 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Megan
Date: 2002-07-11 16:41
Hello, I'm a high school sophomore Bb clarinet player. At the end of August I'm going to be trying out for the youth symphony here, and I'll be needing a piece to play. I want something that's not too difficult, but good for an audition. I'm a little rusty, but with a little practice, I can probably improve a lot. If any of you have any suggestions (or links to sites with music would be nice!), I'd appreciate it.
-Megan
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Author: A.C.
Date: 2002-07-11 18:20
Hi Megan,
When I tried out for our symphony in Freshman year I played Mozart's Concerto for clarinet. This piece really showed my musicality. You can buy the piece at your local music store fairly easily. It's not that hard(repeats itself ALOT). This piece is good for trying out for symphony! There are also alot of other good pieces to tryout on. If you take private lessons ask your teacher what piece they would recommend for your skill level exc. Practice your scales including chromatic(from low E to High G or A)(they will probably have you play them). From experience playing the violin/viola in symphony I would recommend learning the sharp scales(such as the A Concert scale(your B major scale)and E concert(your F# Major scale) really well because most Bb clarinet music in symphony is written with alot of sharps(uncomfortable for some clarinetists who are used to playing flats). Good Luck! ~A.C.~
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Author: Kat
Date: 2002-07-11 19:16
Megan,
First check with the orchestra. Are there any pieces they would like to hear you play?
If you're left on your own, then pick something you will sound good playing. Mozart isn't quite as easy as A.C. suggests, but it IS a really good audition piece, nonetheless. I wouldn't worry quite as much about the F# scale. In my (really rusty) memory, those really weren't much a part of Youth Orchestra auditions. (we're talking almost 20 years ago though...) G, D, and E (clarinet pitch scales are probably all you'd need for the auditions in terms of sharp keys. C, F, Bb, and Eb, and Ab would also be good ideas...pretty much, with youth orchestras, they look for scales with around 3-4 sharps or flats, no matter the key of the clarinet.
If you do go with Mozart, really pay attention to your articulation and tone quality. Those are the MOST difficult things in Mozart, along with interpretation. My advice would be to play something like a Weber Concerto or the Weber Concertino. Those have everything from slow, expressive parts to flashy runs. They're also pretty well written in terms of things which are idiomatic to the clarinet.
Katrina
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-07-11 19:32
A.C... A few remarks in your post troubled me:
"...When I tried out for our symphony in Freshman year I played Mozart's Concerto for clarinet...... It's not that hard(repeats itself ALOT)"
To play the Mozart Concerto convincingly with effortlessness, grace, eloquence, and musicality is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. Clarinetists have been attempting to do just that for the past 211 years. Very few succeed, most do not. I have been a certified NYSSMA adjudicator for close to 30 years and have heard more high school students attempt the Mozart Concerto than I would like to remember.The number of memorable performances which stand out in those 30 odd years can probably be counted on one hand. The Mozart Concerto demands great discipline, insight, and maturity. Those performing qualities take time to mature. Playing Mozart is SO MUCH more than just the notes.
Do I have high standards? You bet, and I'm proud of it.
Secondly, you say:
"...most Bb clarinet music in symphony is written with alot of sharps(uncomfortable for some clarinetists who are used to playing flats)..."
Not true. Only the poorer transribed, edited and arranged versions of the standard literature is occasionally written that way. Most do include the requisite A clarinet part. Use an A clarinet - your orchestral life will be a lot more enjoyable.
Also, if you are uncomfortable playing in sharps, you need to put in some extra work in Baermann III or the equivalent...GBK (still cranky from the V-12 "flatter" tip change)
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Author: Shawn
Date: 2002-07-11 23:28
I think GBK has put it into words best when describing the difficulties of the Mozart Concerto. However...you must begin to attempt the Mozart at some point in your life. This might be that time, if you have an A clarinet.
Also, Himie Voxman compiled a wonderful book called "Concert and Contest Collection," which is a Rubank publication. I use this book for some of my younger students. My particular favorite is the Ballade movement from Niels Gade Opus 43. The pieces in this collection are short, and CAN show great musicality and technique. I emphasize the word can!
Good luck on your future endeavors!
Shawn
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Author: Elyse Evans
Date: 2002-07-12 02:09
The Concert and Contest pieces are good ones to try (actually, one of them is the Adagio from the Mozart Concerto). There is a variety of pieces to choose from, and a piano part is available.
