 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: loren
Date: 2001-07-06 22:53
I really hope someone can help me out. I've been on a quest for terribly depressing songs. Real tear jerkers, you know? I haven't had too much success in finding literature written for the clarinet that fits into this catagory of mine. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
loren
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Author: Mindy's Mom
Date: 2001-07-07 00:34
When played well Bozza's "Aria" is one that will bring you to tears. mindy did this piece for solo/ensemble and everytime she woudl play it the room would get silent and by the end you could almost hear your heart beating. At solo/ensemble she was one of the last students to play at the end of two days. Her judge saw what she was going to play and started to write pencil to paper -- she started playing and he couldn't write. he just sat there, laid his pencil down and just sat back and THOROUGHLY enjoyed the performance. When she was done no one in the room said anything for a bit and then he just said "WOW - - That was the best thing I have heard all weekend --- THANK YOU". I play the piano for her and everytime she would play it I would have tears in my eyes at the end. The piece ends SOOOOO very softly and in the chalameu region and she has such control over her air and pitch that it is breath taking when she plays this pice -- GREAT PIECE -- I encourage you to get it and play it well. It will bring tears.
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Author: spf
Date: 2001-07-07 03:38
Beauty to bring tears, or depressing to bring tears. You asked for depressing. That is so subjective, I think. For some, perhaps old Negro spirituals such as "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen." For me as a kid, just about anything from the Bambi soundtrack. For others, ANYTHING by Paul Simon (not of Simon and Garfunkle). : )
What's sad to you? Put your heart into it, and give it your best!
spf
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Author: loren
Date: 2001-07-07 04:02
Taps??? What is this? Also to clarify my rather subjective request-creepy and upseting, disturbing or just depressingly pretty. A perfect example is Shostakovich's eighth string quartet. It's not clarinet music, but along those lines.
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-07-07 04:19
What's so depressing about "50 ways to leave your lover??!" (Paul Simon) Just kidding!
Outside of clarinet literature try...
Barber "Adagio for Strings" (featured in the 1986 film "Platoon", rent it if you haven't seen it! The music makes the film, a best picture by the way.)
Albinoni "Adagio"
Handel "Largo" from Xersess
Debussy "Clair De Lune" (a personal favorite) or "Afternoon of a Faun"
Mascagni (spelling looks pretty close, I'm too tired to look it up!) "Intermetzo" from Cavileria Rusticana. (Wanna be depressed, its featured in the final scene of "Godfather 3" in a festival of carnage, I couldnt listen to it for years after seeing that!)
Gershwin "My Man's Gone Now" from Porgy and Bess (Stoltzman does it on his CD "Aria." Actually its a Soprano vocal solo.)
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Author: willie
Date: 2001-07-07 06:33
My wife plays "Along the Navaho Trail" in a slow bluezie style that sounds nice but sad. I transposed it to go down to low C on her flute. If you're into blues/jazz, there is St. James' Infermery that is one of my favorites.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-07-07 13:15
Fine suggestions, I also "vote" for the Barber Adagio. There must be some Mozart Divertimenti [clar trios?] in minor keys, I cant name them now but recall some. Will look in my "archives".. The song,"Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables, I believe, is a T J as well. How about some movements from Tschikovsky's 5th and 6th?? Don
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2001-07-07 13:49
Loren, unfortunately anything I play will bring tears to your eyes.
Bob A
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-07-07 14:30
What can be more tragic than Grand Opera? From Puccini's LaBoheme and Verdi's LaTraviata, Bizet's Carmen [I recall Stolzman's playing of the Flower Song, T J, YES] , AND of course Wagner's, the Ring [end music to the Twlight] and Liebestod [love's death?] from Tristan & Isolde. There are tragic scense in some BDWY musicals, S Pacific, Pal Joey [I think] and others. Also Grieg's Peer Gynt [Ase's? Death] and Valse Triest [by whom?] . Lots "out there"!! Don
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Author: David
Date: 2001-07-07 19:05
If all else fails, write something.
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Author: Brandon
Date: 2001-07-08 02:13
Not necessarily depressing to some, but these always make me feel a bit down. Maybe it is because of mere beauty, or perhaps knowing the process and difficulty of actually reaching attainment.
