 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Pat Boyle
Date: 2005-12-11 16:24
In this piece there is a sequence of #d, #g, #c, #d. Have looked for all the alternate fingerings. Any suggestions for less awkward fingerings for this sequence? Thank you for your help.
PJB
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-12-11 16:39
You weren't clear about which octave the passage is in.
If the notes are D#5 , G#5 , C#5 , D#5
then -
Play the G#5:
TR x x o / x x o
...GBK
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Author: crnichols
Date: 2005-12-11 17:09
You can try:
D# TR o x x / x olo Eb/Ab
G# TR o o o / x o o Eb/Ab
C# TR o x x / x x o
D# TR o x x / o x o Eb/Ab
That's the one I would use, but that fingering for G# might not be in tune on your clarinet.
Christopher Nichols
1st Infantry Division Band
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Author: bass9396
Date: 2005-12-11 18:10
My turn: these may not work on your Clar. but they may be helpful. I'm also not sure of how fast the passage is, so these may not work if it's pretty slow.
D# open
G# TR (2 side keys) x o o / o o o
C# x o o / o o o
D# open or TR o x x / o x o
There's my two cents.
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2005-12-12 04:37
Hi Pat,
The best fingering depends not only on which octave you are in but also whether your part is for soprano clarinet or bass clarinet -- both of which are possible if, as I suspect, you are referring to the aria "E lucevan le stelle," from "Tosca." Calling middle C (on the piano) C4 (see the small diagram above), if you can tell us which register(s) your passage is in and whether you are playing soprano or bass, perhaps we can target our suggestions more accurately.
Bass9396,
Are you sure you don't mean overblown throat G# for D#6? On most clarinets (at least the ones I'm familiar with), overblown "open" gives D6. Also, on most soprano (but not bass) clarinets, I think a better (second) D#6 than the one you recommend will probably be:
RT oxx oox G#/Ab
or
RT oxx oox F/C
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Pat Boyle
Date: 2005-12-12 11:38
My apologies for poor spelling (luvevan/lucevan) and the lack of clarity in my request.
The notes are in the clarion register and the clarinet is a Buffet soprano. Thank you for your help
PJB
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Author: bass9396
Date: 2005-12-12 12:38
Thinking in the wrong octave. I use the open fingering to produce the next D#/Eb above the one we were discussing. They get jumbled in my head too much.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-12-12 14:40
TKS, J K, I also wondered "what opera are we talking about". I looked up Tosca, "Vissa d'arte" ?no?, the ref. re: Stella was to Tales of Hoffman. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2005-12-12 14:51
OK. I've now listened to the aria. For anyone who doesn't know it. It is fairly slow (andante?) and the solo clarinet accompaniment (Bb) is both beautiful and exposed. The first half of the aria is essentially a duet between the clarinet and the tenor (and the clarinet leads it off! Thank you for bringing this duet to my attention. Hearing it was worth the effort of tracking it down.) Here is my recommendation (easier to do than explain):
D# normal fingering
G# normal fingering
C# use the right-hand cluster key fingering but immediately switch to the left-hand cluster key (while still holding the right hand key down, depress the left-hand C# key then release the right hand key). This sets you up for a smooth transition to:
D# normal fingering
Assuming you are playing at the tempo of the recording I was listening to, you have plenty of time to make the C# R/L switch.
GBK's suggestion also works. I usually think of his G# as more appropriate for fast passages so I was surprised at how clear and accurate a G# I could get at a slower tempo. Still, I prefer the normal G# with the R/L switch on C# (and I expect in this context Glenn might, too). It is a useful technique. So now you have two options to try.
Also, a piece of trivia I picked up in the search: This aria was used in the movie "Serpico."
Best regards,
jnk
Post Edited (2005-12-12 14:54)
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Author: larryb
Date: 2005-12-12 15:00
another piece of trivia (which I think was discussed here one before):
Puccini (successfully) sued for the composers/publishers of the pop tune "Avalon" for copyright infringement. Apparently proved that "Avalon" is knock off of e lucevan le stella.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2005-12-12 15:12
Jack wrote: "OK. I've now listened to the aria. For anyone who doesn't know it. It is fairly slow (andante?) and the solo clarinet accompaniment (Bb) is both beautiful and exposed."
The tempo marking is in fact "Andante Lento Appassionato Molto"!!! The piece is written for A clarinet. I've played it about 50 times and I really can't think of the passage to which you are referring. Is it an arrangement?
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2005-12-12 15:57
Liquorice,
Since the original part is for A clarinet, then it probably is an arrangement, possibly for band (I know alot of famous or popular arias have been arranged for band and A clarinet parts are almost always transposed for Bb. One of the community bands in St. Louis does a BIG holiday concert. They perform at Powell Hall [home of the St. Louis Symphony] and bring in the tenor, Hugh Smith, to sing with them. He always does a few arias. I heard an ad for this year's concert on the radio yesterday, so I was sensitized in this direction.) or from a book of Puccini arias transcribed for clarinet and piano, in which case it may be in the vocal part. (Sheetmusicplus lists such a book for numerous combinations of solo instrument and piano.) Perhaps Pat will let us know. It certainly would be easier on the A but, in my experience, A's are scarce in band music.
I don't actually have the sheet music, I simply found a recording on the Naxos website, listened to it a couple of times, then started playing along to see if I could find the passage in question. If the passage I found is the one Pat is describing, the four notes in question don't stand alone. They are in the middle of a longer passage under the tenor, not long before the clarinet drops out. I doubt they would stand out in your memory, particularly if you were playing them (E5, A5, D5, E5) on an A clarinet. They occur around 55-60 seconds into the Naxos recording with Lamberti.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-12-12 16:11
As Jack correctly said, this aria is slow enough to play the standard fingerings and then do a "retake" - switching pinkys. The alternate G#5 fingering I suggested, although surprisingly clear, is best used for more technical passages where switching fingers is not possible.
However, after now checking the music, this piece is probably an arrangement of the original aria which was wriiten for A clarinet in its key of D minor (1 flat) ...GBK
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