hey all,

anyone played/heard this piece? I'm trying to play the first movement but - whoa - is it tricky... anyone learnt it and can help? i'm doing it for GVII so i'd like to get it spot on...

Hi Matt (think we've met before )

No, but I've played a clarinet piece by him - the Four Characteristic Pieces.

yes, we have met before - on my forums

are they any good? my teacher reckons he's one of 'the greats', or would've been if he'd lived beyond like 30 or something... and are they really difficult?

That's right!

I've only 'sight-read' them, took it out the library for sight-reading practise for diploma. They're between grade 6-8, as individual movements. I've heard friends at university play them though, and they are good. Great style, needs commitment and accuracy to the extreme. Some is a bit like Malcolm Arnold, but not quite to his extremes.

As I have access to Grove Online, I can see he lived in London from 1876 to 1906, and studied composition with Stanford at the RCM. (I have a recording of a Stanford piece on www.forumrecordings.co.uk). Probably had great potential.

Hi Matt,

I played the first movement for my Advanced Certificate (now replaced by the DipABRSM). The piece is in F major (as you know), and lies well on the instrument. I think the highest note is only the A above the middle C. The coda has a fast passage on the low register that requires a bit of practice, but otherwise I think it's a good choice (it can be played by many candidates though, so be aware).

actually I think at the end of the second page there's a top B (oww...)

the quick bit at the end - the animato - is pretty impossible for now at least - plus the run on the first page is a tad quick ( ) but otherwise... I think I'll get my fingers round it!

thing is though, i don't... 'get' it. you know when you play a piece and you can understand it, feel what it is saying and trying to make you feel... well this says nothing to me... maybe because I haven't played it much. the second movement, the 'ballade', speaks to me immensly though so i guess i'll get it soon.

you say you played it for your advanced cert. but now it's on the grade 7 list... why on earth? a dip piece on the GVII list? madness...

Only a one-word answer is needed - INTERPRETATION

I don't know the bassoon syllabus at all, but there are several pieces that appear on the clarinet graded exams syllabi, as well as on the diploma lists as well. There are also several clarinet works which can be performed for both DipABRSM, LRSM and FRSM, but it goes without saying that the performace you give for Grade 8 needs to have improved by DipABRSM, more for LRSM and even more for FRSM.