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Re: Mordents

Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2007-07-13 20:20

Well, guess what! There is actually a sample pdf of the first page of the organ score for this piece online at:

http://www.morningstarmusic.com/pdfs/20-974.pdf

I think you are right that there is a typo. But the question is, "What is it, exactly." Is it simply the inclusion of the unnecessary natural (and, in the wrong place at that for a [lower] mordant)? Or could it be that the mordant sign is incorrect and it should have been an [upper] inverted mordant?

First consider the mystery of the unnecessary natural in your part. Notice that the organ score, unlike the clarinet part, is in d-minor. In this key, if the composer actually intended an [upper] inverted mordent (rather than the lower mordent we see in the printed part), the natural sign makes sense because it tells the player to play from A to B-natural, rather than to Bb. Transposed to e-minor for your Bb clarinet, the accidental becomes unnecessary but we can probably conclude that the arranger simply carried the form of the ornament through to the transposed part. In any case, it does no harm, because it would be played the same with or without the natural sign, as you noted.

The other issue, however, is which type of mordent to play. Clearly the part is marked with a [lower] mordent but is this what Callahan really intends? One clue may be the natural sign. If this were truly a [lower] mordent, any accidental should be below, not above it (and, even in the organ part, a natural on the lower side would not be necessary). But we also should consider what's going on in the organ part at this point.

While the clarinet is playing a half-note (concert) A, with as yet an undetermined mordent, the organ is playing an eighth-note C# with an [upper] inverted mordent, followed by a eighth-note B-natural, followed by a quarter note A that ends the phrase. This suggests that perhaps Callahan (and Dethier?) intended you to play an [upper] inverted mordent up to B-natural with both parts resolving on A.

So there is almost certainly a typo because an accidental above a [lower] mordent is incorrect notation. The two most likely candidates for the correct notation are:

1. a [lower] mordent with no accidental. This is the simple solution but then why include the natural in the organ part, let alone the clarinet part.

2. an [upper] inverted mordent where the upper note is (concert) B-natural. This would explain the accidental in the organ part but not in the clarinet part (careless error when preparing the clarinet part?). The composer uses mordents in other places in the work both in the clarinet and the organ parts. With the exception of this one, however, they are always (at least on the sample page) [upper] inverted mordents. There is no rule that says a composer can't vary ornamentation but (unless there are clearly some lower mordents in the rest of the piece) it seems odd that he would do that here in the clarinet part -- especially against an [upper] inverted mordent in the organ part. And note that the organ part in measures 11 and 12 is identical to the clarinet part in measures 3 and 4. Finally, while I think that all the possible interpretations of the ornament (upper/lower, natural/flat) actually sound OK with the organ part, the A to B-natural has the most symmetry with the organ part. The B-natural in the clarinet's mordent anticipates the B-natural in the organ part.

So, some things for you to consider. My vote would obviously be for (2) but, ultimately, it's up to you. A peek at the original might solve the problem immediately but I don't know if that's possible.

Best regards,
jnk

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