The Clarinet Latest Edition - International Clarinet Association

Vol. 43 • No. 2
March 2016
Also in this issue...
Theodore Johnson: Remembrances
and Recommendations
The Clarinet in NYC: 1842-1900
daddario.com
EDITOR
Rachel Yoder
[email protected]
Introducing
MUSIC REVIEWS EDITOR
Greg Barrett
[email protected]
Kathleen D. Chau,
ICA Executive Assistant
he ICA is pleased to welcome Kathleen D. Chau as Executive Assistant.
In addition to supporting our day-to-day operations and fiscal management,
she will supervise publication of The Clarinet and continue to update our
business procedures.
Kathleen D. Chau
[email protected]
Kathleen Chau is a retired military clarinetist, having
served in the U.S. Navy’s premier musical ensemble, the
U.S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C. As a member of
this White House support unit, she performed with the
Concert and Ceremonial Bands, traveled extensively
throughout the United States, supported high-level military
and international events, and entertained thousands of
concert patrons annually. Chau also held several key
organizational roles. She initially managed the band’s
administrative services and subsequently supervised fiscal
and supply operations. Following her military retirement,
she has been actively involved in operating a small business
devoted to early childhood development, and was recently
appointed Music Program Coordinator at the National
Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. A graduate of Central
Michigan University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master
of Administration, Chau continues to perform in a variety
of ensembles in the Washington, D.C. area, and especially
enjoys the fun and camaraderie of the small community
bands of Northern Michigan.
AUDIO REVIEWS EDITOR
Chris Nichols
[email protected]
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Karry Thomas Graphic Design
[email protected]
ADVERTISING COORDINATOR
Elizabeth Crawford
[email protected]
INDEX MANAGER
Emily Kerski
ABOUT THE COVER:
Vol. 43 • No. 2
March 2016
Also in this issue...
Theodore Johnson: Remembrances
and Recommendations
The Clarinet in NYC: 1842-1900
Campus of the University of Kansas in Lawrence,
Kansas
The Clarinet (ISSN 0361-5553) is published 4 times
a year by the International Clarinet Association
International Clarinet Association
118 N Conistor Ln, Suite B, Box 296
Liberty, MO 64068
office: 443-286-1396
www.clarinet.org
ICAclarinet
facebook.com/icaclarinet
© Copyright 2016, International Clarinet Association.
Views expressed by the writers and reviewers in The
Clarinet are not necessarily those of the staff of the
journal or of the International Clarinet Association.
2 | THE CLARINET
MARCH 2016
International Clarinet Association
President:
Caroline Hartig – [email protected]
Past President:
John Cipolla – [email protected]
Secretary:
Denise Gainey – [email protected]
Treasurer:
Tod Kerstetter – [email protected]
International Representative:
Stephan Vermeersch – [email protected]
Executive Director:
Lynn Fryer – [email protected]
Executive Assistant:
Kathleen Chau – [email protected]
E-Newsletter Editor:
Phillip O. Paglialonga – [email protected]
Historian:
Alan Stanek – [email protected]
ICA Research Center:
University of Maryland – www.lib.umd.edu/scpa/scores
Research Coordinator and Library Liaison:
Malena McLaren – [email protected]
Social Media Editor:
Timothy Phillips – [email protected]
Webmaster:
Kevin and Sonya Morgan – www.morgansites.com
Contact information for national chairpersons is available in the member directory at clarinet.org.
NATIONAL CHAIRPERSONS
Argentina: Carlos Céspedes
Armenia: Alexandr G. Manukyan
Australia: Floyd Williams
Austria: MSDir. Mag.
Dr. Friedrich Pfatschbacher
Belgium: Hedwig Swimberghe
Brazil: Ricardo Dourado Freire
Bulgaria: Bobo Yotzov
Canada, National Chair: Pat Daniels
Canada, St. Lawrence Region:
Lorne Buick
Canada, Great Lakes Region:
Barbara Hankins
Canada, Central Region:
Margaret Wilson
Canada, Pacific Region: Patricia Kostek
Chile: Luis Rossi
Columbia: Javier Asdrúbal Vinasco
Costa Rica: Lenin Izaguirre Cedeño
Czech Republic: Stepán Koutník
Denmark: Anna Klett
Finland: Juhani Valtasalmi
France: Jean-Marie Paul
Germany: Prof. Johannes M. Gmeinder
Great Britain: Dr. Sarah Watts
Greece: Paula Smith Diamandis
Hong Kong: Maria Wong
Hungary: Bence Szepesi
Iceland: Kjartan Óskarsson
India: Dr. Pandit Narasimhalu Vadavati
Ireland: Paul Roe
Israel: Eva Wasserman-Margolis
Italy: Luigi Magistrelli
Japan: Masaharu Yamamoto
Luxembourg: Sébastien Duguet
Mexico: Luis Humberto Ramos
Netherlands: Céleste Zewald
New Zealand: Andrew Uren
Norway: Christian Stene
People’s Republic of China: Yi He
Peru: Marco Antonio Mazzini
Poland: Jan Jakub Bokun
Portugal: António Saiote
Puerto Rico/Carribean: Kathleen Jones
Serbia: Andrija Blagojević
Slovakia: Július Klein
Slovenia: Joze Kotar
South Africa: Edouard L. Miasnikov
South Korea: Im Soo Lee
Spain: Carlos Jesús Casadó Tarín
Sweden: Stefan Harg
Switzerland: Matthias Müller
Taiwan: Chien-Ming
Thailand: Cassandra Fox-Percival
Uruguay: Martín Castillos
Venezuela: Victor Salamanques
AD RATES & ICA MEMBERSHIP FEES
For advertising rates and specifications or to join the
International Clarinet Association, visit www.clarinet.org​​​.
HONORARY MEMBERS
Ben Armato (1928–2015)
Walter Boeykens (1938–2013)
Betty Brockett (1936–2003)
Clark Brody (1914–2012)
Jack Brymer (1915–2003)
Larry Combs, Evanston, Illinois
Buddy DeFranco (1923–2014)
Hans Deinzer, Frankfurt,
Germany & Bobbio, Italy
Guy Deplus, Paris, France
Stanley Drucker, New York, New York
F. Gerard Errante, Las Vegas, Nevada
David Etheridge (1942–2010)
Lee Gibson (1915–2013)
James Gillespie (Editor Emeritus), Denton, Texas
Paul Harvey, Twickenham, Middlesex, U.K.
Stanley Hasty (1920–2011)
Ramon Kireilis, Denver, Colorado
Béla Kovács, Budapest, Hungary
Frank Kowalsky, Tallahassee, Florida
Jacques Lancelot (1920–2009)
Karl Leister, Berlin, Germany
Mitchell Lurie (1922–2008)
John McCaw (1919-2015)
John Mohler, Chelsea, Michigan
Fred Ormand, Lawrence, Kansas
Bernard Portnoy (1915–2006)
Alfred Prinz (1930–2014)
Harry Rubin, York, Pennsylvania
António Saiote, Porto, Portugal
James Sauers (1921–1988)
James Schoepflin, Spokane, Washington
Selim Sesler (1957–2014)
David Shifrin, Norwalk, Connecticut
William O. Smith, Seattle, Washington
Harry Sparnaay, Lloret de Mar, Spain
Hans-Rudolf Stalder, Switzerland
Milenko Stefanović, Belgrade, Serbia
Ralph Strouf (1926–2002)
Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, East Lansing, Michigan
Himie Voxman (1912–2011)
George Waln (1904–1999)
David Weber (1914–2006)
Pamela Weston (1921–2009)
Michele Zukovsky, Los Angeles, California
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 3
Features
24
Guido Six (1955–2015)
26
The Chicago Mouthpiece
Legacy – Part IIB
by Eddy Vanoosthuyse
and Robert Spring
by David Tuttle
32
24
56
Don’t Give Me Daphnis: An
Injury Recovery Guide for
Clarinetists – Part 3
by Mary Alice Druhan, with
Kristin Keesey and Debbie Gillespie
60
Theodore Johnson:
Remembrances and
Recommendations
ClarinetFest® 2016
by Stephanie Zelnick
by Dennis Nygren
40
32
A Short History of the
Clarinet in New York City in
the 18th and 19th Centuries
– Part 2
by Jane Ellsworth
46
Masterworks for
Bass Clarinet –
A Personal Experience
by Rocco Parisi
48
Report from Norway
by Gregory Barrett
Departments
2
Introducing
Kathleen D. Chau,
ICA Executive Assistant
6
9
Clarinotes
12
News from France
14
Letter from the UK
16
Teaching Clarinet
20
Historically Speaking
News from Latin America
by Ricardo Dourado Freire
by Jean-Marie Paul
22
Hysterically Speaking
62
73
Reviews
76
ICA Officer Election
Candidates
79
BuzzReed – Connecting the
Clarinet Community
by Paul Harris
by Michael Webster
by Eric Hoeprich
Audio Notes
by Chris Nichols
by Spencer Prewitt, Jesse Krebs,
Kristy Nichols and Eric Salazar
80
Message from the Board
by Deborah Check Reeves
4 | THE CLARINET
Advertiser Index
AMB Clarinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Ann Arbor Clarinet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Aria International Summer Academy . . . . . . . 80
Aurora Winds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Belgian Clarinet Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Brannen Woodwinds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Buffet Group USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC
California Clarinet Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Chopsaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Claremont Clarinet Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Clarinetopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Classical Collection Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Crystal Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
D’Addario Winds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Freewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
H. Karlsson Woodwinds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Indiana University
Jacobs School of Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
J.L. Smith & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Lift Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Lisa’s Clarinet Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Lomax Classic Mouthpieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Luyben Music Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Midwest Musical Imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Muncy Winds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Patricola Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Peabody Conservatory of
The Johns Hopkins University . . . . . . . . . . . 35
ReedGeek, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
RJ Music Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Rodriguez Musical Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Rovner Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Taplin-Weir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 74
The Ohio State University
School of Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Universität Mozarteum Salzburg . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Van Cott Information Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Vandoren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC
Wichita Band Instrument Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Woodwindiana, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Yamaha Corporation of America . . . . . . . . . . . 84
MARCH 2016
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2015 MONTANA/IDAHO CLARINET FESTIVAL
by Kate Young
The 2015 Montana/Idaho Clarinet
Festival took place at the University of
Montana School of Music in Missoula
on September 11–12. Christopher
Kirkpatrick, assistant professor of clarinet
at the University of Montana, hosted
the event. Maxine Ramey, director of
the School of Music at the University
of Montana, was also there to welcome
participants to the festival. Students from
various universities and guest artists from
across the country joined together for a
two-day event of learning and playing.
Jonathan Holden (Florida State
University) and Oskar Espina-Ruiz
(University of North Carolina) served
as featured guest artists who each gave a
master class and solo recital. Espina-Ruiz
presented an opening recital titled “Clarinet
Without Boundaries,” focusing on complex
technical works for solo clarinet by Spanish,
Latino and American composers.
The next day, a recital featured guest
artists Kate Young, John Coppa, Joshua
Mietz, Greg Young, Leslie Moreau, Chris
Mothersole, and the comical Greater
Missoula Area Single Reed on a Wooden
Horn Society. Later in the day, a duet recital
was given by the Tosca Duo (clarinetists
Shawn Copeland and Lynn Musco)
and Duo Nyans (clarinetist Christopher
Kirkpatrick and saxophonist Johan
6 | THE CLARINET
2015 Montana/Idaho Clarinet Festival faculty
Eriksson). This duo concert exposed the
audience to music outside of the traditional
repertoire for clarinet duet and saxophone/
bass clarinet, and was an excellent addition
to the festival. In the afternoon, Shawn
Copeland presented a well-attended
Alexander Technique workshop.
The festival attendees participated
in the Festival Clarinet Choir, directed
by Joshua Mietz. They performed
Matt Johnston’s arrangements of works
including The Liberty Bell March and
Holst’s First Suite in E-flat Major. The
choir also played Mietz’s own wellconceived arrangements of “Clocks”
by Coldplay and the University of
Montana fight song. To conclude the
2015 Montana/Idaho Clarinet Festival,
Jonathan Holden gave a recital of music
by U.K. and U.S. composers, including
works by Gershwin, Copland, Stanford,
Roxburgh and Hurlstone.
