other sax solo's are performed. The conductor always has the final say. We've had players do "more" with their solos only to be told to play it straighter. ESP
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2009-11-28 16:08)
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