As always, I'll fill in the gaps gradually...
A1: Andante (Carl Baermann, arr. Harris)
Review to come
A2: Croon Song from Four Characteristic Pieces (Hurlstone)
A very pleasant, tuneful little piece by relatively unknown English composer William Hurlstone. All the four movements are worth looking at (I particularly like the Scherzo), but this piece does give the opportunity to play something with bags of expression. It comes highly recommended from me. Piano part is tricky, key is one sharp fluctuating between E minor/G major, there's one altissimo E present, which is meant to be played very quietly.
Some bars to look at :
bar 19 : make the difference between 'pp' and the 'p' at the beginning.
bar 21 : left hand bottom F
bar 22-23 : a lot of control needed here, especially towards the end of the phrase. Careful of the altissimo bits!
bar 24 onwards: Make it obvious this is the original tune down the octave!
bar 35 : don't miss out the grace notes!
bars 38/39 : left hand C#s
bar 43 : right hand Db is probably easier
bars 44/45 : left hand bottom F
bar 47 : a big rit here!
bar 51, 56 : fairly obvious hairpins would sound good here
bar 57 : side key Bb, left hand C# probably easiest here
and make a lot of both the rall. and the hairpin at the end!
A3 : Grave and Allegro Molto from the Concertino for Clarinet (Tartini, arr. Jacob)
Review to come
B1 : Vocalise (Rachmaninov, trans. David Campbell)
Review to come
B2 : Massig bewegt, 1st mvt of Sonata for Clarinet (Hindemith)
Review to come
B3 : Carnac (Mark-Anthony Turnage)
A modern piece from the new Spectrum book. I think it's very good (heard Victoria Soames play it at the woodwind playday in London back in January). It's also not particularly hard for grade 6, in my opinion, and the piano part isn't too difficult either.
There aren't a lot of specific things to watch out for, here are a few things to think about though:
Generally: Make a lot of all the hairpins. Really go up to 'ff' and down to 'p'. All the semiquavers should be short and percussive.
bar 12, 58 : Left hand C# needed.
bar 13, 59, 60 : The D# is triple forte, but it must be well controlled, and in tune. Don't just blow for all you're worth!
bar 14 : is the same speed as bars 1-13, don't be tempted to slow down.
bar 15 : must be really, really quiet to get the effect needed.
Well worth considering, especially if you want 'something different'.
C1 : Study no.48 from Progressive Studies for Clarinet (Chris Allen)
This study, in C major (but with a lot of accidentals), has a lot of leaps, and can at first glance seem to lack structure. But it does have a decent framework, and if you're looking for a 'study-ish' study for grade 6, this is a good option. 3/4 time, very quick at crotchet=152, highest note is altissimo F.
Individual bars/sections:
bar 3-4 : the loudest note is the Db in bar 4, not the Ab in bar 3 - be careful.
bar 7 : it might be good to use the fork fingering for B here. It's also a very big diminuendo here.
bar 9-16 : same as bars 1-8, up an octave
bar 11 : Right hand Db, left hand C and right hand B needed to successfully get to the Ab that follows.
bar 17 : the F-A leap may need practice. It needs to be both smooth and quiet. Aim for the A.
bar 18 : the Gb may be good as a fork fingering.
bar 19 : the first B should be right handed.
bar 22 : Another fork fingering for the B may be good here. Also, be careful of the tied Bb.
bar 23 : Right hand C.
bar 24 : Aim for the altissimo F, with lots of support and no biting. Practice this bar slowly at first, and don't ever be tempted to play this bar completely tongued.
bar 25-32 : same as 1-8, see comments above therefore
bar 33-40 : much the same as bars 9-16, with a few added quavers. A gentle 'push' on the accented quavers in, for example, bar 33 is all that's needed.
bar 40 : that last C is pianissimo. If you're struggling with this, support the sound more, and perhaps you may need to take a little more mouthpiece into your mouth.
This piece has its difficult moments, but it isn't at all bad. Worth a look.
C2 : Study in B minor (Demnitz)
Unsurpringly, this is mostly in B minor (though there's a bit in the middle that's B major). Quite fast, and also quite tuneful - this is a strong Demnitz study. Altissimo D sharp is the highest note to be found.
Looking at some individual bits...
bar 1 (and elsewhere) : Look where the accents are, they should be strong, and on the beat.
bar 4 (and elsewhere) : the 'sf' markings must be observed in spades!
bar 13, 14 : Make a lot of both the rit., and the diminuendo.
bar 15 : change of key - careful! In this section, really go for all the dynamic markings, make it expressive!
bar 17 : C# must be on the left.
bar 19, 26 : a C double sharp is present, remember too that it's a D#, not a natural, that follows it.
bar 21 : C# must be on the left, meaning the B must be on the right.
bar 31 : be careful of the tuning of the top D#.
bar 35 : make a lot of this rit. too.
bar 40 : be very careful dynamically here, it's a bit tricky!
A very nice study, it's good generally to see Demnitz back in force on the clarinet syllabus, and this ought to go on your grade 6 shortlist.
C3 : Mind the Gap (Chris Gumbley)
A jazzy waltz-style piece (therefore 3/4), B flat major, very quick too (marked crotchet=144, but can be taken a little slower according to the info written underneath the piece in the book). Most of the quavers are swung. Even so, this is tricky, and certainly to my mind, the hardest to play of the three C-list pieces in the book. Two leger line C is the highest note in this piece.
A few bars to look at:
Generally : make the tenuto notes obviously full length, and the staccato notes really quite short.
bar 3, 12, 30, 39 : First C probably easiest on the left.
bar 8, 35 : Careful of the C flat.
bar 16, 43 : Right hand bottom Es.
bar 17 : Make sure it's piano, and the crescendo marked should probably reach a forte by the time you have to return to piano at the end of bar 20.
bar 17-24, 44-49 : All the low Fs are best played on the left.
bar 25 : Careful - straight quavers here.
bar 26-27 : molto, molto rall. Make a lot of it!
bar 44 to the end : Never rise above 'p' for the dynamic. a lot of control needed here.
bar 50 to end : Make sure it's straight quavers here.
bar 51 : Left hand Db.
bar 53-54 : Again, make a lot of the rall.
Not easy, but well worth considering if you like jazzy options.