MARCH 2016
LA FIESTA DE LOS CLARINETES 2016
IN HAVANA, CUBA
by Marita Rodríguez
The fourth annual Fiesta de los Clarinetes
will take place March 28-April 2, 2016,
in Havana, Cuba. The event is a project
of the Duo D’accord (clarinetist Vicente
Monterrey and pianist Marita Rodríguez),
bringing together chamber music
professionals from across the country and
guests from other regions to celebrate a
“musical fiesta.” Marita Rodríguez will
provide the artistic and general direction
of the event, which is sponsored by the
National Concert Music Center and the
Mozart Lyceum of Havana.
The week-long Fiesta de los Clarinetes
will feature concerts held in San Felipe
Neri – one of the country’s most
prestigious music halls – and master classes
and chamber music workshops in the
classrooms of Havana’s Mozart Lyceum.
Clarinet choir performance at La Fiesta de los Clarinetes 2015
In addition to host Vicente Monterrey,
clarinet professor at the University of Arts
and principal clarinet of the Opera and
Ballet Orchestra of Cuba, featured artists
will include:
• Cuban clarinetists: Javier Zalba,
Dianelys Castillo, Arístides Porto,
Héctor Herrera, Aylet Roque, Antonio
Dorta, Alden Ortuño, Michael
Elvermann, Rafael Inciarte, Maryibis
García, Niniam Rodríguez, Kimani
Simón and Joel Lafont
• Special guests: Trio Tre Colori from
Germany (Carelys Carreras, clarinet;
Elisabeth Wieland, oboe and Arlette
Probst, bassoon) and Mauricio Murcia,
clarinetist from Colombia
• Ébanos de La Habana Clarinet Quartet:
Laura Calderín, Dunia A. Benitez,
Yanexy Machado and Mario Rodríguez
• Trio Cañas Móviles from Cuba: Maray
Villeya, clarinet; Claudia Toledo, oboe
and Osmany Hernandez, bassoon
For more information, please contact
Marita Rodríguez at maritadavid@cubarte.
cult.cu.
2015 CALIFORNIA CLARINET CLINIC
by Shawn Copeland and Stephan Vermeersch
The second edition of the California
Clarinet Clinic took place June 21-27
at the Aldersgate Retreat Center in Los
Angeles, CA. The clinic is directed by
Julia Heinen, professor of clarinet at
California State University – Northridge,
and Peter Wright, principal clarinetist of
the Jacksonville Symphony. In addition to
Heinen and Wright, the faculty included
Shawn Copeland, Gary Gray, Burt Hara,
William Powell, Alcides Rodriguez,
Heather Rodriguez, Stephan Vermeersch
and Michele Zukovsky.
The California Clarinet Clinic
addressed most aspects of educating
the 21st-century clarinetist. Seventeen
participants experienced private
lessons, group master classes, a clarinet
repair clinic with Levi Tracy of RDG
Woodwinds, a mouthpiece presentation
by James Kanter, a reed lecture, and
presentations on stage fright, Alexander
Technique, yoga, breathing technique,
extended techniques, chamber music and
solo performance.
Most days started at 7:30 a.m. with
yoga or tai chi, followed by breakfast,
private lessons, presentations/lectures,
2015 California Clarinet Clinic faculty and participants
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 7
ICA ANNOUNCEMENT
2017 Composition
Competition –
Clarinet Choir
The ICA Composition Competition
seeks original works, previously
unperformed, for clarinet choir,
10-15 minutes in length. The
deadline is December 31, 2016;
the winner will receive a $1000
prize and a performance of the
work at ClarinetFest® 2017.
For details, please visit
www.clarinet.org or contact
Antonio Fraioli, coordinator
([email protected])
8 | THE CLARINET
lunch, presentations/lectures, master
classes or chamber music, dinner, and
then group master classes or concerts. One
morning featured a trip to the D’Addario
factory – an honored sponsor of this
summer program – where participants
experienced a guided tour on the process
of reed and mouthpiece production.
The 2016 California Clarinet Clinic
will take place June 19-23;
more information is available at
http://californiaclarinetclinic.com.
WILLIAM CARL DOMINIK
(1925-2015)
W
illiam Carl Dominik
passed away at the age
of 90 on November 6,
2015. Dominik grew up
in Lansing, Michigan, and was drafted
into the U.S. Army Air Forces during
World War II, initially as a clarinetist and
later taking on other duties. When the
war ended, he resumed his music studies,
earning a bachelor’s degree at Michigan
State College and a master’s degree at
the University of Southern California,
where he later completed his doctorate.
His clarinet and music training included
study with Clark Brody, Robert Marcellus,
Kalman Bloch, Joseph Siniscalchi and
Keith Stein.
Dominik joined the Conservatory
of Music faculty at the University of
the Pacific in 1967 as a clarinet and
chamber music professor, and upon his
retirement, he received the university’s
Order of the Pacific and the award
of Professor Emeritus. His previous
teaching appointments included Bethany
College (Kansas), Oberlin Conservatory,
University of Wisconsin – Madison,
Texas A&M University – Kingsville and
California State College at Los Angeles.
Dominik was a member of many
professional organizations including
William Carl Dominik
the International Clarinet Association,
for which he served as the California
State Chair for many years. He played
in various orchestras, including at
Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood in
Massachusetts, and appeared frequently as
a soloist, clinician and adjudicator.
MARCH 2016
News from
by Ricardo Dourado Freire
C
larinet players in Latin
America are organizing many
events to promote the clarinet
and clarinet performance
around the continent. This column
discusses important ways people are
working to bring clarinet players together:
in Paraguay, a first-ever gathering of
clarinetists; in South Argentina, a visionary
teacher and a clarinet choir organizing an
international event; and in Brazil, a small
clarinet company holding local auditions
for 48 young players to take part in a
national clarinet competition. These are
small steps that are making the clarinet
community stronger in Latin America.
PRIMER ENCUENTRO DE
CLARINETES DE PARAGUAY –
FIRST CLARINET MEETING OF
PARAGUAY
Paraguay was waiting for a clarinet event
for a few years and it took a very talented
young player with determination and
inspiration to do it. José Cabrera was
born in 1992, and today he is a member
of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional
de Paraguay in Asunción. He studied
with Ruben Jara in Paraguay and at the
Academia Latinoamericana de Clarinete in
Caracas, Venezuela, under the guidance of
Valdemar Rodrigues, Jorge Montilla and
Carmen Borregales.
Cabrera returned to Paraguay to
develop a career as a classical player and
to promote the clarinet for the younger
generation. His efforts resulted in the
Primer Encuentro, a clarinet event
bringing together clarinet players from all
around the country of 7 million people
in the center of South America. The event
was held at the Main Hall of the Sinfónica
Nacional, October 22-25, 2015.
The guest of honor was clarinetist and
conductor Antonio Saiote, professor at
the Escola Superior de Música, Artes e
Espectáculo in Porto, Portugal. The event
included master classes, individual clarinet
lessons, clarinet ensemble rehearsals and
two featured recitals given by Cabrera
and Saiote. The final concert featured
the participants and a clarinet ensemble
conducted by Saiote.
The Primer Encuentro was an excellent
opportunity to create a community of
clarinet players in Paraguay. Cabrera
promoted an important goal of the ICA –
“fostering communication and fellowship of
clarinetists” – by including Paraguay on the
roster of clarinet events in Latin America.
Antonio Saiote and José Cabrera
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 9
IV ENCUENTRO INTERNACIONAL DE CLARINETES DE BAHÍA
BLANCA (ARGENTINA) – FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CLARINET
MEETING OF BAHÍA BLANCA
del Teatro Colón) from Argentina. The
Gustavo Kamerbeek lives in Bahía Blanca,
participating ensembles included the Coro
situated 400 miles south of Buenos Aires,
de Clarinetes Carmelo Azzolina (clarinet
Argentina. He is a true clarinet enthusiast
choir), Banda Sinfónica de Bahía Blanca
who devotes himself to clarinet teaching,
(wind symphony), Sudestada Big Band
professional playing and conducting the
and Quinteto de Vientos Lakmé (wind
Coro de Clarinetes Carmelo Azzolina, a
quintet). There were many local players
clarinet choir of students and amateurs. The
including Diego Casoni, Raúl Soto,
fourth annual Encuentro Internacional de
Ricardo de Armas, Gabriel Dominguez,
Clarinetes de Bahía Blanca took place July
Uriel Kaufman, Juan Pablo Vazquez,
9-12, 2015, with four days of master classes,
Denise Boudout, Pamela Gallardo and
recitals, concerts, lectures and presentations.
Roberto Gutiérrez.
The event was supported by the Asociación
The IV Encuentro showed how
Filarmónica de Bahía Blanca and the
Secretaría de Extensión Universitaria de la
important it is for a community to value
Universidad Nacional del Sur.
the joy of playing the clarinet. The event
Guest artists included Cristiano Alves
was promoted by a group that developed
passion for the instrument, and by
(Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro)
Gustavo Kamerbeek, who works tirelessly
and Alexandre Ribeiro (choro soloist)
to inspire younger students and also to
from Brazil; and Osvaldo Lichtenzvieg
motivate amateurs to keep playing and
(Escuela de Música de Neuquén) and
enjoying life as a clarinetist.
Guillermo Astudillo (Orquesta Estable
Made in Italy
Virtuoso
Future generation
Grenadilla
&
Rosewood
Eb
Bb
A
C
Gustavo Kamerbeek
leading the clarinet choir
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10 | THE CLARINET
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MARCH 2016
from São Paulo, second place to Lucas
Ferreira from Rio de Janeiro, and third place
to Paulo Mantovani from São Paulo. The
first two places received Devon and Burgani
clarinets and clarinet apparel from sponsors.
The “Rafael Galhardo Caro” Clarinet
Competition recognized young talent and
brought to the big city of São Paulo players
from such states as Minas Gerais, Espírito
Santo, Paraíba, Piauí, Amazonas, Goiás,
Pernambuco, and Rio de Janeiro. v
II “RAFAEL GALHARDO CARO” CLARINET COMPETITION
The Brazilian clarinet company Devon
Paulo, October 10-12, 2015, and required
and Burgani organized the second edition
to play Béla Kovács’ Hommage à Strauss
of “Rafael Galhardo Caro” Clarinet
and Claudio Santoro’s Etude No. 2
Competition in 2015. The contest
(1942). Six finalists were then selected to
was named after a renowned clarinet
perform Debussy’s Première Rhapsodie in
teacher who worked in the São Paulo
the final round.
Opera Orchestra and taught clarinet for
José Botelho from Rio de Janeiro served
almost 50 years. Initially, there were 48
as chair of the jury, which included Nuno
competitors from all over Brazil, organized
Silva (Portugal), Márcio Pereira (Portugal),
into six regional contests. Twelve players
Lara Diáz (Spain) and Piero Vicenti (Italy).
were selected for the semifinals in São
First place was awarded to Ariane Rovesse
ABOUT THE WRITER
Ricardo Dourado
Freire is professor
of clarinet at
Universidade de
Brasília (UnB) in
Brazil. He studied
at UnB with Luiz
Gonzaga Carneiro,
and at Michigan State
University with Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr. Freire
is an enthusiast of Latin American music,
both classical and popular, and participated
in clarinet events in Brazil, Colombia, Italy,
Peru, Portugal, USA and Venezuela.
(Left to right) Paulo Mantovani (3rd place), Lucas Ferreira (2nd place), Ariane Rovesse (1st place), Marcio
Pereira, Nuno Silva, Piero Vicenti, Lara Diaz, José Botelho, Sérgio Burgani and Odivan de Santana
Lift
Clarinet Academy
Take your playing to the next level
At the Lift Clarinet Academy we want you to arrive with
a goal and leave with a sense of achievement.
Through planning and communication prior to the
academy, we create a program that ensures students
receive the musical boost they are looking for!
Wesley Ferreira
Colorado State University
Jana Starling
Western University
Julie DeRoche
Summer 2016
June 13 - 17
DePaul University
www.LiftClarinetAcademy.com
Located in beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado - On the foothills of the Rocky Mountains
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 11
News from
Jean-Marc Volta (Paris), Richard Rimbert
(Bordeaux), Philippe Moinet (Nancy),
Alain Toiron (Mulhouse-Colmar). No
candidate was eligible to compete on bass
clarinet (Alain Billard class); the next
competition will be in 2016.