The Mozart is not hard technically (usually). However, it is very hard to do musically and emotionally, as are many pieces. The Weber Concertos and Concertinos work well; I started with Concert and Contest from Rubank, then moved to Weber, and now I'm starting on the Mozart. However, there are tons of other pieces: Finzi's bagatelles, Brahms' sonatas, Jacob's 5 pieces, and Stamitz's Concerto. (These pieces were all on the repertoire list for a clarinet connection sponsored by my state university.) There are, of course, many more.
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Author: A.C.
Date: 2002-07-12 13:56
GBK,
1)What I meant was that it was not hard technically. Obviously most average to above average students in freshman-sophomore year aren't going to play it like Robert Marcellus would have(unless they are a clarinet prodigy). For my age at the time I think that I played it really well. Of course I play it better now since I have more experience, and alot more practice with the piece. I don't think that a clarinetist will ever truely perfect this piece and in order to play it correctly you have to play with depth (not the way most people in highschool play it in a "hollow" manner with absolutely no emotion or very little at all). Even in Freshman year I believe that I played it with "depth" and emotion.
2)About your 2nd comment: I was speaking from my own experience. Of course we played songs that were in a flat key for the Bb clarinet, but they were greatly outnumbered by the songs that were in a sharp key.
3)I do not have a problem playing sharps(I'm actually rather good at playing them in literature). I was speaking about the average sophomore age clarinetist,who is used to playing in flat keys. Thanks for the recommendation though(I'm alittle partial to my Klose book for method teaching).
(I should have stated my 1st message better) ~A.C.~
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2002-07-12 21:43
The Weber Concertino is a terrific audition piece and less musically tricky than the Mozart. It's not easy but it is fairly straightforward to learn without a teacher (which I'm assuming you don't have?) if you have patience and use a metronome. It's good for auditions because it has many different techniques in a short piece.
Call the orchestra- they may have specific scale requirements. My orchestra requires three three octave major scales and the rest two octave major scales and all two octave melodic minor scales, but they're all different. Also, ask if they require an A clarinet. They're expensive but often necessary; you may want to start saving your money now.
Good luck!
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Author: Tim2
Date: 2002-07-13 01:36
Whatever you choose to learn, learn it well. Mozart Concerto or Weber Concertino are fine. So are other things, a Rose etude, a transcription in the "Clarinet Classics" of Bach Cello and Violin Suites, Sonatas, partitas put out by Voxman. Shawn has good suggestions in his post earlier. You might even wamnt to get a clarinet part from something the orchestra played last year and work on that!
When you play whatever you choose, they will want to hear
a good sound,
clear technique, (no sloppyness in playing)
and musicianship.
Musicianship is as important as the other two. What ever you play, play with dynamics, and observe all the notation in the music around the notes. Smoothness. Clarity. What are you saying with the music? Maybe that's getting a bit deep but that's the goal. You want your music you play to say something to your audience.
Good luck to you in your forthcoming work.
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Author: lynn
Date: 2002-07-13 20:57
The Weber Concertino is a very good piece to use for auditions. So is Rabaud's Solo de Concours. The Brahms sonatas are nice (but if you need a pianist you'd better be able to find a good one!) but they do require a bit of musical maturity to be able to play them well.
I concur with those who say Mozart's concerto is difficult. If the runs aren't even, if it's not musical, it really doesn't sound good. It fools you. So while you may think that "gee those runs are easy" - and they repeat themselves a lot - are they really as even as you think they are? Mozart is very demanding that way, if it's not played perfectly, it sounds nasty.
There is one instance where I might use Mozart. It would depend on who your judges were......LOL for one local youth symphony I know, they use a lot of the "old ladies in the Guild" for the auditions (many of whom are former music teachers, mostly pianists). THEY like to hear pieces like the Mozart 3rd movement ("I know THAT one!" LOL)
Lynn
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Author: Megan
Date: 2002-07-16 00:20
Thanks for all the suggestions. I appreciate it, and hopefully I'll be able to find some of the pieces you mentioned. I'd ask the orchestra, but I'm pretty sure they aren't allowed to give suggestions.
As for the scales, we have to play all 12 major scales and the chromatic scale. I've pretty much got them down (since we're graded on them at school) so I don't really have to worry about those.
Someone mentioned the Mozart Adagio.. did you mean the Concerto for Clarinet Adagio? This is probably part of what everyone is referring to as the Mozart Concerto... Maybe I'm just stupid. Anyway, I've worked on that a lot, since I was going to play it for solo and ensemble night (which was cancelled. grr). I can play it fairly well, but I wasn't sure if it was difficult enough for the orchestra's standards. If this is part of what everyone is talking about though, maybe it is...
Anyway, thanks, you guys.
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