O Mio Babbino Caro- Puccini
Adagio for Strings- Barber
Music of the Night(from Phantom of the Opera)- Webber
Most Mahler symphonies- i will explain why later
Brahms symphonies
Romantic symphony- Howard Hanson
Schubert 8
Score to Schindler's List
Nessum Dorma
I am sure that there is a multitude of others. I think it also depends on how you perceive a piece. For example, some people just don't see why a piece can be so depressing. I try and imagine what the composer is trying to convey to me. For example, many people hear Barber's Adagio and hear strings in a solemn mood. Yes...but I hear Barber's inner struggle with his life. I hear him struggling internally with his sexuality in this piece. Same with the symphonies of Tchaikovsky. Mahler presents his symphonies in a cycle format. His first symphony deals with the Titan. His Second symphony is about the death and Resurrection of the Titan. I hear the ascension of the Titan in the Sterben section of the last movement. In Schindler's List you can hear the persecution of the Jews in the concentration camps and the struggle for freedom. In Phantom of the Opera, the Phantom is obsessed with Christine and his struggle for her to see him as a man, not an inhumane beast. Try listening to E Lucevan e Stelle(sp?) in the third act of Puccini's Tosca. Find out why he is singing this aria. As funny as it may sound, often some pop songs even get me depressed. S Club 7's Never Had a Dream Come True really does it to me. It haunts me about that person who I love but know that I could never be with. So try and read the liner notes to figure out what the composer is trying to say. Most opera has some depressing stuff because people get killed off a lot! I hope this helps a bit. Nothing to me is more depressing than hearing Mahler while sippin the Chianti!
Brandon
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-07-08 02:54
The Barber adagio does change a bit in other instrumentation, I love the Canadian Brass version which is much brighter, my wife and son play a piano transcription that is beautiful as well.
I'll ad to my list from last night an anthem we do in church on Good Friday called "None Other Love." (Sorry, I can't recall the composer.) It has a cello obligato that will indeed induce tears. Lacking a cellist last year, my son played the part on bass clarinet.
Brandon, your intrepretation of the Barber piece in terms of his internal conflicts is interesting, we disagree on Mahler however.
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Author: spf
Date: 2001-07-08 04:06
loren,
My apologies for my simplistic answer. I can't come close to touching level of advice given here. Didn't expect to. But I hoped to start things out with some things I didn't figure would be in most posts here. A different perspective...
I can't read your non-verbal communication here. I can't tell if you would prefer I lurk on by your future posts, or explain what Taps is. I coul do either you prefer. Sorry if I have overstepped.
Oh, and to clarify my error..... I meant Paul Williams (what an error!!!). The guy who wrote:
1. Waking up Alone
2. I Never Had It So Good
3. We've Only Just Begun
4. That's Enough for Me
5. A Perfect Love
6. An Old Fashioned Love Song
among others.
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Author: Brandon
Date: 2001-07-08 05:18
Jim, it is interesting that a Mahler discussion is coming! I will agree that whereas Mahler did not specifically say that the hero of the D major symphony is rising to heaven(as I previously said), but it is rather what I see when I hear this symphony's conclusion. This could best be explained by my giving you an overview of the symphony as a whole. It starts as if someone is looking at the deceased. The powerful opening. There is much anguish. But in the second movement there is reflection on the life. That is how the many dance rhythms are incorporated. The third movement is a period of questioning. I belive that I read somewhere that Mahler was posing the question, "Why are we alive? What do we have to live for?" Basically, Mahler was searching for answers to the afterlife. I will be honest and say that I cannot remember what the fourth mvt. is about, but I think it has something to do with him trying to answer that question with a poem. I know it is titled Urlicht, but I cannot remember offhand where it was from. His Wunderhorn maybe? Now to the good part! His last movement is supposed to be about the apocalypse if I am not mistaken. He got the inspiration for this by attending the funeral of someone...I can't remember who. Hans von Bulow maybe? It has been awhile since I have read anything about this! I do remember that Mahler did want orchestra and chorus, but was avoiding it because Beethoven had done the same thing with his Ninth Symphony. So he did end up using orchestra and chorus. At least during the last two and a half minutes or so. So Mahler is wondering why to live. He answers that with the Sterben section. "Arise, you will arise, My heart within a moment! What you have conquered, To God, to God it will bear you up." Ok...so i had to take a look at that last part again! But that is why I see the hero being lifted. Basically, I read somewhere else that the hero dies to be alive. Take that as you please!
Brandon
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-07-08 13:44
I believe it is one of the movements in "Victory at Sea" by ?Richard Rogers? vintage WW II +, war in the Pacific! . I've played concert band arrangements of it, the whole suite is only infrequently played any more, possibly its the best RR's long, great composing career. Others, please help Don
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Author: loren
Date: 2001-07-08 19:25
spf,
i just did not know what you meant by taps.