CNSM Lyon. Master level – Mention
très bien: Marion Allain, Anaïs Audigé
and Cécilia Lemaître-Sgard. License level
(a notation is given, not a prize) – Elsa
Loubaton and Christine Cochenet. Jury:
Franck Amet, Philippe Berrod, Jérôme
Comte.
by Jean-Marie Paul
O
Elodie Roudet
NATIONAL SUPERIOR
CONSERVATORIES (CNSM)
CNSM Paris, June 12-13. License level
(3 years) – Mention très bien: Madoka
Tsuruyama (unanimously), Maïté
Atasay, Paul Dujoncquoy, Benjamin
Fontaine. Mention bien: Joséphine
Besançon and Iñaki Vermeersch Amor
(unanimously). Master level (called
“Prix” in the past) – Mention très bien:
Elodie Roudet and Bogdan Sydorenko
(both at the unanimity of the jury with
congratulations; Roudet will perform at
the 2016 ClarinetFest®). Mention bien:
Jaehyuk Jang and Amaury Viduvier (at the
unanimity of the jury). Jury (clarinetists):
12 | THE CLARINET
Photo Credit: Yoann L’hostellier
n November 23, BuffetCrampon organized a
huge concert (3 ½ hours)
at the new concert hall
of Radio France in celebration of its
190th anniversary. The clarinet part of
the program included: Mozart’s Gran
Partita (Michel Arrignon and Paul Meyer,
clarinets; Nicolas Baldeyrou and Alexandre
Chabod, basset horns); Milhaud’s La
Création du monde (Paul Meyer, conductor;
Romain Guyot and Kenji Matsumoto,
clarinets); Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3,
final movement (arr. N. Baldeyrou) with
an international choir of 48 clarinets
conducted by Antonio Saiote; and klezmer
music by the Giora Feidman Trio. There
was also a commission for orchestra,
Rhapsody for Talents, conducted by the
composer Giancarlo Castro d’Addona, and
U.S. clarinetist Felix Peikli played a jazz
duet with saxophonist Luigi Grasso.
NEW CHAIRS
Garde Républicaine: Maité Atassay, solo
bass clarinet; Franck Scalisi, co-principal;
Damien Fouilloux, E-flat clarinet coprincipal.
Orchestre National des Pays de Loire:
Competition was held on November 10
for the bass clarinet position; no one was
chosen. New competition: April 4, 2016.
Opera de Toulon: Franck Russo.
Russo is a founding member of the
Absinthe clarinet quartet and a laureate
of several international competitions,
including: Prague, Debussy (Paris),
Nielsen (Denmark) and Lancelot (Rouen
and Tokyo).
Orchestre de Picardie: Romy
Bischoff, soloist of the Paris Police Band
(Musique des Gardiens de la Paix)
PREMIERES
There have been many premieres, most
notably: 5 Moments retrouvés by Nicolas
Bacri (with piano), played by Philippe
Cuper on June 9, commissioned for
Philippe by the Versailles Conservatory
and Vandoren and played for the
Cahuzac International Competition;
and Petite Suite Klezmer by Serge
Kaufmann, November 8, Paris, Théâtre
Adyar, with the composer at the piano.
Armand Angster also performed several
premieres; for a complete list, visit www.
accrochenote.com.
MARCH 2016
OBITUARIES
November 29,
2014: Pierre
Boulanger (b.
1938) studied
with his brother
Edmond (first
prize at the Geneva
Competition) and
received his first
prize in 1956 at the
Paris Conservatory
after only nine
months. He was
principal in the
Air Force Band
and member of the
Garde Republicaine
Band. Boulanger
also performed
with the Orchestre
de Paris from its
founding in 1967,
and taught in Paris
in conservatoires
Pierre Boulanger
d’arrondissement.
December 17,
2014: Jacques
Niopel (b. 1935)
was awarded a first prize at the Paris
Conservatory in 1957 and taught during
his life at the Amiens Conservatory. Scores
which were dedicated to him include
Romance et Sicilienne of Charles Jay and a
clarinet quartet of Semler-Collery.
August 11, 2015: Emile Pannetier (b.
1919) studied at the Lyon Conservatory
during WWII, then joined the Police
Band under Semler-Collery’s baton;
he received third place at the Geneva
Competition. In 1947 he began playing
with the Opera de Lyon whose conductor
was the famous André Cluytens. He
later switched to the Orchestre National
de Lyon and remained there until his
retirement in 1984 (my thanks to François
Sauzeau, the current clarinet soloist of
the Orchestre National de Lyon, for this
information).
December 28, 2015: Jean Aubain (b.
1928) was the director of the Versailles
Conservatory from 1963 to 1996. He
composed Pastorale et Scherzo for clarinet
and piano (1979); Concerto for clarinet
and orchestra (1985; also available
in a piano reduction); and Piece pour
7 clarinettes, which was dedicated to
Philippe Cuper and premiered with the
Choeur de Clarinettes de Versailles. v
June 1-5, 2016
■ Faculty
Charles Neidich: New York Woodwind Quintet;
Aaron Copland School, Juilliard, Mannes, Manhattan
Ayako Oshima: Juilliard, SUNY Purchase, Hartt
Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr: Verdehr Trio; Michigan
State University
Guy Yehuda: Trio di Colore; Michigan State University
Tasha Warren-Yehuda: Michigan State University
Michael Webster: Rice University; formerly
Rochester Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony
Leone Buyse: Rice University; formerly Boston Symphony
and Boston Pops
Ramon Wodkowski: mouthpiece expert
■ Scheduled Events
Master Classes: collaborative pianists provided
Presentations: Yoga and the Clarinet; Audition Preparation;
Charlie’s Choice; Owning the Stage
Faculty Recitals: Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima;
Guy Yehuda and Tasha Warren-Yehuda; Michael Webster
and Leone Buyse
Student Recitals: All Master Class Performers
NEW!! Clarinet Day, June 4, Tasha Warren-Yehuda, director.
A busy afternoon devoted to pre-college clarinetists and
adult amateurs. Details at clarinetopia.com
■ Applications
A maximum of twenty master class performers
will be selected from submitted recordings.
Other participants will be able to attend all events
as residents or with daily passes.
■ Accommodations
On-campus housing and meals are available at a very
reasonable cost.
■ Contact Us
Visit www.clarinetopia.com for up-to-date information,
application forms, costs and all inquiries.
email: [email protected], phone: 979-246-4144
Any changes of faculty or scheduled events will be
reflected at the website.
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 13
Letter
from
by Paul Harris
the
TIMOTHY BOWERS’
CLARINET SONATA:
BOLDLY TAKING THE SONATA
INTO TERRITORIES NEW
hen a composer decides
to write a complete cycle
of wind sonatas, should
they take into account the
lessons of history? Saint-Saëns, Poulenc
and others made this decision and fate
decreed that their cycles, sadly, would
forever remain unfinished. Not only this,
W
Timothy Bowers
14 | THE CLARINET
but as we know, late works for clarinet
have often been a composer’s swan song
(Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Reger, SaintSaëns, Nielsen, Poulenc...)
But the British composer Timothy
Bowers has challenged fate and decided
to do just this – he began as Nielsen did,
with a terrific Wind Quintet, and has
since completed sonatas for bassoon and
oboe. He has now taken the plunge and
completed his Clarinet Sonata. For clarinet
players, a new sonata is always an exciting
and important event, and Tim’s new work
will certainly not disappoint. Let’s have a
look at this significant British composer;
Timothy Bowers may be a name unknown
to some readers.
Tim was a pupil of the great Alan
Bush (who regrettably never wrote for the
clarinet as a solo instrument) at the Royal
Academy of Music where Tim now teaches.
He has gone on to become a notable
composer of instrumental and vocal music.
He has written solo works for almost every
instrument, including sonatas for all the
orchestral brass instruments, strings, piano,
guitar and classical accordion. Many of
these works have been commissioned by
leading players; Tim’s commitment to
writing works for solo performers reflects
many years of teaching and working with
exceptional artists at the Royal Academy.
Tim acknowledges the precedent
of Hindemith and some lesser known
composers (from Scandinavia, for example)
but does not, in any way, cite Hindemith
as an influence – either stylistically or
structurally. Common to all Tim’s sonatas
is an intention to build an entire work
from a small harmonic or melodic cell. A
second strand running through the series
is the notion that traditional forms are
not simply a template that can be used
lightly, but a platform through which the
composer can satisfy or deny expectations
on the part of the listener.
Before I asked Tim about the work
itself, I raised the question of how he felt
in taking on such a historically emotive
task. He responded:
When I started writing the series,
I convinced myself that I was not
a superstitious man; however, I’ve
now reached the point that I have
one left to write (for flute) and I
can’t pretend that I’m not a little
uneasy at this moment. But I’m
happy to report that the Clarinet
Sonata flowed quickly. And I remain
in good health and have many ideas
for the final Flute Sonata!
The sonata is Tim’s third work for solo
clarinet – the others are Concerto Festivo
for clarinet and symphonic winds and
Incantation & Dance for unaccompanied
clarinet. It will be of interest for readers
to know that neither work has received
a premiere in the United States yet. The
Clarinet Sonata was not written for a
particular player, but having already
explored the instrument in two very
different ways, Tim had a particular
sound in mind for this piece. Tempting
though it was for the composer to favor his
beloved flat keys and long, quiet melodic
lines, the mainspring of the work is a
dark, sometimes cold energy that leads
eventually to a warmer mode of expression.
The piece interestingly, and unusually,
explores the central tonality of B minor,
a key not often favored by composers in
MARCH 2016
writing for the clarinet (except, of course,
Brahms), but one that reveals vitally
important colors. It is a three-movement
work lasting 13 minutes, with a concise
and urgent opening movement in sonata
form, an intimately expressive slow
movement and a boldly defiant finale that
grows from an unexpected gentle opening;
then, through a series of variations, it
transforms back into the material that
opens the work. The coda concludes the
musical argument in a fiery manner rather
like the shaking of a fist!
Fascinatingly (and possibly uniquely),
Tim sees this work as part of a grand cycle.
The sonatas can be performed singly,
but, much more excitingly, they can be
performed together, rather like Wagner’s
Ring cycle. The cycle begins with the Wind
Quintet, whose ideas influence themes
and motifs in all the sonatas that follow.
Immediately after the opening quintet
comes the more lightweight and quirky
Bassoon Sonata – a “first scherzo” which
includes two dance movements. The
gentle C major Oboe Sonata acts as a slow
movement. Then, in this highly imaginative
context, the Clarinet Sonata plays the role
of a dramatic scherzo. The Flute Sonata will
constitute the finale of this grand five-work
scheme, acting as a point of complete
resolution. The first U.K. premiere of the
Clarinet Sonata is imminent, after which all
five works will receive a joint performance
as a cycle – maybe the first time ever for
such a musically intriguing and imaginative
project. v
ABOUT THE WRITER
Paul Harris is one
of the U.K.’s most
influential music
educators. He studied
the clarinet at the
Royal Academy of
Music, where he won
the August Manns
Prize for outstanding
performance and where he now teaches.
He is in great demand as a teacher,
composer and writer (he has written over
600 music books and compositions), and
his master classes and workshops continue
to inspire thousands of young musicians
and teachers all over the world in both
the principles and practice of musical
performance and education.
MARCH 2016
ICA ANNOUNCEMENT
Site Search for
Clarinetfest® 2019 and
Clarinetfest® 2020
The ICA board of directors is soliciting the assistance of the general
membership in identifying potential United States sites for ClarinetFest®
2019 and ClarinetFest® 2020. In order for the proposal to be considered,
all documents must be submitted by the proposed Program Director(s)
and include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cover letter by proposed Program Director(s) stating intent
Detailed biography and contact information for proposed
Program Director(s)
Three letters of recommendation for proposed Program Director(s)
Names of proposed artistic team members
Proposed dates, which are typically Wednesday through Sunday, the
third or fourth week of July
Written proof of financial support from various agencies
Complete addresses and detailed maps of all hotels/dorms and
performance/exhibitor venues, including an outline of their proximity
to each other
Proposal addressing all site requirements as listed below
Being sought are locations with the following attributes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Performance Spaces – Superior acoustical space with multimedia
capabilities conducive for the presentation of concerts, recitals,
lectures and master classes. Having two or more performance venues
in the same location is considered optimal. Minimum capacity of the
large hall should be 1100-1300 seats.
