 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GBK
Date: 2018-04-04 06:01
I'm doing the Firebird Suite (1919) in a few weeks and am reviewing my music from when I did it a few years ago.
Is there yet a consensus about the C-D trill in meas. 3 (and meas. 28) of the Variations?
Peter Hadcock, in his book, says it is whole step C to D natural trill. However, Sean Osborn insists that it is a half-step trill, to D-flat.
http://www.osbornmusic.com/StravinskyFirebird.html
Unfortunately, I didn't mark my music when I performed it previously, and can't remember which way I played it.
Anyone who has played it recently? Which way did you do it?
...GBK
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Author: kdk
Date: 2018-04-04 06:40
In measure 3 (and 28) the chord in the upper strings is B-D-F-A. Trilling C-D would match with the A and B in the chord.
But in the 2016 Kalmus edition of the part by Clinton Nieweg and Clark McAlister a flat is explicitly indicated. Assuming Nieweg and McAlister had evidence for adding the flat, I guess it should be a half-step.
Now that I check, oddly enough in the much older (undated) Kalmus edition, which is famously littered with errata, neither the score or the part shows a flat sign in bar 3, but both have the flat in bar 28. The same is true in the 1989 score edited only by McAlister.
Of course, bar 28 is in a different part of the passage - it's in the first statement of the motive at bar 3, but it's the second statement at bar 28 (the whole section is a minor third lower). The harmony looks the same, but a really close analysis might show there was actually a reason why Stravinsky might have meant for the two trills to be different.
Karl
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2018-04-04 16:22
Let the conductor decide! There are so many errors in this piece, not only in the clarinet parts.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2018-04-04 17:07
The old parts were well known to be error-ridden. The new (2016) Kalmus parts edited by Nieweg (retired Philadelphia Orchestra head librarian) are much cleaner. If it's in the new part, it's far more likely to be documented.
And it isn't a question even in the original parts at the 28th bar. The question would have been whether the trill in bar 3 should be the same.
Karl
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2018-04-04 20:11
In the original 1910 version (Dover reprint of 1964 Russian State Publishing House edition) in m. 3 and m. 28 the D clarinet has a half-step trill, G to A flat
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Author: kdk
Date: 2018-04-04 20:39
Here's part of Clinton Nieweg's response to my email asking him about this:
"In the ballet ms. and the Schott Ballet critical score the D clarinet has a half step trill both times.
After 27 years of study of all sources and in consultation with Dr. McAlister, we decided to correct measure 43 to trill C-nat to Db."
To Glenn's original question, there may not be a consensus, but there apparently is some significant evidence for a half-step trill in both places.
What Stravinsky himself thought about it is something we'll never know.
Karl
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Author: GBK
Date: 2018-04-04 21:22
Karl,
Thanks. Very much appreciated.
...GBK
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2018-04-05 05:53
A story my teacher told me: Stravinsky himself came to conduct the Firebird with my teacher's orchestra. After the rehearsal many musicians swarmed around Igor to get their parts corrected. He told them that it didn't matter what notes they played and refused to make any corrections!
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Author: seanosborn
Date: 2023-03-29 20:19
I know this post is old.
Allow me to offer evidence that the trill is a half-step.
In the original ballet parts and score, it is a half-step.
In the 1911 suite, it is a half-step.
On Stravinsky's own recording, it is a half-step.
The 1919 version is in error, nicely corrected by Mr. Niewig.
Sean
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