 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Jonathan Farquhar (Aus)
Date: 2001-11-25 09:37
(This subject may have been done to death so apologies if it has.)
What would be your top 5 or so favourite, most awesome, coolest, beautiful etc... pieces written for the clarinet that you've heard or played?
I'll start off with (in no particular order):
Corigliano - concerto
Finzi - concerto
Bax - sonata
Bernstein - sonata
Hindemith - sonata
And add just about every other piece written :-) but am just curious to see everything else that comes up.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2001-11-25 15:27
Mozart CONCERTO for clarinet and orchestra (None better, IMHO)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Wes
Date: 2001-11-25 18:44
Ditto but I'd include the following old favorites:
1. Brahms quintet
2. Mozart quintet
3. Brahms sonatas
4. Debussy Rhapsody
5. Mozart concerto
The great old and new masterpieces are so fabulous that five best is almost impossible to list.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-11-25 19:38
One of the masterpieces: Quartet for the End of Time by Messiaen, which includes Abyss of the Birds.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Micaela
Date: 2001-11-25 20:45
Brahms Quintet
Finzi Concerto
Mozart Concerto
Copland Concerto
Stravinsky Three Pieces (it's sort of a love-hate thing)
But I agree with almost everyone here- I love everything! I haven't heard all of the Quartet for the End of Time, though- which recording would you reccomend, Mark?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-11-25 22:32
I like the sheer style of the (Russian?) bottle dance clarinet solo in "Fiddler on the Roof".
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2001-11-25 23:24
Rubank Elementary Method for Clarinet - Lesson 1 Line 1 (page 2)
Just recall the initial feeling you had the first time you played this entirely by yourself with no mistakes ...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-11-25 23:54
I wouldn't. There are a number of recordings out there, and I've yet to find one that I thought was "bad". The Abyss of the Birds is a difficult piece to pull off.
You also need to read up a bit on Messaien to appreciate the impact of this piece.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Carmen Izzo
Date: 2001-11-26 01:05
Mozart Concerto
Copland Concerto
Debussy premiere Rhapsodie
Rossini Introduction, Theme, Variations
Tie-Weber Concerto no 2, Bernstein Sonata
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Peter
Date: 2001-11-26 01:06
I know Jonathan didn't mean it this way, and also that somebody out there is going to hang me in effigy, but as Tweety said: If I dood it, I get in twouble...
The original Woodchoppers Ball and Begin the Beguine by Woodie Herman and Artie Shaw, respectively!
Oooh, I doood it! (Time to duck! (Or is it bird?))
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2001-11-26 02:09
Hey, Peter! You missed the point AGAIN. "Best Clarinet Pieces ever WRITTEN". Not best PLAYED by somebody. And Woody Who??? Was he related to Woody Allen?
Bob A
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Peter
Date: 2001-11-26 02:42
No, Bob, I think it he was actually related to Gracey Allen! Or was that Allen Funt? Maybe Steve Allen...Could have been Woodie Wilson, but I have a tendency to think it was more like Pepe LePew!)
Anyway, he was third cousin (five generations removed,) to the vice-mayor (two generations removed,) of June Bug Junction, NE (six states removed,) at the time of the great drought and water surplus years.
So his uncle Henry gave him a holey, worm eaten stick for his 12th birthday, which he started playing around town (on Sundays,) just like a clarinet. Without a proper mouthpiece, of course, but surprisingly enough it was in perfect tune and had magnificent response. Never found out what size bore it was.
The thing of it was that he actually achieved this wonderfully deep, dark, smooth sound the likes of which anyone of us would be willing to kill 25 innocent by-standers just to hear, never mind achieve on our own.
(Just watch, Bob, tomorrow there will be a run on worm-eaten sticks at every antique furniture store in the world, and it will be the same guys who tried electrical tape on their reeds yesterday! Notice I said guys? I can't think of a single woman who would do something like that and let anyone know she either thought about it or actually did it. Unless, of course, it works!)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mario
Date: 2001-11-26 14:45
OK, Let's try a different angle here. So far, we have looked at the question from an aesthetical view-point (which piece do we like best, etc...). Let's try the question from a historical view-point (i.e.: beautiful pieces that we like very much that also influenced greatly the evolution of the clarinet).