Exhibition Space – Approximately 15,000 sq. ft. exhibition/ballroom
space located in or near the same facility where program presentations
will take place. Four additional nearby smaller rooms to be used as
instrument manufacturer tryout spaces. All exhibition spaces must
have the ability to be secured during non-business hours.
Housing – Convenient housing (hotel/dorm) with a variety of price
options able to accommodate budgets ranging from students to
corporate executives. Capability to house a minimum of 800 individuals.
Travel – Access to major transportation centers
(e.g., airports, train stations).
Excursions – Interesting tourist activities in, or within the vicinity of,
the city/area of venue.
Other – Incorporation of area musical resources (e.g., professional
symphony orchestras, jazz ensembles, chamber musicians, military
ensembles) adds greatly to the local experience for those attending
ClarinetFest®.
Please send proposals electronically with the
above listed requirements by July 15, 2016 to:
Caroline Hartig, ICA President
[email protected]
Teaching
by Michael Webster
Seventy-second in a series of articles using excerpts from a teaching method in progress by the Professor of Music at Rice University
BRACKETOLOGY
I
n 1985, the NCAA expanded its annual Division I
of the trio from the Scherzo of Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 to
Men’s Basketball Tournament to include 64 teams, and
demonstrate Tabuteau’s system of numbering (Example 1). The
“bracketology” was born. Competitors in the tournament
numbers can indicate dynamics, or a slightly more nebulous
are chosen via a complicated system of seeding, whereby
concept: intensity. With nine repeated notes in a row, the phrase
four regions each have 16 seeded teams with No. 1 playing the first
cries out for some shaping.
round against No. 16, No. 2 against No. 15, etc. Four more teams
Tabuteau’s numbering system goes from 1 to 10, so each
were added in 2011, so now the odds for predicting every single
adjacent number is a small increment. Within the large crescendo
game correctly among the 68 teams have snowballed to one in
written by Sibelius, Tabuteau groups the first three notes with
147.57 quintillion. Bracketology (predicting the outcome of every
a small crescendo, then two more groups of three, each an
game) is everywhere during “March Madness,” as the tournament
increment louder than the previous. As a result, we gain the
is colorfully called, and has even invaded the White House, with
feeling of the first two quarter notes being a pickup to the third,
“Bracketeer-in-Chief ” Obama posting his predictions annually.
happening three times until reaching the climax of the phrase.
For musicians, there is another kind of bracketology: the use
Equally important is continuing the same feeling of pickup in the
of brackets to indicate the direction of a phrase. To this day, in
second measure by starting the second note with a 1, just like the
my oldest music, I find brackets written by Stanley Hasty (1920first measure. There is no printed dynamic in the second measure,
2011) from my days of study in the 1960s. In the vast majority of
thus the phrasing will be more subtle than in the first measure,
brackets, the first enclosed note is an offbeat. Thus the bracketed
but present nonetheless. Another way of describing the phrasing
series of notes has the feeling of anacrusis, or upbeat.
is the use of brackets each time a note is softer than the previous
Hasty’s brackets are similar to the system
of numbers developed by Marcel Tabuteau
(1887-1966), the iconic principal oboist
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43
of the Philadelphia Orchestra. A long-time
Mvt. 3 Excerpt
colleague of Daniel Bonade (1896-1976),
Lento e suave
Jean Sibelius
3
Tabuteau was to the oboe what Bonade
-̇
b b b b 12 Œ œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- tenuto
Ø
œ
œ
œ
Œ ” Œ
b
Oboe
& b 4
was to the clarinet – the founder of an
œ œ œ- œ- œ œ œ œ<
“American school” of woodwind playing
P
through his immense influence as a teacher.
2 3 4
1 2 3 2 3 4 3 4 5 3 2 1 1 2 3
The Philadelphia Orchestra legacy
Example 1
is apparent in Donald Montanaro’s use
16 | THE CLARINET
MARCH 2016
one. So there would be a bracket before
the fourth and seventh quarters of the
first measure and the second and fourth
quarter notes of the second measure.
Rather than using pedagogical examples,
let’s use three staples of the clarinet
repertoire, all of which serve students as
they evolve from the intermediate to the
advanced level, usually in the mid-tolate teenage years: Weber’s Concertino,
Schumann’s first Fantasy Piece, and the
Saint-Saëns Sonata, first movement. The
theme of the Weber, shown in Ex. 2A, has
only one bracket, showing how the three
enclosed eighth notes serve as a pickup to
the next bar. Hasty’s brackets were usually
open-ended, but Example 2B will show
an example of shorter, closed brackets.
The note previous to the bracket is soft,
as is the first bracketed note, similar to
the first two notes of the second bar of
Ex. 1. In fact, there are actually two kinds
of bracket: one in which the first note of
the bracket is the softest, and another in
which the note before the bracket is the
softest. The difference is subtle, and in fact
the whole use of brackets is subtle. They
indicate small increments in the Tabuteau
scale of 1 to 10, so small that they usually
don’t warrant dynamic indications by
the composer.
Ex. 2B shows the first variation of the
theme with phrasing brackets. The most
important aspect of this phrase is that
the second note of mm. 1 and 2 is soft,
to emphasize their relationship to the
theme. This is not so easy to accomplish!
Because the note is so much shorter than
the first note, significant breath control is
required. One way of practicing is to taper
the second note and pause before playing
the bracketed notes. Gradually decrease
the length of the pause until the bracket is
accomplished completely with dynamics.
Brackets most often are open-ended,
but with a series of short ones, as in the
case of the second and third measures, we
close them before the next one begins.
The effect is very similar to that of the
Sibelius – groups of three notes, each with
poco crescendo, each a little louder than the
previous. The brackets are subtle, and also
flexible. One performance could reach a
high point on the B-flat in m. 3, followed
by a diminuendo to the downbeat of m. 4,
then hairpins up and down in m. 4. Or,
one could make the low A at the beginning
of m. 4 the high point and diminuendo
all the way to m. 5, or diminuendo to the
Concertino, Op. 26
THEME
>˙
Andante
&b C
Example 2A
p
œ‰
J
œ. >˙
con anima
Excerpts
Carl Maria Von Weber
___
>œ . œ
|
T
œ
œ
œ
œ œ . J œ # œ. œ. œ. >˙
œ‰
œ
J
œ
J‰Œ
__
3
3
>˙ | œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. >˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ
3
3
. | œ. # œ. œ. # œ. œ. ˙”
œ
œœ
œ
n
œ
b
œ
n
œ
b
C
œ
&
œœ œ
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œ œ. . .
3
3
3
| œ œ œ œ .
3
3
3
3
3
p
Variation I
Example 2B
half bar and crescendo to m. 5. Because the
accompaniment is minimal, the performer
doesn’t have to decide until the spur of
the moment; any version will sound good
so long as the triplets retain the bracketed
feeling without accenting downbeats. The
third note of the bracket is the loudest, but
must be arrived at gradually. Practicing long
tones with subtly fluctuating dynamics is a
good way for the student to gain awareness
and control of the air stream.
Schumann’s markings in the first of
his Fantasy Pieces (Ex. 3A) almost bracket
themselves. The short diminuendo to G in
m. 2 sets up a bracket on the next note (F).
The downbeat of m. 5 is like the Weber: a
long note followed by a short resolution.
The printed hairpins take care of m. 5
and m. 7. The hairpin in m. 8 should
actually extend to the downbeat of m. 9
"
Clarinet in A
Zart und mit Ausdruck
(Sweet and expressive)
b
&bb
b
&bb
7
b
&bb
14
PHANTASIESTUCKE, Op.73
No. 1 Excerpts
œ œ| œ œ
œœ œ
||
œ œ nœ Œ
c” Œ œ œ
œ w
œ nœ œ
p
b œ œ .œ
œ
œ
œ œ œ|œ œ œ œ œ œ . Jœ n œ| œ œ ©J ˙ Œ
j ‰ Jœ œ n œ b œ
œ
.
œ
n
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œ
bœ œ
π
œ. œ œ
||
œ . nœ œ œ
|
œ
œ
#
œ
œ
œ
œ
J |œ œ œ œ|œ œ œ ˙ . œ
œ nœ
J ‰ Jœ ‰ œJ
f
Robert Schumann
˙
Œ œ
œ ‰ b Jœ œ ‰ Jœ
œ˙ œ
Example 3A
b
&b b c
Example 3B
œ
œ œ . nœ #œ | œ | œ nœ | œ œ
œ
œ
J
œ
œ nœ Œ ”
œœœœ
œœ
œ nœ
f
p cresc.
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 17
SONATA, Op. 167
Clarinet in B-flat
12
& b 8 ”.
Mvt. 1 Excerpts
Œ . œ j œ . œ . Œ . œ œj œ- . œ . Œ . œ Jœ œ Jœ œ . Œ Jœ œ œ œ
œ p
"
Camille Saint-Saens
Allegretto
&b
5
|
œ œœ
œ œ œ œ |œ œ œ . œ œ œ Œ . Œ .
œ
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j œ.
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Œ . œ œj
.
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.
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b
œ
.
&
9
cresc.
˙.
F
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Œ Jœ œ J
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dim.
|
17
|
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J œJ Jœ œ j œ . œ . Œ . œ j œ . œ . Œ . œ j œ œj œ œj œ œj œ œj
&b
œ
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p
dim.
|
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22
2
|
3 |
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28
œ . # œ œ œ |n œ œ œ
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13
&b
32
bœ.
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Example 4
to achieve the proper bracketing. Mm. 14
and 15 supply a new breathing challenge:
to breathe before the last eighth note of
m. 13, keep the next two notes within the
phrase, and add a bracket after the first
note of m. 14. Although not printed, a
diminuendo across the bar line accomplishes
that. Similarly in m. 17, the moment the
downbeat begins should be the softest
point of the phrase with most or all of the
crescendo reserved for the second quarter.
There are two brackets in m. 18, but
doing both would be overkill. Choose one
or the other without necessarily planning
in advance. Sometimes, especially in
romantic music, a bracket is served by
poco tenuto on the previous note. Here,
I think tenuto on either the first or fifth
eighth note is effective, but emphasizing
both could engender some vertigo. The
18 | THE CLARINET
third measure of Ex. 3B exaggerates the
point. Three brackets would be ridiculous,
and even two could make the listeners feel
lightheaded. I’d choose one of the three,
give the previous note a bit of tenuto,
then lead into m. 4 in tempo. The piano
accompaniment stops on the downbeat, so
a bit of improvised rubato is appropriate.
For the advancing intermediate student,
this first movement of the Fantasy Pieces
works well on B-flat clarinet in B minor
with two sharps, a version that can be
found in some editions.
The Saint-Saëns Sonata (Ex. 4) is
surely romantic, but Saint-Saëns was
stingier with his printed dynamics than
Schumann. With brackets, we can supply
the missing dynamics with great nuance.
The rests between the first three short
phrases supply the brackets; our challenge
is to taper the last note of each so the
phrase has continuity during the rests.
When the phrase gets more continuous,
brackets in mm. 5 and 6 keep the pickup
feeling alive. Brackets give a phrase
direction without adding speed. The rests
in mm. 16 and 17 are like brackets for
the five pickup notes that follow. Adding
a bracket to m. 15 gives the same pickup
feeling. Another way of describing the
brackets in m. 18 is that they add lilt. One
measure of musical maturity is being able
to discard accenting every beat, in this case
thinking of two big beats per bar rather
than four.
The double brackets in mm. 25 to
27 are to be avoided for just that reason.
Choose one, keeping the feel of two beats
per bar. From mm. 28 to 31, the brackets
are self-explanatory. Diminuendo on a
downward arpeggio and crescendo on an
upward arpeggio can be a cliché, but the
phrasing of mm. 32 and 33 demands that
the middle of each bar be the soft point,
followed by a bracket with crescendo.
