 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Larigot
Date: 2011-10-02 17:04
I play orchestral bass clarinet (not professional). I've just been given the part for The Rosenkavalier Suite. Are there any experienced orchestral players who have played this part, and who could advise on the altissimo key or fingerwork requirements of the piece?( particularly between score numbers 4 and 6) I'm optimistic that I will find my own solutions but any tips or advice would be most welcome
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-10-05 01:58
Yes, I have played it several times. The reason there are so many "high notes" is that in the original opera the part alternates between bass horn and bass clarinet but when Strauss did the orchestral scores he just scored it for bass clarinet so therefore you have some very high parts. Check my websites for suggestions and experiment to find what works best for you. The last page flies by and is tutti, many players take some of that down an octave because it can't be heard anyway. I'm not home right now so I can't look at my part for specifics but if you're still having problems e-mail at my e-mail address and I'll get back to you next week. Good luck. ESP eddiesclarinet.com
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2011-10-05 01:59)
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Author: BflatNH
Date: 2011-10-05 13:35
I was surprised that the ligature was important tor my high altissimo (written G6-C7), and that the more expensive ligatures, while providing improvements in the lower ranges, hindered the high altissimo. I've found that the stock Yamaha plain ligature (on a Grabner LB) actually worked better at the very upper end than many others. However, there are many ligature that I have not yet tried.
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2011-10-05 13:55
Small correction, Ed; the orchestral suite was not done by Strauss, but by Artur Rodzinski. The altissimo high G# referred to is in parentheses; even if one plays it it is doubled in other instruments.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-10-06 19:07
Thank you Larry, I didn't realize that. I'm out of town now and couldn't look at my part at home. I remember that whole last page being very high and having a time with it the very first time I every had to play it, many moons ago. It was a rented part and someone penciled in the notes an octave lower for many of the passages, couldn't blame either but I always try to play it as written. I am very happy that it can't be heard though. :-) ESP
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-10-06 19:11
Bflat, on the subject of ligatures. It is true that some ligatures will allow the reed to vibrate differently which is why they do make a difference. Some dampen out the highs, some deaden the lows or allow a register to vibrate freer etc. I think to the serious player finding the right one can make a lot more difference to the player then the average player realizes on either bass or regular clarinet. Try as many different types and style as you can get to try. Everyone has different needs. ESP
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Author: alanporter
Date: 2011-10-06 20:13
Excuse my naivity, but why would one want to play a bass clarinet in the high, or even low altissimo ? Surely the notes would sound better if taken over by a soprano horn. The bass is built to sound good in the chalumeau, and less so in the middle and upper registers. Shoot me down if I have spoken with forked tongue.
tiaroa@shaw.ca
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Author: davyd
Date: 2011-10-07 02:21
One would play a bass instrument in the altissimo register because that's the way the part is written. I personally would not, but that's just me. I defer to the Experts and their Expertise.
The one time I did the Rosenkavalier Suite, I played some of the part on Bb clarinet reading down an octave. I didn't get the part until dress rehearsal, which was the day before the concert, so there wasn't time to practice sufficiently.
Post Edited (2011-10-07 02:23)
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2011-10-07 04:15
>> Surely the notes would sound better if taken over by a soprano horn. The bass is built to sound good in the chalumeau, and less so in the middle and upper registers. <<
Not necessarily, depends on what "better" is.
>> Excuse my naivity, but why would one want to play a bass clarinet in the high, or even low altissimo? <<
Either the music is written that way, or because you want to. At least I can't switch between bass clarinet and soprano clarinet several times per second with about 100th of a second or less to switch. Many players play music with the entire range of the bass clarinet, from lowest notes to altissimo.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-10-07 13:55
At a music party a couple of years ago, I played Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata on BC. It goes up to A6 ![[A6]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/a6.gif) , which is perfectly possible and is in fact a very good note. And of course a large part of the BC solo repertoire is contemporary and calls for the extreme altissimo as well as multiphonics and all the other modern techniques that soprano clarinetists must master.
More to the point, you need to be a complete player. As Ed P. will tell you, the orchestral BC repertoire also has more than enough altissimo to require mastery of it. Listen to his excellent altissimo playing on his site.
If you don't learn to play what the instrument is capable of, you have no hope of being a pro.
Ken Shaw
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