 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Robert
Date: 2002-11-16 21:40
Does anybody know in which piece the bass clarinet was first used in the orchestra? Just curious...
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2002-11-16 21:52
Meyerbeer's opera <i>Les Huguenots</i> (1836)...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2002-11-17 16:04
GBK--the uncontested heavyweight champion of musical trivial pursuit. THE WINNAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (AND STILL CHAMP)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: rmk
Date: 2002-11-18 00:27
Probably Dvorak Symphony No.5, (the real No.5, not the New World). But this is just a guess...
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2002-11-18 01:04
The bass clarinet was used in a number of operas since its introduction in orchestral scoring by Meyerbeer in <i>Les Huguenots</i>(1836). It was also used by Meyerbeer in 1849 for <i>Le Prophète</i>.
The question of the first use of the bass clarinet in a stictly orchestral setting is a difficult one to verify. My best guess would be the <i>Exhibition March</i> by Auber in April, 1862. Interestingly, in this piece, Auber uses <b>two</b> bass clarinets.
Dvorak's "New World" op.95 No.9 (No.5) was in 1893...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-11-18 03:14
rmk is referring to the earlier Symphony in F (originally No. 3, Op. 24, but later renumbered No. 5, Op. 76). It was completed in 1875 so still would not predate Auber. In any case, it should hardly count. The first clarinet part has a 6-bar bass clarinet solo about mid-way through the final movement. Strange that this should come up today. We performed the first and last movements of this piece in a concert this afternoon.
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: rmk
Date: 2002-11-18 13:13
GBK-
If you reread my original post you will see I specifically was *not* referring to the New World Symphony, which of course has no Bass Clarinet part.
I still believe the Symphony No.5 passage (albeit brief) is the first appearance of the Bass Clarinet in the symphonic literature.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Andy
Date: 2002-11-18 15:55
I will have to check but I think Tchaikovsky is up there to. In his Manfred symphonic suite (not the symphony there is an enourmous bass clarinet part. His tone poem Vaclava (not too sure of the spelling) also has an enourmous b/cl part. The later was actually withdrawn by the composer after it's first performance, when he was in his early 20s, but after his death the orchestral parts were found and the piece was revived.
I will check all my information and give any corrections in a day or two.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-11-18 18:41
Tchaikovsky of course wrote a prominent bass clarinet solo in the Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2002-11-18 23:35
According to the Harvard Dictionary, Lizst used bass clarinet in his tone poem Mazeppa in 1851.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2002-11-19 00:11
I think that <i>Mazeppa</i> (Symphonic Poem No.6), with its first performance (conducted by Liszt) in 1854 was for the (rare) bass clarinet in A...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: rmk
Date: 2002-11-19 00:19
Ken,
I think you are thinking of the Pas de Deux in Nutcracker (right after Waltz of the Flowers) as the Bass is tacet in that particular movement (the Waltz, that is...).
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: graham
Date: 2002-11-19 08:12
Ken/RMK
It's the sugar plum fairy that everyone thinks of re bass clarinet, though there are other bits like that duff sounding descending B major arpeggio in ?D of Flutes?/
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-11-19 14:33
I stand corrected. It stand to reason that a BC is not a particularly flower-like instrument
I've been told that the part in Liszt's Mazeppa is for BC in C.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2002-11-19 16:50
re: <i>Mazeppa</i>, Ken is probably correct. I knew it was for one of the "non standard" bass clarinets. I seemed to remember A, it very well could be bass clarinet in C.
Thanks Ken, your memory is most likely better than mine...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-11-20 14:01
GBK -
Actually, the information on Mazeppa is from a posting on Klarinet list. I've never played the piece, or, as far as I can remember, even heard it.
I hope nobody bids on the eBay item. For half the requested opening bid, I might buy it.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