-loren
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Author: David
Date: 2001-07-08 23:56
I believe Taps is that arpeggiated song played on the bugle at funerals, but I'm not sure. G C... G C E... G C E G C E G C E... C E G... E C G... G C... that one, I think.
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-07-09 06:03
Don,
In the Rodgers (yes I too think it is his best work, and likely that of Bennet, the orchestrator and director as well) "No Other Love" is a Tango actually called "Beneath the Southern Cross" in Victory. Rodgers stole from himself and re-used the tune in an obscure show called "Me and Juliette" where the first line of lyrics is "No other love have I." My earlier refernce was to "None Other Love" which is a Passion anthem. (I still can't remember the composer, and Good Friday is a long way off.)
However the sequence in Victory on the "Bataan Death March" which is quite somber does fit this thread rather well. Its a largo that is based (loosely) on Taps.
For the younger folk, Victory at Sea is a 1953 NBC documentary series about the naval battles in WWII. It is 26 half hour episodes, and still is occasionally re-run and was also released on video. There is also a 1957 movie cut from it. The film (B&W) is from US Navy and captured Japanese footage as well. The naration is supurb, but Rodgers score makes it! It was released on 3 LPs, and now is on 2 CDs (still in print.)
David,
you are right about Taps, an old military bugle call used at the end of the day as well as at funerals.
Brandon,
I'll admit its been a while since I last listened to the Mahler 2nd. (I did have a blown out tire on the way home as I remember that night! I don't know what that means!) You gave me a lot to think about, Thanks.
Loren, Great post! You really got us thinking and talking. Add to all of this Ravel "Pavane for a Dead Princess" Depressing title, beautiful music. Branford Marsalis recorded it on sax, I'm sure clarinet would work as well.
Jim
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Author: David
Date: 2001-07-09 15:23
Ravel's "Pavane for a Deceased Infata"? That's how it's labeled on my CD, but it's foreign. That song's never made me cry, though it Is a very moving song. I'm no expert on foreign languages, but is "deceased Infata" the same as "dead princess"?
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-07-09 15:31
THANK YOU Jim, all of us [myself included] are profiting from your "dissertation" on R RoDgers and his great composition and its appearances, I have been surprised I couldn't recognize it in South Pacific [if its there??] . Yes, its a tango, and a popular song??, we oldsters heard/saw Victory frequently in the 50-60's, GREAT. Am happy to have played, "Name that Tune"! Its much fun to reminisce, Ah, memories!! Don
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-07-09 16:44
Isn't the word InfaNta?, however Mark has it correctly, beautiful, like many of Ravels, Debussy's , Faure's, Satie's etc of the Romantic? and Impressionistic ? time periods. [Any girl-child is a princess!!] Don
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Author: David
Date: 2001-07-09 18:37
Regardless of the title, it's a beautiful song anyway
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Author: larryb
Date: 2001-07-09 20:12
MOST DEPRESSING SONG TODAY, AS PROBABLY PERFORMED BY US MARINE CORPS BAND, WOULD BE "HAIL TO THE CHIEF" (given the chump of a chief we have)
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-07-10 05:19
Don,
I guess I am an "oldster", even though I was just 3 when Victory aired! My folks didn't even have a TV til I was 5, so I first saw it in re-runs. (I don't feel SO old!)
Mark & David,
Most of the notes program notes/ jacket liners I've read do give the Eng. translation as "Princess" and I wasn't going to try the French without looking it up!
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Author: Anne-Marie
Date: 2001-07-10 13:25
Hello!
The title in French is : "Pavane pour une infante defunte"
The word "infante" is the spanish translation of "enfant" which is "child" in English.
I have looked in my "Petit Robert" French dictionary and the definition they give is that "infante" was a "title" given to the youngest child of Spain and Portuguese kings in the 1400s.
"Defunte" means dead.
This piece was part of my audition with Ottawa University a long time ago : If you put a lot of emotion into it, it is "T J" as you can say. I remember that when I finished the piece, the 3 judges were just like Mindy's Mom description (a moment of total silence, like they were still transported somewhere!!!).
When you audition for either orchestras, ensembles, University, remember that they are not just looking for technical virtuosity : with lots of practice, almost anyone can achieve a good level of technical skills : to me, the big difference between what I call a "technician" and a "musician" is what you call in English the "feel".
For my audition, I played the Weber concertino and "Pavane pour une infante defunte" : both are so different and demonstrate 2 different sides of a musician. Anyways, for me it worked well because I got in and was the only clarinet student in the interpretation program that year (the others got into the education program).
Have a nice day!
Anne-Marie
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