Brackets are applicable to any music, for
example the Rose 32 and 40 Studies, both
slow and fast. Etudes serve the purpose
of giving technical challenges that are
more concentrated and continuous than
recital music; using brackets in etudes will
help instill the importance of phrasing
in everything a student plays. We want
our students to become bracketeers for
sure, but joining in with a prediction for
“March Madness” is optional.
WEBSTER’S WEB
Your feedback and input to these articles
are valuable to our readership. Please send
comments and questions to Webster’s
Web at [email protected] or Michael
Webster, Shepherd School of Music,
MS- 532, P.O. Box 1892, Houston,
TX 77251-1892; fax 713-348-5317;
www.michaelwebsterclarinet.com.
Jules Elias writes from Portland, Oregon:
I seem to remember your advice in
response to a letter regarding the use of the
standard fingering for the altissimo high
G, but have not been able to locate it. I
would like to try the alternate fingerings,
particularly as I am preparing both the
Debussy Rhapsody and the Copland
Concerto for a performance next spring.
For an 81-year-old “born again” clarinetist
who has returned to his first love, playing
the clarinet, this time of my life has been
MARCH 2016
greatly enhanced by the clarinet and the
music that I never dreamed would be in
my reach.
My answer (abbreviated): It’s very nice
to hear from you. I can’t say that there is
a standard fingering for high G because
there are so many. I divide them into
5th partial and 7th partial. Both of these
fingerings have LH thumb and register key
engaged plus RH pinky E-flat.
5th Partial favorite:
LH index finger. It is an overblown
B-natural and must be voiced with the
throat. It is smooth if you are already in the
5th partial (C-sharp or higher), but won’t
speak easily from the 3rd partial (C-natural
or lower). Adding RH fork improves pitch
and response, preferable if the speed allows
it. Fingering the RH fork can be awkward;
you must place your finger close to the rod.
If you hit the ring, it defeats the purpose.
You’ll be on the very tip of your finger, so
keep the nail cut short.
7th Partial favorite:
LH index and third fingers, RH index
and second fingers. It has good pitch and
solid tone. It needs a tiny bit of voicing
– doesn’t speak quite as well as LH index
finger only (without the third finger),
but the pitch is better (lower). Also try
substituting index and third finger RH.
Magic! v
ABOUT THE WRITER
Michael Webster is
professor of music
at Rice University’s
Shepherd School and
artistic director of
the award-winning
Houston Youth
Symphony. Formerly
principal clarinet
of the Rochester Philharmonic and acting
principal of the San Francisco Symphony,
he has served on the clarinet faculties
of Eastman, Boston University, and the
New England Conservatory. A winner
of Young Concert Artists, he has soloed
with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the
Boston Pops and appeared with the Lincoln
Center Chamber Music Society, the Tokyo,
Cleveland, Muir, Ying and Dover Quartets,
and at many summer festivals.
Clarinet Performance Workshop
May 26-30, 2016, in Bloomington, Indiana
Work with three international performers/teachers in a hands-on approach to clarinet performance
in today’s world through a combination of master classes, group lessons, and private lessons.
HOWARD KLUG
“Refresh your playing with new ways of thinking
about old problems.”
FACULTY
INFORMATION
Howard Klug, Professor of Clarinet,
Tuition: $600
Office of Pre-College
and Summer Programs
IU Jacobs School of Music
1201 E. Third Street
Bloomington, IN 47405
Web: music.indiana.edu/precollege
E-mail: [email protected]
Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
Steve Cohen, Professor of Clarinet,
Northwestern University
Eric Mandat, Professor of Clarinet,
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
music.indiana.edu
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 19
Historically
Photo 2: NMM 5867 Kohlert
clarinet bell signature
by Deborah Check Reeves
“Historically Speaking” is a feature of The
Clarinet offered in response to numerous
inquiries received by the editorial staff about
clarinets. Most of the information is based
on sources available at the National Music
Museum, located on the University of South
Dakota campus in Vermillion (orgs.usd.edu/
nmm). Please send your e-mail inquiries to
Deborah Check Reeves at [email protected].
E
stablished by three sons of the
Graslitz woodwind instrument
maker Vincenz Kohlert, the
V. Kohlert’s Söhne workshop
started production around 1880. Graslitz
is the German name for the town of
Kraslice in present-day Czech Republic.
It is only 11 miles from Markneukirchen
in Germany, which has been a center
of musical instrument manufacturing
dating back to the 17th century. It is also
a short distance from Schöneck, home
of Gottlob Hermann Hüller who was
highlighted in the previous “Historically
Speaking” column (The Clarinet, Vol.
43/1, December 2015).
V. Kohlert’s Söhne made a variety
of woodwind instruments including
saxophones, bassoons and flutes, as
well as innovative instruments like the
Saxo-Oboe and Jazz-Klarinette that
used saxophone fingering. By 1929, the
firm was considered one of the largest
manufacturers of woodwinds. Clarinets,
of course, were a large part of that
production. A quick perusal through
several wholesaler catalogs from the mid-
Photo 1: NMM
5867 Kohlert
B-flat clarinet
rjmusicgroup.com
...catering to the discriminating
professional and amateur musician.
20 | THE CLARINET
Photo 3: NMM
5867 Kohlert lyre
receptacle
Photo 5: NMM 5867 Kohlert
clarinet C-sharp/G-sharp
key extension
Photo 4: NMM
5867 Kohlert little
finger rollers and
patent C-sharp key
All photos by Dara Lohnes,
courtesy of National Music Museum,
University of South Dakota.
MARCH 2016
to-late 1930s – including Bugeleisen and
Jacobson, Fred. Gretsch Mfg. Co., Carl
Fischer Musical Instrument Co., Inc. and
the Chicago Musical Instrument Co. –
shows a number of models of clarinets
exported by Kohlert. Among the Boehm
System clarinets available through Chicago
Musical Instrument Co., for example, are
models from regular through Full Boehm.
One Albert System model was available
as well.
Among the nearly 20 clarinets made by
Kohlert in the National Music Museum
collections is NMM 5867 (Photo 1).
Unlike those pictured in the wholesaler
catalogs, this clarinet appears not to have
been made for export to the United States.
The bell bears the maker’s signature: V.
KOHLERTS. SÖHNE / GRASLITZ /
Č.S.R. (Photo 2). In German with the
abbreviation for Czecho-Slovak Republic,
this clarinet was probably made in 19381939 when the area known as Bohemia was
essentially under Nazi rule. The clarinet is
made from metal and has a lyre receptacle
just above the bell (Photo 3). Together,
these features suggest that the clarinet may
have been made for military use.
This B-flat clarinet is made in two
pieces – a top piece with a barrel and top
joint, and a bottom piece with a bottom
joint and bell. It has a single-wall bore that
gives it the appearance of a skeleton. To
make the tone holes at the proper playing
level, there are raised tone hole chimneys.
Also, its 13 keys use a “Simple System”
of fingering, often known in the United
States as Albert System. It is equipped
with rollers between both sets of little
finger keys and has a “patent C-sharp”
key (Photo 4). A distinct feature on this
clarinet gives it a German characteristic:
the C-sharp/G-sharp key has an extra lever
that extends downward (Photo 5). This
makes an easy trill for the right hand index
finger instead of, or in addition to, the left
hand little finger. This extra lever is not
found on Albert System clarinets made by
Kohlert for export to the United States.
From 1939 to 1945, Kohlert, like
most manufacturers, turned to wartime
production. After the war, the firm was
expropriated and the name “V. Kohlert’s
Söhne” discontinued. Later, sometime
in 1949 in the former West Germany
city of Winnenden, production began
again under the name simply noted as
“Kohlert.” v
ABOUT THE WRITER
Dr. Deborah Check
Reeves is the Curator
of Education and
Woodwinds at the
National Music
Museum (NMM) in
Vermillion, SD, and
associate professor at
the University of South
Dakota. She received a doctorate in clarinet
performance from the University of Iowa.
She plays with the Sioux City Symphony
Orchestra and directs Tatag, the NMM’s
Javanese gamelan performance ensemble.
She is a contributing editor to The Clarinet,
and serves as the ICA South Dakota State
Chair and the Secretary of the American
Musical Instrument Society.
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THE CLARINET | 21
Hysterically
by Eric Hoeprich
F
ollowing retirement from a variety of
posts in Paris (pharmacist, publisher,
government official), including
directorship of the Paris Opera from 1831 to
1835, we see the corpulent Louis-Désiré Véron
festooned in the Greco-Roman dress of an
ancient philosopher (his habitual scarf covers a
scrofulous neck), communing with nature while
playing the clarinet. Judging from the reaction
of the dog and various onlookers, it may not
have sounded very good.
Honoré Daumier’s caricature, which appeared
in the satirical journal Le Charivari (published in
Paris, 1832-1937), marks the occasion of Véron’s
withdrawal from civic life in 1852. During his
tenure at the Opéra, Véron had promoted works
by up-and-coming composers such as Aubert,
Halévy and Meyerbeer, each a commercial
success. Meyerbeer’s Robert le diable – forerunner
to Les Huguenots (1836), with its famous bass
clarinet solo – enjoyed a successful run in 1831.
The rural idyll has long held a special
attraction for the French – bucolic settings such
as this, with simple melodies emanating from a
clarinet, perhaps together with a pair of hunting
horns. Despite the satirical tone in the caption
with regard to the clarinet, an instrument Véron
is not actually known to have played (note his
reversed hand position), Le Docteur nonetheless
appears to have realized a long-awaited period
of tranquility. v
22 | THE CLARINET
Doctor Véron, having renounced politics, with its pomp and its labors, has withdrawn to the
country at Auteuil, surrendering to the enjoyments favored by the ancient Arcadian shepherds:
the true sage finds consolation in philosophy and a clarinet.
MARCH 2016
Guido Six
October 19, 1955 – October 30, 2015
by Eddy Vanoosthuyse and Robert Spring
O
n Friday, October 30, 2015, clarinetist,
educator and director Guido Six was killed
in a tragic accident. He was on the highway
helping his son Jef, who was having car
problems. Both were struck by a truck and died
immediately.
Guido Six began his clarinet study with Roland
Lemaire, clarinetist with the Royal Band of the
Belgian Guides, and continued his musical studies
at the Royal Music Conservatory of Ghent with
Jean Tastenoe, principal clarinet and concertmaster
of the Royal Band of the Belgian Guides. Guido
received his “Superior Diploma” in the studio of
Freddy Arteel, who succeeded Tastenoe at the Royal
Conservatory of Ghent and who was the principal
clarinet of the Antwerp Philharmonic Orchestra. He
received his master’s degree in the studio of Eddy
Vanoosthuyse, who succeeded Arteel at the Royal
Conservatory of Ghent (now the University College
Ghent School of Arts).
Guido was only 18 when his career began as
clarinetist and soloist with the Band of the Belgian
Gendarmerie. He went on to teach at various
academies, including the Ostende Conservatory
and the pedagogical department of the Royal
Conservatory in Ghent. He succeeded his former
bandmaster Roland Cardon as director of the
Municipal Music Conservatory in Ostend. Under
Guido’s leadership the number of pupils doubled.
He gave the school an international reputation by
sending various ensembles to perform abroad and
by inviting numerous foreign top-level musicians
for master classes and concerts. Ensembles from
24 | THE CLARINET
Guido Six
the conservatory performed at the Midwest Clinic
International Band and Orchestra Conference, the
Texas Music Educators Association Convention
and several ClarinetFest® conferences. In 2012,
Guido was honored with the Midwest Award, a
major international award at the Midwest Clinic in
Chicago given to very deserving people working in
music education.
Since 1996 Guido hosted the Belgian Clarinet
Academy each summer. This international academy
featured regular faculty members Robert Spring
(Arizona State University) and Eddy Vanoosthuyse
(Royal Conservatories Ghent and Liège; principal
clarinet of the Brussels Philharmonic). Guest
MARCH 2016
Guido Six, center, with his Claribel Clarinet Choir
professors were Howard Klug (Indiana
University), Luis Rossi (formerly of the
Catholic University Santiago), Robert
Walzel (University of Kansas), Julia
Heinen (University of California), Piero
Vincenti (Conservatory “B. Maderna”
of Cesena) and Deborah Bish (Florida
State University).
