 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Matt74
Date: 2014-08-26 01:58
This is kind of a newbie question. Correct me if I'm wrong but Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Quartet, are both written for a clarinet in "A". I imagine there are a lot of young students learning these who don't have an A, much less a basset for the concerto. What is the usual approach? i.e. Do they play the right fingerings at the wrong pitch on a Bb, are there some movements they can play at the correct pitch on the Bb, or do they get an A?
Essentially I'd like to start learning these, but I have the wrong instrument and I'm wondering what I should do.
Also, do players usually get similar Bb and A clarinets (R13 with R13, etc.), or is it whatever works for you?
- Matthew Simington
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Author: am0032
Date: 2014-08-26 02:52
You play the music with the same fingerings on your Bb as if you were playing an A clarinet. It's done all the time with high school or college students that don't have an A clarinet.
Adam
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Author: Hurstfarm
Date: 2014-08-26 03:01
I'd just flag that some editions of the Mozart come with piano reductions pitched to support clarinet in Bb.
On your second question about whether the A clarinet should match, the majority of clarinettists tend to opt for matched pairs, as it's easier to find instruments with similar response, similar "feel" to the keys and compatible barrel/mouthpiece, all of which helps when swapping from one to the other. That said no two instruments are the same and many people are perfectly happy with non-matching instruments.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2014-08-26 03:07
There are versions of both the concerto and quintet arranged for piano and clarinet and at least one of those has the piano part transposed up a semi tone to Bb so that the clarinetist can play the original clarinet part as written but on the Bb instrument.
Yes in principle most clarinetists choose to have a matched pair of Bb and A clarinets (i.e. the same make and model for both) however it is not absolutely essential especially for a new player.
When I started playing (many years back) A clarinets were virtually unobtainable and for 2 years at least I had to transpose all the A parts onto the Bb instrument. I was heartily glad to get my hands on my first A clarinet regardless of make.
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2014-08-26 03:20
Leaving aside the bassett clarinet option . . .
If you perform either of those pieces or practice them with accompaniment, then either you'll need an A clarinet or someone will have to transpose.
If you practice alone you can play what's written with a Bb, provided you don't have an aural issue with it sounding a half step higher than scored. The A-clarinet is slightly heavier and slightly wider spaced, which might signify if you get accustomed to the Bb and later use an A to perform on.
Unlike the Concerto and Quintet, the Trio was apparently written for Bb clarinet, still for Anton Stadler - is that correct? All three pieces are fun and salutary to play, on either instrument, even alone.
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Author: davyd
Date: 2014-08-26 04:05
I recall seeing an edition of the concerto for the Bb clarinet but in concert A major -- five sharps in the outer movements. That must have been "fun".
There's nothing "wrong" with learning the concerto on the Bb instrument, but if you plan on playing it with orchestra, you'll need the A. (Or is there a version with the orchestra in the key of Bb?)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2014-08-26 06:26
Yes, there are several editions that have the piano part transposed so the student can play the piece on the Bb clarinet as if it were an A clarinet. That way, if and when the student get's an A clarinet they don't have to learn the concerto in a different key. They just have to get an edition that has the piano part in the original key.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2014-08-26 07:13
FWIW, there is an arrangement with band accompaniment by Philip Sparke that's currently in print. I haven't actually seen the parts or score, but I'll bet it's written in Bb major for a Bb clarinet soloist. No one who wants to sell his work would make band arrangements, especially ones aimed at the school market, in A major, which would put the Bb and Eb instruments in more sharps than many of them have ever seen and the soloist also in B major.
The reality is that for many, many clarinet students the only instrument on which they will ever get to play the Mozart Concerto is a Bb clarinet.
Karl
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2014-08-26 07:47
I'm pretty sure you'd win your bet Karl. DeHaske has a sound sample from the first movement of Sparke's transcription on their website and it clearly involves a Bb clarinet for the solo.
I don't know of any orchestral sets for Bb clarinet but, if one really wanted such a thing and had Finale, it would be reasonably easy to create. Oliver Seeley has a Finale version of the score on his website. All one would need to do is download the files from his website, perform a global transposition and extract the parts. Not that I would recommend it. ![[rotate]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley25.gif)
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: William
Date: 2014-08-26 19:04
As for "matched set", that can mean clarinets A & Bb from the same manufacturer OR clarinets that are different brands that have the same resistance and tuning characteristics. For me, that means playing a Leblanc Bb Concerto and a Buffet R13 A. Many just assume that clarinets from the same company will necessarily play the same, but that is not so. Even two Bb's from Buffet can be drastically different in resistance and tuning, so you really have to search to find two clarinets of different tonalities that will feel the same. Ultimately, the A may feel a bit more resistant due to it's longer bore, but you can come very close, as I have been lucky to do so.
It's not so much important that you purchase your clarinets from the same manufacturer but more so that you find two clarinets that match each other. I suffered playing on my original Buffet A, which I bought in college and a Leblanc A, which I bought to match my Leblanc Bb, until I finally "rescued" a Buffet R13 in dis-repair off the shelf of a local high school band room where it had been sitting unused for "nobody knew how long". I purchased it from the school, put $500 into it's repair--pads, corks, silver plating--and brought it back to life. I now use it full time in my orchestra gigs. Not as well "in tune" as my Leblanc Concerto A (which Tom Ridenour tweaked for me), but it has a full sound that carries to the back of the hall and is easily *played* in tune.
Pick the clarinet(s) that play best for you and enjoy. Good luck.
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Author: MichaelW
Date: 2014-08-26 21:25
I suppose Stadler and Mozart purposely chose the A resp. Bassett intruments for these pieces. I think you would enjoy the distinctly different sound of the A. Some time ago I was lucky to find a high quality full Oehler A clarinet from Schüller, a less prominent Oskar Oehler follower, in playable condition for 350 Euros, and suppose something like that ought to be possible in the Boehm scene, too (of course the real thing would be a bassett clarinet for playing the original version down to c without transposition, as they are played by Sabine Meyer or Sharon Kam...).
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