The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-05-27 15:39
If you are just looking for two fantastic clarinet players who play this, they would play it fantastically.
If you are looking for tempos specifically, the best advice is that tempos do not exist in a vacuum. As long as the way you play phrases and articulation match your chosen speed, it should sound fine. And always play within your ability to play musically even if that means a little slower than what you might desire.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-05-30 21:02
I play with tempo (pacing) within the standard Rose etudes. Tempo should be derived from the mood (and mood changes) of the specific moments within a work. Listen to great pianists and how they stretch time more freely than we do just moving from phrase to phrase.
If you think about it, we have so few weapons in our arsenal as it is. Limiting their use would be just silly. You can make notes longer or shorter, louder or softer - that's it. There are so many folks who go on about imagery, or a narrative, or .... a prevailing mood... but as far as sound goes, those are your choices. So I strongly advise using as much variety in the length and loudness as you can within a given context.
And just a further thought. When composers place a directive as to what they want in terms of tempo or dynamic at a certain moment, that DOES NOT say that they don't want any other musical treatment elsewhere, it just means that the rest is to be interpreted in standard musical terms.
...............Paul Aviles
Post Edited (2016-05-30 21:05)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-05-30 22:23
Baermann gives fairly general tempo suggestions. It can be hard to decide what the difference *in tempo* is, for example, between Andante Maestoso at the beginning and Molto Moderato when the Theme begins. The important difference is the mood - Maestoso does have a fairly specific meaning. But Andante, Moderato, Molto Moderato (very moderate?) are really vague with little indication of mood and leave the performer with a lot of leeway. Baermann is telling you he doesn't want this music to be rushed or hurried-sounding, but he doesn't want it to drag enough, probably, to require subdividing the pulse. The first Variation is simply marked Poco piu moto - a little quicker. Than what? The tempo you chose for the Theme.
The variety of tempo you've found is completely to be expected, because there is no single *right* tempo. You need to find tempos that make the music meaningful to you, given all the other markings Baermann provides. If you find a performance that you like and want to model on, you'll have found only a starting point. From there, your own musical instincts will take over, so long as you don't slavishly try to copy the performance by, for instance, writing down metronome markings and checking them each time you play the piece.
So, look for more recordings if you like, but in the end realize that you're mostly building a familiarity with the piece. You might try, as an exercise, singing the part you want to practice, so technique loses its influence. You may find the most meaningful tempo *for you* that way. And then, forget all the other tempi you heard.
If you're preparing this with another clarinetist and a pianist, you'll have to arrive at some agreement together, so your choice about tempo may not be the final one. Also, realize that tempo is often influenced by the acoustics and other characteristics of the place where you're playing. If you're doing this for your own recreation, this won't be so much a consideration, but if there's a public performance involved, it may be.
Karl
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Author: b0lz
Date: 2016-06-03 19:41
Thank you so much!!
I'll try hard working with my colleague.
Amanda
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