In those 20 years, hundreds of students
from all over the world attended the
Belgian Clarinet Academy, traveling from
the United States, Canada, Venezuela,
Colombia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa,
Australia, China, Korea, Japan, Israel and
almost all countries of Europe. Many of
them are now soloists with orchestras or
working on an international solo career. In
addition, Guido guided the Conservatory
at Sea as one of the very first Belgian
schools in the digital age.
Guido was a superb organizer.
In 1993 along with Freddy Arteel he
organized the ClarinetFest® in Ghent, a
project he repeated in 1999 in Ostend.
He was in the initial stages of planning
another ClarinetFest® in Ostend for 2018,
a project which will be taken on by
Eddy Vanoosthuyse with help from the
Six family.
Guido Six also helped promote
music in the amateur world. He was a
member of the Royal Music Association
of Belgium and served as its president.
Later, he became the president of the
amateur musicians’ organization Vlamo
West Flanders. He conducted a number of
groups including the Royal Band “Onder
Ons” in his hometown of Wervik, Belgium.
One of the projects close to his heart
was his Claribel Clarinet Choir which
he took on several concert tours in the
United States. He made beautiful clarinet
choir arrangements that he published
through the music publishing house Six
Brothers, led by his three sons Bert, Jef
and Tim. He also worked as an arranger
for numerous musicians, including
Robert Spring, Eddie Daniels, Larry
Combs, Eddy Vanoosthuyse, Dirk Brossé,
James Cohn, the International Clarinets,
Claribel Clarinet Choir, Ciurlionis String
Quartet and the Brussels Philharmonic.
Guido’s arrangements for clarinet choir
include:
• Toccata and Fugue – J.S. Bach
• Concerto Grosso – Antonio Vivaldi
•Concertino – Carl Maria von Weber
•Concerto – Aaron Copland
•Concerto – Johann Melchior Molter
• Double Concerto (both concertos) –
Franz Krommer
• Double Concerto (2 violins) – J.S. Bach
• Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche –
Richard Strauss
• Perpetuum Mobile – Niccolo Paganini
•Springtime – dedicated to Robert
Spring
• Ave Maria – Giulio Caccini
All arrangements are edited by Six
Brothers Media (www.sixbrothersmedia.
com).
Guido Six was a real family man who
lived for his wife Chantal, children and
grandchildren. Chantal loses not only her
husband but also her son. Jef Six, born in
Kortrijk, Belgium, on May 9, 1980, was
as a child connected with Claribel. When
he was very young he did his first concert
tours with the group and later performed
Guido’s contributions
to music and to
his family in the
clarinet world will
be remembered for
generations to come.
in multiple ClarinetFest® conferences.
Later he became a professional musician,
a teacher at the Conservatory at Sea, and
a freelancer, especially in the jazz world.
He played trumpet, flugelhorn and double
bass and was conductor of the Six O’Clock
Jazz Band. He was married to Nina
Cobbaert and had two children, Louis and
Jazz, the youngest only 1 year old.
The commitment and dedication of
Guido Six will be missed, not only by
the Conservatory at Sea, but also in the
numerous projects and organizations with
which he worked. Guido’s contributions
to music and to his family in the clarinet
world will be remembered for generations
to come. v
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 25
Chicago
Mouthpiece
Legacy
– Part IIb –
The
by David Tuttle
FRANK L. KASPAR IN ANN ARBOR, 1950-1978
t the end of Part IIA, the year was 1950, a turning
point for the Kaspars. For 30 years, cousins Frank
& Frank L. Kaspar had worked side by side, first
as employees of Arthur Goldbeck and then as
partners. Although both Kaspars worked in Chicago for over
30 years, they are both known primarily by the city/town to
which they relocated: Frank to Cicero, Illinois, and Frank L.
to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Frank L. may have joked that this
was his retirement, but at age 62 the move to Ann Arbor kept
him very busy for the next 26 years.
One of the joys in researching a project of this kind is
communicating with members of the worldwide clarinet
community. For this article I am grateful to the following:
Donald Montanaro (Philadelphia Orchestra, 1957-2005),
Stanley Drucker (New York Philharmonic, 1949-2009), John
Mohler (professor of clarinet at the University of Michigan,
1962-1994), Fred Ormand (professor of clarinet at the
University of Michigan, 1984-2007), Dr. John Wesley (who
worked for Frank L. while in high school, first mowing his
lawn, then making clarinet pads!), and Charles Colbert,
clarinet student at the University of Michigan in the 1950s
and ’60s, who later taught and played professionally.
The move to Ann Arbor was no coincidence; two very
important people at the University of Michigan figured into
the decision. The pictures in Figure 1 are signed photographs
of William H. Stubbins (professor of music and clarinet
instructor) and William D. Revelli (professor of music and
director of bands). In conversations with the above sources,
A
26 | THE CLARINET
I learned that Revelli first met Frank L.
when Revelli was band director at Hobart
High School in Hobart, Indiana (19261935). Although Frank L. Kaspar did not
normally repair instruments for public
schools, Revelli persuaded him to work
on the Hobart High School instruments
by promising that the same repair would
never need to be done a second time!
Anyone having met William Revelli
would not be surprised that the promise
was kept. Apparently Revelli also made
use of Kaspar clarinet and saxophone
mouthpieces. Although Revelli left Hobart
for Michigan in 1935, he never forgot
Frank L. Kaspar. Fifteen years later, with
encouragement from both Stubbins and
Revelli, Frank L. Kaspar settled in Ann
Arbor and his 1915 Morton address
became a haven for clarinetists. For
everyone from students to professionals,
he repaired instruments and made
hundreds of mouthpieces. Perhaps we
should begin with Frank L. Kaspar
the repairman.
In Part I of this series, we learned that
for both Kaspars, mouthpieces became
“the tail that wagged the dog.” The
shops of Oscar Bauer, Arthur Goldbeck
and the Kaspars were primarily in the
business of making, selling and repairing
woodwind instruments. These skills were
learned “from scratch.” Repairmen had
to be toolmakers, welders, carpenters
and craftsmen of the highest nature. One
example of this old-world craftsmanship
can be found in the instrument pads
made and used by the Kaspars. Figure
2 demonstrates the care and attention
the Kaspars gave to their work. The
materials shown are from the 1930s.
To the right is a miniature catalog of
leather samples used in the production
of organ pipes. Several were suitable for
saxophone pads and leather pads for other
woodwind instruments. The last sample
on the bottom right is marked “Zephir
MARCH 2016
Figure 1: William H. Stubbins and William D. Revelli
Skins.” These skins, harvested from the
underside of sheepskins, were used for
clarinet pads. On the left are samples
from two felt manufacturers. Felt such
as this formed the heart of clarinet pads
that were handmade by Bauer, Goldbeck,
the Kaspars, and today by Brannen
Woodwinds of Evanston, Illinois, and
Sayre Woodwinds of Lombard, Illinois.
I have seen clarinets with original Kaspar
pads that still hold a perfect seal after
more than 50 years. In recent years, I
have also seen several more “convenient”
methods of clarinet padding. These
items and other valuable information are
courtesy of Dr. John Wesley.
Wesley was a student of William
Stubbins while attending Ann Arbor High
School, and sat second chair in the concert
band next to first chair Peter Hadcock,
also a Stubbins student. From 1957 to
1963, Wesley made pads (and was paid
ten cents apiece!) for Frank L. Kaspar’s
clarinet overhauls. Wesley related that
the felt and zephyr skins were the middle
and top of the pads. For the base, only
the sturdy water resistant cardboard from
U.S. Post Office parcel post address tags
would do! Peter Hadcock went on to the
Eastman School of Music and 25 years
with the Boston Symphony. John Wesley
did not follow Peter Hadcock in his choice
of career, and, with Frank L. Kaspar’s
Figure 2: 1930s catalog of materials used to make clarinet and
saxophone pads
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 27
The entire
Philadelphia
Orchestra clarinet
section made regular
visits to the Kaspar
home during the
orchestra’s May
Festival concerts in
Ann Arbor to have
their clarinets and
mouthpieces adjusted.
Figure 3: Four Kaspar Ann Arbor B-flat clarinet mouthpieces
encouragement, went to Harvard Medical
School and became a pediatric surgeon.
On to the mouthpieces!
Figure 3 shows four Kaspar Ann
Arbor B-flat clarinet mouthpieces, each
with the star and “SUPERB” marking
from the days of Arthur Goldbeck. The
Figure 4: Mouthpiece facing measurements for Anthony Gigliotti, Donald Montanaro, Harold Wright
and Peter Hadcock
28 | THE CLARINET
mouthpieces all have tip openings of less
than 1.1 mm. It is known that Frank L.
Kaspar also made mouthpieces for bass
and E-flat clarinet, but I have not been
able to locate any.
Although these articles are meant to
be historical, not technical, some basic
terms are useful when comparing the Ann
Arbor to the Chicago (after 1950)/Cicero
mouthpieces. The first question most
people ask when comparing mouthpieces
is “what is the tip opening?” This refers to
the distance between the tip of the reed
and the tip of the mouthpiece. Although
only one small part of a mouthpiece’s
specifications, it is a good place to start.
In general, the wider the tip opening, the
softer the reed.
When both Kaspars worked in
Chicago, their mouthpieces usually had
tip openings of 1.1 mm or more. When
Frank L. Kaspar moved to Ann Arbor,
his mouthpiece tip openings were closer
to 1 mm. The question is why? Strangely
enough, one answer may be geographical.
Figures 4 and 5 are representative of
the players who visited Frank L. Kaspar
in Ann Arbor. The following are the
original facings in his handwriting. In each
case, the top number is the tip opening.
For example:
Anthony Gigliotti – three
measurements all close to 1 mm
MARCH 2016
Figure 5: Mouthpiece facing measurements for Keith Stein and Stanley Drucker; Frank L. Kaspar’s
handwritten “business card”
Donald Montanaro – 1 mm
Peter Hadcock – 1.07 mm
Harold Wright – 1.03 mm
Keith Stein – 1.07 mm
Stanley Drucker – 1.13 As usual,
Stanley is the exception that
proves the rule!!
but the decades of experience that went
into each mouthpiece. The Kaspars’
mouthpieces were not formulaic. It is
true that many of their mouthpieces were
made from blanks ordered from some of
the major mouthpiece makers (Riffault,
Sumner, Babbit, etc.), but an equal
number were made from those named
Selmer, Buffet, Vito… but I am getting
ahead of myself. More on this in Part III!
Figure 6 shows two parts of a series
of original handwritten diagrams and
instructions that apparently are the
beginnings of a manual on mouthpiece
refacing. These documents are
informative, instructional and, in a way,
very poignant. What a treasure it would
be to have a complete manual on the art
and science of mouthpiece facing and
adjusting by Frank L. Kaspar. According
to Rick Sayre, “The main idea in all
these papers (over 15 drawings with
instructions) was to make a systematic
procedure to get a consistently flat table.”
Panel 2 reads as follows: “With short
strokes up and down move mouthpiece
up with tip until the star comes even line
B then one long stroke down with cork
end.” Panel 3 reads as follows: “Start from
A the first ligature line with short strokes
Both Fred Ormand and Donald
Montanaro emphasize the influence
of Anthony Gigliotti (the Philadelphia
Orchestra’s principal clarinetist from 1949
to 1996) on Frank L. Kaspar’s mouthpieces.
In fact, the entire Philadelphia Orchestra
clarinet section made regular visits to the
Kaspar home during the orchestra’s May
Festival concerts in Ann Arbor to have
their clarinets and mouthpieces adjusted.
In Chicago and Cleveland, Clark Brody
and Robert Marcellus went to the “other”
Kaspar. Rick Sayre, the only mouthpiece
apprentice of cousin Frank Kaspar (Cicero),
referred to this as the “the Midwest vs. the
East Coast.”
It would be very convenient to group
clarinetists and the mouthpieces they
played on into one neat package, but
the truth is that styles, players, clarinets
and mouthpieces change with the times.
Several of the players listed above visited
both Kaspars as well as other makers.
What separates the Kaspars from many
other makers is not only the pride and
dedication they brought to their work,
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 29
Figure 6: Mouthpiece diagrams and instructions by Frank L. Kaspar
go forward with tip until the star (B)
comes in line with top edge of paper. Then
Figure 8: Frank L. Kaspar and his prayer card
with long strokes and added preasure [sic]
forward with cork end and repeat.” Once
again, my thanks go out to John Wesley
for supplying these original documents;
hopefully, some time in the near future
they can all be published.
