 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-04-20 11:11
Attachment: Score.png (58k)
I'm getting ready to play Sibelius 2 with the San Diego Symphony side-by-side orchestra (symphony + high schoolers) next weekend.
I've noticed that at the very end of the 4th movement, the clarinets play a whole note and cut off while the entire rest of the orchestra sustains. I'm curious if anyone has any idea about the rationale behind this.
Post Edited (2015-04-20 11:13)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-04-20 12:19
If you're talking about the 5th bar of S until the end, it *is* an eccentric bit of composition. It's surely meant to be a textural effect with the clarinets accenting the first beat, the bassoons, tuba, cellos, basses and timpani accenting beat two all against the chorale in the trumpets and trombones. Maybe Sibelius imagined church bells chiming along with some victorious chorale in the brass, or maybe water of a Swedish river lapping up against the fjords towering above it.
I don't know that the clarinets could possibly come out very audibly against all the rest of the soundscape Sibelius has created (the accents on beat 2 are much more strongly orchestrated), but it's a wonderful effect to imagine, looking at the score.
Karl
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Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2015-04-20 14:38
Seems more out of continuity of the expression, which the clarinets will have played for the previous 20 measures too. At FF with the entire rest of the orchestra, I feign to believe the drop out could be heard. Prior to the last few bars, they tie together the rhythm that the bassoon, tuba, and timpani are playing. It's so Sibelius that they're playing a sort of waltz pattern except rather than root-fifth, they're playing root-fourth - reminiscent of the end the 1st symphony.
I don't think he would have been writing about a Swedish river - he was a vociferous Finn!
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-04-20 15:54
clarinetist04 wrote:
> I don't think he would have been writing about a Swedish river
> - he was a vociferous Finn!
Right! I was writing at 4:00 in the morning during a bout with insomnia. Of course, the river would have been in Finland if it been anywhere.
Karl
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-04-20 22:55
We're not in the same orchestra; Jay is 1st in the San Diego Youth Symphony (the one going on tour - jealous!), and I'm 1st in the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra. Jay's a great player by the way, I didn't know he took lessons with you.
Both groups, as well as a third one (Civic Youth Orchestra), are involved in a side-by-side performance with the San Diego Symphony next Sunday, although Jay isn't involved since his orchestra isn't in the rotation for the clarinet section.
@everyone else, I was referring to the very last bar, where everyone but the clarinets sustains. (Picture of the score attached to the original post.) I figured it was a probably a continuity thing.
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