 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2007-08-23 15:51
Was wondering what anyone has used as a bass clarinet audition piece. I was thinking the Schoeck Sonata and I think it is OK, although I don't think it really shows off the bass to its best advantage. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Eefer guy
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2007-08-23 16:20
Why not use something from the soprano world? I've been meaning to take my bass to the Sutermeister capriccio...
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2007-08-23 22:21
I've had former bass clarinet students play successful auditions using:
Rabaud -- Solo de Concours
Weber -- Concertino (the regular Bb clarinet edition, not an arrangement!)
Bach -- A movement from one of the unaccompanied cello suites -- again using the original cello music. Just make sure there are no cellists on the audition committee -- they are not very tolerant of their repertoire being "raided."
Post Edited (2007-08-23 22:33)
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2007-08-24 12:50
Thanks for the suggestions! Have sorted out two piles of music of "possibles" and "not" and have ordered a bunch more things to try. Hadn't thought of the Concertino although that was an All-State piece on Eefer MANY years ago. It sounds great on basset horn but don't think I've ever played it on bass!
Eefer guy
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Author: CharlestonDoubler
Date: 2007-08-24 13:23
I played the Schoeck some years back for a bass audition. After winning the job, one of the committee members later remarked that all of the members had hated the solo. Rather than take that chance again, I have always used the cello suites which always receives good comments.
Best of luck on the audition......
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2007-08-24 17:29
CharlestonDoubler,
I had the same fear of this piece! Parts of it aren't really pretty and really don't show the bass in the most favorable light. Technically it's commanding and I can play it quite well, so those are its positive aspects for me. At least that might impress them! The Hindemith Bassoon Concerto was another choice, although I might get a bassoonist as a judge who would be angry at this too. Deepwood is a pretty piece for bass but too easy as a serious audition piece.
What we need is a good bass clarinet concerto done in the classical style, with emphasis on the beefy low notes, and most of all PRETTY. Any composers out there?
Eefer guy
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2007-08-24 19:42
I'm with Rod. You had me until Pretty.
Though if you want pretty, and if I were, hypothetically, to write it, it would most definitely be a "be careful what you ask for" situation.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2007-08-24 19:49
Eefer guy,
Take a look at Alea Publishing's list of pieces.
You might look into the works of Wolfgang Gabriel. He has at least four pieces written for bass...and I have his Bagatelles which sound wonderful. Lots of extended range with some good writing.
From Alea I also have the Schubert Arpeggione sonata which, with the altissimo, becomes quite a challenge.
James
PS...I agree with the Bach cello suites...I'm working on no. 2 right now.
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2007-08-25 14:15
OK PRETTY might be pushing it, but INTERESTING would be good enough. There are tons of NASTY pieces out there!
James, thanks for your suggestion about he Alea web site. Have bought a few pieces from them and generally liked what I bought. I pulled out the cello suites last night to practice. Good for working on my bass clef technique too, which tends to be less than my treble clef abilities, especially in big jumps. Was even thinking if I decided on using these I would re-write them in treble clef. An audition is not a time to show off your weakness! It's weird because when I play contrabassoon I think in bass clef, but it doesn't come naturally too me on bass clarinet! Must be all the other clarinets I play are only in treble clef so the brain says "you're playing a clarinet, second line is a G not a B".
I'll let you know what i decide upon.
Eefer guy
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2007-08-25 15:01
I like the bass clef mental exercise. Since we do have excerpts we are neede to play in bass clef I leave it alone...
But eventually I'll have a bass student ready for one of these. So if you rewrite it let me know!
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: JessKateDD
Date: 2007-08-25 17:06
Since bass clarinet has almost the same range as cello and bassoon (especially if you have a C extension), and their repertoires are so extensive, I choose to "borrow" from them instead of relying on inferior works for the bass clarinet.
From the cello repertoire, I second the suggestion of the Bach Cello Suites. And I doubt a cellist would be offended - double bass players raid the cello repertoire all of the time due to their lack of solo pieces. Of course they have precedent - Dragonetti performed the Beethoven Cello Sonatas on his bass with Beethoven at the piano.
From the bassoon literature, I enjoy playing the Mozart Concerto and Weber's Hungarian Fantasy.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2007-08-25 17:33
I'd look for a lesser-known Bb piece (one that the auditioners probably wouldn't have heard on any instrument). For a bass audition earlier this year, I played most of Jorgen Bentzon, Tema med Variationer. It lies pretty well on the horn, though it does go fairly high.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2007-08-25 17:50
JessKateDD wrote:
"I second the suggestion of the Bach Cello Suites. And I doubt a cellist would be offended - double bass players raid the cello repertoire all of the time due to their lack of solo pieces."
My comment was only partially jocular. I sat on an audition committee, chaired by Mstislav Rostropovich, to hire a principal trombonist for the National Symphony. The sour look on Slava's face when one of the candidates played a Bach suite movement -- and not all that badly -- would have stopped clocks! And no matter how well he played anything else on the audition, the poor guy was dead in the water.
On the other hand, I believe Craig Nordstrom played the Prelude from Suite#2 on at least one of his successful auditions. The moral: proceed at your own risk!
Weber's Adagio and Hungarian Rondo is a good choice. Hungarian Fantasy, a flute solo by Doppler: not a good choice.
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2007-08-26 16:21
The Hindemith clarinet sonata works great on bass. Everyone on the commitee will know Hindemith (noone's ever heard of Schoek) and will be able to judge your playing.
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Author: JessKateDD
Date: 2007-08-27 06:38
Weber's Adagio and Hungarian Rondo is a good choice. Hungarian Fantasy, a flute solo by Doppler: not a good choice.
Larry, this is an astonishing statement from such a seasoned musician! Weber's "Andante e Rondo ungarese per il fagotto principale" is commonly referred to as the "Hungarian Fantasy" - in fact, that is how it is listed on my recording of Bernie Garfield with Ormandy/Philadelphia. In no way was I confusing Weber's bassoon composition with Doppler's Liszt transcription.
And if Slava was offended, then shame on him! Was he willing to conduct Mussorgsky-Ravel or Bach-Stokowski, or did his hackles only get raised selectively on transcriptions from the 'cello? Then again, maybe Slava was offended that the trombonist did not play the Bach Suite well enough? Once you make a negative impression in an audition, just like in life, it's usually too late to turn it around.
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