From 1950 to 1978, Frank L. Kaspar
worked for hundreds of clarinetists:
students, amateurs and professionals.
Figure 7 is a wonderful picture of Frank
L. Kaspar in his Ann Arbor workshop. In
1978, after the death of his wife Mary,
he moved to the Chicago suburb of
Riverside, Illinois. He lived there for about
one year with his grandson Joe Kubic and
his family. On August 8, 1979, Frank L.
Kaspar, pictured in Figure 8 next to his
prayer card, passed away.
Perhaps there is no more fitting tribute
to this craftsman than his own words from
a 1962 interview in the Ann Arbor News:
People come to me once in a
while and say “Frank, why do you
do things this way, so strenuous
and time-consuming?” I tell them I
learned this way and I won’t change.
When I make something and see
that it works, it’s worth it.
On to Part III; Frank Kaspar of
Cicero. v
Figure 7: Frank L. Kaspar in his Ann Arbor workshop
30 | THE CLARINET
MARCH 2016
ICA ANNOUNCEMENT
2016 High School Solo Competition
Eligibility: Competition participants must be 18 years old or younger as of June 30, 2016.
Application: Deadline for the submission of application and other application materials is: Friday, April 1, 2016. Please submit
the online application at www.clarinet.org
High School Solo Competition Coordinator: John Warren – [email protected]
CONTEST RULES
JUDGING
1.
Application Fee: $65 USD. All applicants must be
members of the ICA and submit the Competition
Application. Non-members wishing to apply may join
the ICA by going to www.clarinet.org and becoming a
member. The application fee is non-refundable.
2.
Recording Instructions: Please provide a high quality
recording containing the following repertoire in the
exact order listed. Repertoire must be recorded with
accompaniment when appropriate. Any published
edition is acceptable. Each selection/movement should
be listed as a single track, and should not contain your
name. Please be aware that the quality of the recording
will influence the judges. Recordings should not be
edited and only continuous performances of entire works
or movements are allowed.
Judging of recordings will be conducted with no knowledge
of the contestant. Do not include any identification on your
audio files. There should be no speaking on the recording,
such as announcing of compositions. Preliminary judging will
be by taped audition. Finalists will be chosen by committee.
Notification will be sent by Friday, May 6, 2016. The final
round will be held at ClarinetFest® 2016 in Lawrence, Kansas,
August 3-7, 2016. Repertoire will consist of the works listed in
item 2. Memorization for the final round of competition is
not required.
a.
Béla Kovács, Hommage à J. S. Bach and Hommage à
M. de Falla (play both on B-flat clarinet)
b.
Henri Rabaud, Solo de concours, Op. 10
3.
A photocopy of the contestant’s driver’s license,
passport or birth certificate as proof of age.
4.
Both the private teacher, if any, and the contestant attest
in a separate written and signed statement that the
recording is the playing of the contestant and has not
been edited.
5.
A summer address, telephone number and e-mail
address should be provided. E-mail is the preferred
means of communication. Please check your email
regularly as this is how you will be contacted.
Past first-prize winners are not eligible to compete. All
contestants will accept the decision of the judges as final.
The ICA will provide a pianist for all finalists. All finalists will
receive free registration at ClarinetFest® 2016. Travel and
other expenses will be the responsibility of the contestant. All
recordings will become the property of the ICA and will not
be returned.
PRIZES
First Prize – $1,000 U.S.
Second Prize – $750 U.S.
Third Prize – $500 U.S.
The International Clarinet Association assumes no tax liability that competition winners may incur through receiving prize money.
Individuals are responsible for investigating applicable tax laws and reporting prize winnings to requisite government agencies.
Theodore Johnson:
REMEMBRANCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
by Dennis Nygren
32 | THE CLARINET
Photo Courtesy of Theodore Johnson
T
heodore “Ted” Johnson is best known for
serving 36 years as principal second clarinet and
E-flat clarinet with the Cleveland Orchestra.
He also performed with the Cleveland Pops
Orchestra, the Kansas City Philharmonic, Kansas
City Lyric Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and the Casals
Festival, and early in his career with the Chicago
Symphony and the orchestras of Grant Park
(Chicago) and the Ravinia Festival. Chamber music
performances included those with the faculty at
the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Cleveland
Orchestra Woodwind Quintet, the Venner Ensemble,
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and ten years
with the Cleveland Octet, to name a few. A highly
regarded teacher, Ted held positions at the Cleveland
Institute of Music (1960-1996) and Cleveland State
University (1982-2012), as well as the Kansas City
Conservatory of Music, the University of Akron,
Case Western Reserve University, Baldwin Wallace
College, the Kent/Blossom School and the Cleveland
Music School Settlement.
Born in Chicago on January 24, 1930, Ted was
raised on the Near West Side of the “Windy City.”
Although neither of his parents was particularly
musical, they encouraged young Ted, and he began
playing the clarinet at age 9. His first teacher, Lew
Honig, was a number-one sideman in Chicago, and
his teaching stressed the basics, particularly hand
position. Shortly after the Depression and with
jobs hard to come by, especially for young people,
Ted practiced clarinet quite hard, sometimes for
several hours a day. He eventually attended Harrison
Technical High School, the school from which Benny
Goodman had graduated in 1922. He also performed
in both the Chicago Catholic Youth Organization
Band and the Chicago Youth Orchestra.
Theodore “Ted” Johnson
After high school, Ted enrolled at DePaul
University to study clarinet with Jerome Stowell.
Stowell was the assistant first and E-flat clarinetist
of the Chicago Symphony, and was known for
his facile technique and excellent E-flat clarinet
playing. From him, Ted learned a great deal
concerning orchestral performance – emphasizing
symphonic excerpts – and the importance of
accurate rhythm, intonation and good mouthpieces.
MARCH 2016
recordings of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in
G and Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps
(1969 and 1991 versions).
I had the opportunity to interview
Ted Johnson about his career and his
recommendations for aspiring orchestral
clarinetists.
DENNIS NYGREN: Ted, how, at the age
of 9, did you end up choosing the clarinet
as an instrument?
THEODORE JOHNSON: Well, it truly
wasn’t very scientific. My mother took
me to a department store – the Boston
Store – where they had a small section
of instruments. I honestly didn’t have
any idea of which instrument to choose
at first, but as I thought about it, I
remembered that Benny Goodman was
from the very area in Chicago where
I was raised; he was very famous at
that time and I admired him, and so I
thought, “why not the clarinet?”
DN: Could you tell me about your first
teacher, Lew Honig?
TJ: When you purchased an instrument
from the Boston Store, you would
receive 10 free lessons. Lew was the
teacher, and he had an excellent
reputation performing with swing
bands in the Chicago area. I remember
he was a chain cigarette smoker –
this wasn’t uncommon in those days
– so much so that his fingers were
yellow. Anyhow, he taught me some
basic techniques, but as our lessons
progressed, I guess I improved to a
point where he told me he couldn’t
teach me anymore, and to find a
different teacher.
DN: Do you have any specific remembrances
as to your practice as a youth?
TJ: I had a special relationship with my
Czech grandfather on my mother’s
side. During the summer, we would get
up and have some breakfast, and then
about 9 a.m., I would begin practicing
clarinet, sitting next to him while he
read his Czechoslovakian newspaper.
We’d take a break around noon for
lunch, and I would resume practicing
in the afternoon, while he filled his
long cherry-wood, silver-bowled pipe
with tobacco and enjoyed a leisurely
smoke. Sometimes I’d practice the
remainder of the afternoon.
Photo Courtesy of the Rosenthal Archives, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Photo Credit: Kaufmann & Fabry
During this time, Ted played principal
clarinet and some E-flat with the Chicago
Civic Orchestra, which was considered
a “feeder” orchestra for the Chicago
Symphony. This experience prepared him
for playing with the Chicago Symphony
and paved the way for opportunities with
the Grant Park Orchestra and the Ravinia
Festival Orchestra.
From 1951 to 1958, Theodore
Johnson held the position of second
and E-flat clarinet with the Kansas City
Philharmonic. He gained much experience
in Kansas City and truly refined his
“chops” on E-flat clarinet. During
this time, he also served as director of
woodwind teaching in the Kansas City
school system. In the latter part of his
Kansas City tenure, he was hired to play
principal clarinet in the Kansas City Lyric
Opera and the Santa Fe Opera, and also
performed at the Santa Fe Chamber
Music Festival.
A great opportunity arose when the
position of second/E-flat clarinet became
open in the world-renowned Cleveland
Orchestra. Ted won the audition and held
the position for 36 years, from 1959 to
1995. He experienced the final 11 years
of the George Szell era, often referred to
as the “Golden Age” of the Cleveland
Orchestra. Before his retirement, Ted
would work under the batons of Musical
Directors Lorin Maazel and Christoph
von Dohnanyi, Music Advisor Pierre
Boulez, and an impressive list of some of
the greatest guest conductors in the world.
One would be hard-pressed to find
better sounding orchestral clarinet
duets than those by Robert Marcellus
and Theodore Johnson in, for example,
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Dvorak’s
Symphony No. 8, “The Hebrides” Overture
by Mendelssohn, Perpetuum Mobile by
Johann Strauss, Jr., several of the Strauss
waltzes, and Piano Concerto No. 3 by
Prokofiev – all conducted by George
Szell – or Rhapsodie espagnole conducted
by Pierre Boulez. Theodore Johnson was
also regarded as one of the premier E-flat
clarinetists of his generation. Superb
examples of his performance may be
heard in Szell’s recording of the Prokofiev
Symphony No. 5, Szell’s and Lorin Maazel’s
recordings of Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe,
Maazel’s complete Romeo and Juliet ballet
by Prokofiev, Ravel’s Bolero conducted by
Christoph von Dohnanyi, and the Boulez
Jerome Stowell in 1954
DN: Wow, that’s a great deal of practice for
a young boy!
TJ: Yes, but this was shortly after the
Depression, so I couldn’t find a
summer job. Practicing was something
I enjoyed and it gave me a sense of
accomplishment.
DN: Do you recall what solos you performed
with your high school band, or anything
special concerning your membership in
the Chicago Youth Orchestra?
TJ: With my high school band, I
remember playing Bassi’s Concert
Fantasy on Motives from Verdi’s
“Rigoletto” and the Erwinn Fantasia
by Meister. As for the Chicago Youth
Orchestra, this was my first orchestral
experience, and the orchestra was quite
good, having personnel drawn from
Chicago and Chicago suburbs. I recall
doing a summer retreat with the group
in Champaign-Urbana.
DN: What do you remember about Jerome
Stowell and your music study at DePaul
University?
TJ: Jerry Stowell was an energetic,
intelligent (he held degrees in
philosophy and accounting) and
uplifting individual, in addition to
being a wonderful clarinetist. His
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 33
Photo Courtesy of Theodore Johnson
Ted Johnson and Robert Marcellus
enthusiasm for music and life in
general kind of rubbed off on me, and I
wanted to be just like him. Inspired by
him, I practiced harder – that is, more
seriously and in greater detail.
I do recall one funny story from our
teacher-student relationship. He always
taught me as his last student for the day,
I think so he could give me more time,
if necessary. One particular time our
lesson was in the evening, perhaps 8 or
9 p.m. He had had a long day, and he
asked me if I’d mind if he laid down on
the couch in his studio while listening
to me. I had my back to him, and after
playing something rather lengthy and
having not heard any response from
him, I turned around to find him fast
asleep. I didn’t want to wake him, so I
placed the $3 for the lesson on his chest
and left (can you imagine paying $3
for a lesson?). Well, he called me the
next day, very mad; it so happened he
didn’t wake up until 4 a.m.! I’ll always
remember Jerry fondly, and regret that
he passed on from cancer before he
could enjoy his retirement.
DN: What about the years in Kansas City?
TJ: This was a very good orchestra,
conducted by Hans Schwieger. Many
fine players performed in Kansas City
before getting major orchestra jobs.
Two that come to mind are Dale
Clevenger and Donald Peck of Chicago
Symphony fame. I performed in the
Kansas City Philharmonic Woodwind
Quintet with Donald, longtime CSO
principal flute.
