Oh dear Sbhoa!!! I hope said clari is feeling better soon

Try not to worry! The same thing happened with my clarinet a few years ago and after the tone hole was fixed, my clarinet played better than before. I didn't get the crack filled which might have something to do with it but that's another story which can lead to quite a debate...!

What a great idea for a thread!
Right now I'm playing some Krommer and a Stamitz concerto.
On that note does anyone know the approx. standard of Stamitz's 3rd concerto?
I'm having some 'issues' with the fast bit in the third movement, but other than that it's great fun!
MM

I seem to have somehow agreed to "play" the Poulenc Sonata with my local friendly Concert pianist....

I use the term "play" very loosely as I have told her I've never played it before and neither has she. She's asked for the music to practise and I said i'd look at it too.


Thing is I've now got home and looked at the music


Help!!!!! It seems very challenging. Any tips to getting this right??? I'm going to go and have a go but some of the directions are hard to fathom too as in French(?) rather than the usual Italian.


For example: what does tres leger mean??? around bar 42 Mov1
there's also surtout sans presser at section 9 (bar 78)
and doucement monotone at section 10 (bar 86)

Then it says monotone again at section 12 (bar 116) What is this getting at? - the note changes so that's not monotone is it????

<goes off to try google translator>

O.K. Found out that leger means light so tres leger is very light.
surtout sans presser means especially without pressing????? Not sure of the musical interpretation of this
doucement monotone means sweetly monotonous


But what does ceder un peu mean in mov2 bar 42????

sans presser is without hurrying.
cedez un peu is slowing down (or holding back) a little ... something like poco rit.

By the way, I got promoted to 2nd clarinet tonight.

Wow that's brilliant.

Well done sbhoa

Lois

Slow down a little

<remembers the hours she spent in the library with a copy of the Hindemith Sonata, the Schumann Fantasiestucke and a German dictionary>

That's fantastic Sboha

And thanks to you both for the translations. Now I've actually got to be able to play the thing

Any tips on that??? Some of the fast groups of 4 semiquavers (MOV1 beginning ish) are rather challenging especially going up to the top F#.

Can one back out of this I wonder.........

Thing is ..... if I'm to do this with anybody it's best done with her musical expertise i think. Bit scary though Not sure I'm quite at this level yet.......

Is this for a concert Dawn or just to play and rehearse for fun? If it's for a concert could you maybe suggest that you just play the 2nd movement which is much more manageable? It is a very difficult work to play as a whole.

For the 1st and 3rd movements work through them very slowly and in sections. The middle section of the 1st movement is also very difficult too as (providing I'm remembering correctly ) it is a very quiet dynamic and you need to make sure the upper B doesn't come out with more emphasis than the lower B - a lot of control is needed.

It's a very fun piece to have a go at though. Hope you enjoy it.

Lucid

It's just for "fun" Lucid But I think that it might still be best to look at the slow movement only first. I have thought about maybe suggesting looking at something slightly less strenuous too - The Krommer??? or back to the good old Mozart maybe. Could maybe look at the Schumann Romances either..... Or if I'm feeling brave maybe some of the Arnold Sonatina.

Some little part of me won't let me entirely let go of looking at this though BUT I don't think I'll make a particularly brilliant job of it yet....


Something's got into me lately and I seem to keep pushing myself clarinetwise. No easy life for me at the moment....

This pianist is fantastic though. She'll push me and keep me on my toes but she's really really nice too and glad of the playing opportunity. I just feel a little inferior next to her.

I haven't the music to hand (sat on the sofa and it's upstairs and I'm feeling too lethagic to get it!).

Whilst not claiming this piece as anything but hard, it isn't as bad as it looks at 1st sight. Work through the difficult semi quaver bits really really slowly and consider which alternative fingerings work best for you.

I would recommend listening to a recording early in the process of learning it. When I 1st started learning it I really couldn't make much sense of it just off the page (then again I was only 16 at the time). Its also worth considering the mood of the piece. I've heard the 3rd movement on its own played as a purely joyful romp personally I find the mood of the sonata as a whole quite dark, almost depressive.

Enjoy it I think it really is worth working at, hard but rewarding.

*has just discovered this thread*

hehe, I feel like I should post SOMETHING here even though I've not been "working on" very much! I haven't had a teacher since June/July when I took my grade 8, and then moved away, so everything since the grade exam has been completely exploratory. It does mean though, that when I do find a teacher again I should have progressed a lot as a clarinettist rather than just a student!

The repetoire I've been trying has been fairly limited to "what I could find on IMSLP". Copy-quality wise, that meant the Mozart concerto, and the Brahms sonatas (there's a decent quality Debussy Premiere Rhapsody on there too, which I might have a look at). Decided to work on the second Brahms sonata "properly", as I do need something to perform for my A-level! I've also bought the Cyrille Rose studies and etudes, to practise both sight-reading and technique from.

Been debating whether to buy some more clarinet music (I should have a teacher to consult SOON, but not soon enough!). I've been recommended the Finzi bagatelles, which I'm considering buying. Any more recommendations from you guys?

In that case there's no need to worry about having a look through. I personally think it's difficult to learn due to lots of high notes and potential intonation issues but it is a fun piece- in my opinion. I prefer the 3rd movement to the 1st, but I do like the 2nd and successfully played it as part of my A level performance at college. It used to really tire me out though, but that's not an issue now.

I think the Krommer is a really good piece to have a go at and I think I actually prefer it to the Mozart. Have you tried the 2nd Brahms Sonata yet? The 2nd movement is one of my most favourite pieces to play - especially accompanied, although the 3rd movement is also a close contender.

I hope you enjoy your playing. Lucid

Now that's a really good idea I have copies of both the Sonatas from IMSLP.


I just need something to give her the accompaniment of in advance as she doesn't have so much time to practise at the moment (2 young kids, 1 under a year old). She wants something to inspire her .... I daftly showed her the whole list of what i'd bought recently rather than selecting a few pieces I was comfortable with (I was in a hurry) and she quickly chose the Poulenc (she was in a hurry too!). I might dig out the Brahms and work on the Poulenc a bit longer before having a go accompanied.

I've also realised I have an appointment on the day we've arranged to get together so it'll probably be nearer 2 weeks away anyway. Thanks Lucid.

Woopsie~ I was playing those two pieces for my uni jury end of this month!! But I only played both of the 1st movement. not an easy piece on brahms though.

I'm working on the Finzi Five bagatelles (the fifth one), it's a lovely piece, but I'm still getting to grips with it!! Other than grade pieces, with my teacher, I'm doing the Donazetti duet and the Crusell in F, God i love that duet

It's rather scary in here but some interesting discussions and ideas for pieces

I knew there was an advanced clarinet thread here...thanks for finding, Louise!

I was thinking of finding some Cavallini to play...any good recommendations?

I stumbled across it by accident b-c but you're welcome!

Cavallini *goes to youtube*

Italian composer/clarinettist - Romantic era. Wrote piles and piles of clarinet music...

thank you