Essentially, the clarinet never really took off as a regular soloist instrument. But it got itself solidly implemented as an orchestral (in classical, jazz, wind ensemble) instrument and this is usually how best it contributes to music today.
0 - The clarinet immediately took of as the core instrument of wind bands very early in its existence. Who knows which primitive clarinet pieces got it there. Listen to recording of early clarinet work with our little instrument sounding like fluid, liquid trumpets and you can hear how it got into these venues rapidly.
I will pick some little jewells for clarinet and horn (composers?) as of my favorite in this area. We play the clarinet in school bands today because of the original work of countless anonymous composers and clarinetists of the 18th century.
1 - The Stamitz's clarinet work (yes of course their concertos, but more importantly their orchestral work including clarinet - the Mannheim's works). Let's pick the concerto number 3 in Bb for now (a nice straightforward piece of music) since we no longer listen to the Stamitz' symphonies.This work led to:
2 - Mozart of course, but again as a user of the clarinet in orchestral context. Mozart's limited use of the clarinet in his late symphonies are more important than his concerto (although his concerto is sublime and rank as my all-time all-category personal favorite). Let's pick his Paris Symphony for now. This work led to:
3 - Beethoven, a great lover (and extensive user) of the clarinet (in his symphonies and many of his music for smaller ensemble). Beethoven was the second transition point in music in general (after Bach of course), and the first real transition point for the orchestral clarinet. From Beethoven, we get to just about anybody that followed. For argument sake, let's pick his symphony number 7. After Beethoven, ALL composers gave an important orchestral role to the clarinet and this has never stopped since then. Brahms is a great example. Classical clarinetists can make a living today because of Beethoven. Without his contribution, the clarinet could have remained a speciality instrument like the saxophone: popular in amateur wind bands but unfrequently seen in mainstream classical music.
4 - Brahms chamber work (pick the one you prefer; my prefered one is of course the quintet). What matter is that Brahms wrote quickly 4 pieces at the end of his life that got the clarinet re-habilitated in chamber music context, with the English in particular writing many little sonatas that kept the clarinet going for a while (Brahms clarinet work received more exposure in England than in Germany, even before Brahms death). Clarinetists are welcome in Chamber music context today because of Brahms. Without him, we would have been left with about 6 or so decent "grand" pieces to play in small group (Mozart, Beethoven and Weber).
5 - And then, naturally, the swing era masters (pick your favorite one - I for one vote for "Sing, Sing, Sing" by Bennie Goodman - "Begin the Beguine" as Shaw's top hit in its days is not far behind). We still dare to play jazz on the clarinet today because of these swing virtuoso. Without them, we would probably play only dixieland in festive contexts, confining the clarinet to this limited role in an early form of jazz idiom.
In summary: We play the clarinet in school because of many anonymous 18th century innovators. We play the clarinet in orchestras because of Beethoven. We play clarinet in chamber music because of Brahms. We play clarinet in jazz because of Bennnie Goodman.
An observation: We rarely hear and/or play Beethoven and Schubert music for small ensemble where the clarinet occupies a prominent role, even if this music is outstanding. I for on am very partial to Schubert's Octet. It is one of my personal dream to play this music one day.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2001-11-26 19:30
Beejay - The song was called "Stranger on the Shore" ...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2001-11-26 22:27
Duke was, and is, still right in saying, "If it sounds good, it is good." Some prefer Robert Marcellus playing Mozarts Clarinet Concerto, some Anker Bilk playing Stranger on the Shore (or anywhere else he chooses to play, IMHO) It's the diversity of musical taste that keeps all of us musicians in business and proves, once again, why there is only one "good" reed in any given box of VanDorens. Good Clarineting!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ~ jerry
Date: 2001-11-27 23:27
Bob Arney,
does "Sing, Sing, Sing" count.............was it written? Anyway, I love it by Eddie Daniels.
Otherwise, it's Mozart's concerto.............my version is by Stoltzman and I prefer it over the one I heard on the clasical station the other day. I cannot recall who performed it ( I would know the name if I heard it -- also started with an "S").
And, although I don't believe it was written for clarinet, I must mention the beginning of "Raphsody in Blue".
~ jerry
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Neil Mac
Date: 2002-01-15 11:22
Mozart - Concerto (naturally).
Neilson - Concerto. A superb composition with really interesting intervals.
Artie Shaw - Nightmare.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