Unfortunately, back in the 1950s
when I performed in Kansas City, the
season was fairly short – perhaps 20 to
George Szell ran up on stage, shook my hand
and said, “Don’t go away. I’ll get the manager
down here right away for you to sign a contract.”
The rest of the auditions were canceled.
34 | THE CLARINET
25 weeks. To make a living, I had to
seek other employment. I worked for a
while in a flower farm and then, because
I had done a fair amount of dance
band work in Chicago, I performed
in the biggest show band in town,
playing saxophone, flute and clarinet.
We played for big names – Jack Benny,
Louis Armstrong, Liberace, Henny
Youngman, Hoagy Carmichael, etc.
DN: Would you please describe your
audition for the Cleveland Orchestra?
TJ: I remember arriving at Severance
Hall quite early, around 9 a.m. on, I
believe, a Wednesday. It seemed like I
waited forever for my turn. Eventually
I was brought up to the middle of
the stage at Severance Hall, and the
librarian placed a stack of music in
front of me. George Szell came up on
stage and sat down next to me. He was
apparently looking for a “team player,”
someone who he could trust to be
loyal to him and the orchestra, so he
asked me some questions. He asked me
what book I was currently reading. I
answered with The Brothers Karamazov
by Dostoyevsky. He seemed pleased by
that, so then he looked at my clarinets
and noticed that they were Leblanc
clarinets, not Buffets. He asked me why
I played them, so I told him that I felt
they were often better than Buffets, and
that they had helped me hold my job
in Kansas City.
George Szell returned to the hall,
sitting with the audition committee,
with the exception of assistant
conductors Louis Lane, Michael
Charry and Robert Shaw, who were
seated in different parts of the balcony.
This was so they could report back to
Szell as to how an applicant sounded
from various distances.
Like most auditions today, the first
part of the process was to perform a
concerto of the player’s choice, and
I had chosen the Mozart Concerto in
A. After having performed parts of
the Mozart, George Szell asked me to
perform an excerpt, so I played the solo
from Night on Bald Mountain.
Having gotten that far, Robert
Marcellus joined me on stage to
perform several orchestral duets to
see how I would blend, balance and
tune with him. I remember he would
sometimes slightly change his pitch, his
MARCH 2016
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associate principal clarinet of the
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DN: What was it like playing in the
Cleveland Orchestra for 36 years?
TJ: It was definitely a life-altering
experience. First of all, we often
traveled four to six weeks a year. In my
time with Cleveland, I performed in
every state, in all of Europe including
Russia, in Japan and Korea, in
Australia and New Zealand, even in
South America. We’d be welcomed by
dignitaries of various countries, we’d
be invited to various embassies, and we
were treated like very important people.
George Szell was an excellent
conductor and musician. He could
have been a concert pianist. But, he
was very demanding. You may have
heard the statement that “the Cleveland
Orchestra plays seven concerts a week,
but only two of them for the general
public.” This was so true; when it came
to the Monday morning rehearsal, you
had to be totally prepared.
Concerning the quality of the
orchestra, there can be no doubt that
it was one of the great orchestras
in the world. My colleagues were
superb. Szell’s concept was that of 100
musicians performing chamber music.
Blend, balance, tone quality, intonation,
musicianship… it was all there. If you
had an incidental solo in the music,
you never had to force your tone to
be heard. If a string player moved on
to another top-notch orchestra, it was
often to be a principal player.
DN: What about the many recordings you
made under Szell, Boulez, Maazel, von
Dohnanyi and others?
TJ: During my years in the Cleveland
Orchestra, record companies were
36 | THE CLARINET
Photo Courtesy of Theodore Johnson
timbre, or his style, just to see how I
would react.
Finally, I was asked to perform on
the E-flat clarinet. The first selection
was Daphnis et Chloe. Then I was asked
to perform perhaps the most famous
of E-flat clarinet orchestral parts, that
of Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel’s
Merry Pranks. I played it to the best
of my ability, and was surprised when
George Szell ran up on stage. He shook
my hand and said, “Don’t go away. I’ll
get the manager down here right away
for you to sign a contract.” The rest of
the auditions were canceled. I guess he
felt he had found his man.
Cleveland Octet: Eric Eichhorn, violin; Boris Chusid, violin; Edward Ormand, viola; Gary Stucka, cello; Ted
Johnson, clarinet; George Goslee, bassoon; David Glazer, horn; Scott Haigh, double bass
still recording a great deal of classical
music. I was so fortunate; times are so
different today. We recorded for Epic
and Columbia under Szell. Many of
these recordings are now available on
Sony. For Maazel we often recorded
on the London label, and for von
Dohnanyi on Telarc. Pierre Boulez
recorded for Deutsche Grammophon.
I was involved in Beethoven cycles
for Szell and von Dohnanyi, and
Brahms cycles for Szell and Maazel.
Szell recorded a great deal of Haydn,
Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, and
von Dohnanyi and Szell recorded much
Dvorak. Under Boulez, we recorded
much Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky. It
was all rather overwhelming.
DN: When you perform with a world-class
orchestra, world-class conductors want
to conduct your ensemble. Do you recall
some of them?
TJ: Yes, there were legendary older
conductors, such as Leopold Stokowski,
Pierre Monteux, Eugene Ormandy and
William Steinberg, composers such as
Igor Stravinsky and Aaron Copland;
others included Leonard Bernstein,
Karel Ancerl, Istvan Kertesz, Russian
conductors Kirill Kondraskin and
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, and movie,
television and popular composer Henry
Mancini. Also, we did a significant
amount of work with Pierre Boulez.
The list of guest conductors was so long
and impressive.
MARCH 2016
Photo Courtesy of Theodore Johnson
Venner Ensemble: Arthur Klima, viola; Eric Ziolek, piano; Diane Mather, cello; Eric Eichhorn, violin; Ted
Johnson, clarinet
DN: I know you love performing chamber
music involving the clarinet. Please
elaborate.
TJ: During my career I performed a great
deal of chamber music with many
high-quality players, which made
the experiences especially rewarding.
I played chamber music early on in
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DN: What kind of clarinets and accessories
did you play during your career?
TJ: Jerome Stowell had a preference for
Leblanc clarinets when I studied with
him. I honestly felt at that time in
the late 1940s and early 1950s that
Leblancs were better than most Buffets.
I had a good set of Leblanc clarinets on
which I performed in Kansas City and
my early days in Cleveland. I eventually
switched to Buffet clarinets on B-flat
and A, in part because that was Robert
Marcellus’s choice of horns. On E-flat,
I played the same Selmer E-flat clarinet
throughout my career.
As for mouthpieces, I played a
Kaspar mouthpiece on B-flat and A,
and a Stowell-Wells-Schneider on E-flat
clarinet. Much later, when Franklin
Cohen held the job of principal and
played Pyne mouthpieces, I switched
to a Pyne, including on the E-flat. This
was all part of the job of being a good
second clarinetist.
DN: You dedicated a good deal of your
career to teaching. Please comment on
these experiences.
TJ: I’ve enjoyed many years of teaching
and I feel this is something that keeps
you feeling young; when working
with young students desiring to learn
and develop, you actually develop
yourself, trying to help them with
their problems. I taught, early on, at
the Kansas City Conservatory, many
years at both the Cleveland Institute of
Music and Cleveland State University,
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800.659.6073
38 | THE CLARINET
Kansas City and Santa Fe, but it was
during my Cleveland years that these
experiences were truly special. For
example, I performed many concerts
with the faculty of the Cleveland
Institute of Music, and ten years
with both the Cleveland Orchestra
Woodwind Quintet and the Cleveland
Octet. With the Octet, we would
perform major works; for example we
performed and recorded the Schubert
Octet. In addition to the larger chamber
ensemble music, I performed all the
clarinet quintet repertoire. Later in
my career, I founded and managed the
Venner Ensemble, which performed
much trio literature, and I toured Ohio
with the Martinů String Quartet of
Prague in 2001.
MARCH 2016
at the University of Akron and Baldwin
Wallace College, and the Cleveland
Music Settlement.
DN: Would you tell us something about your
clarinet accessories business?
TJ: At least ten years ago I was encouraged
by one of my former students and
currently a music store owner – James
Stahl – to consider such a business.
I did a lot of experimenting with
mouthpieces, finally finding a facing
that suited me well, as well as one
that I felt would satisfy students and
professionals. We make plastic student
mouthpieces, reasonably priced, which
I feel are the best student mouthpieces
on the market, and more expensive
hard rubber mouthpieces for the
serious student or professional.
Our ligatures, based after the old
Kaspar model, come in both nickel
and silver – the silver producing a
slightly darker tone. Our neck strap
was designed to relieve the right thumb
pressure from holding a clarinet, and
to be as comfortable as possible around
the neck.
DN: Would you please comment on the “art”
of playing second clarinet?
TJ: Well, to win a position in a great
orchestra you must be willing to
practice your tail off! As a member
of a professional orchestra, you must
be very precise concerning rhythm,
intonation, and technique. As for
second clarinet, your job is to make
the first clarinet sound good. You
cannot overblow and you must quickly
learn the principal clarinetist’s body
language, as well as knowing the
tendencies of the first player regarding
intonation, trying to match his or her
sound, and so on. Some second clarinet
parts can be more difficult than the first
parts, for example the “Scherzo” from
A Midsummer Night’s Dream or parts of
Daphnis and Chloe. So you must know
the second clarinet repertoire.
DN: What particular skills must one develop
to excel on the E-flat clarinet?
TJ: First, look for a teacher who has been
“through the fire,” someone who is
experienced with the repertoire and can
relate it to you. Study the instrument’s
intonation and know your instrument
intimately. You must know the basic
repertoire – Till; Daphnis; Prokofiev,
Mahler and Shostakovich symphonies;
Stravinsky, Ravel piano concertos; etc.
You should have various fingerings
for each pitch in the altissimo register.
You never know when a situation will
call for a sharper or flatter fingering.
I’ve always thought of the E-flat
clarinet as an extension of the B-flat,
so you should strive for a darker
sound. It doesn’t have to be thin and
excessively bright. A good mouthpiece
is very important in one’s level of
success on the E-flat clarinet, and a
mouthpiece with wider rails will give
you a darker tone. I also recommend
practicing scales, such as those found
in Baermann, just like you would on
the B-flat or A clarinets. I recommend,
for example, that you play a C major
scale on the B-flat clarinet, then do the
same thing on the A, and finally on
the E-flat. This will help you develop
the flexibility to change from one
instrument to another, which is often
required when performing concert
programs.
DN: Thank you so much, Ted. Representing
The Clarinet journal, I want to wish you
and your wife Sheila the very best health
and happiness. v
ABOUT THE WRITER
Dennis Nygren has
contributed eight
articles for The
Clarinet. Dr. Nygren
is the former professor
of clarinet at Kent
State University,
having also taught at
Northern Michigan,
Baldwin Wallace, Cleveland State and
Oakland universities. He remains active
as a professional clarinetist and teacher in
Northeast Ohio and lives in Silver Lake,
Ohio, with his wife Nadine and their four
dogs. Also an arranger, he may be heard
on his CD A Clarinet Collective (Albany
Records, Troy 1330).
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and feel, to provide an instrument the musician can play with complete confidence”. John Weir
(647) 351-8181 • [email protected] • 1434A Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON . M4J 1N4
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 39
A Short History of the
Clarinet in New York City in
the 18th and 19th Centuries
by Jane Ellsworth
PART 2: THE NEW YORK
PHILHARMONIC AND BEYOND
Part 1 of this article, which appeared in the June 2015 issue of The Clarinet, examined the history of the clarinet
in New York City from 1758 to the early 1840s. Part 2 continues the story through the end of the 19th century.
1842-1860: THE PHILHARMONIC AND
VISITING ORCHESTRAS
n 1842 the Philharmonic Society of New
York (today’s New York Philharmonic
Orchestra) was founded, the first permanent,
professional orchestra in the United States. In
its earliest days it was a cooperative venture, with
annual profits that were divided equally among
the musicians, and it presented just three or four
concerts a year.
The orchestra roster of the Philharmonic’s
inaugural season does not survive, but in the annual
report of the second season the clarinetists are listed
as Göller and Grönefeldt.1 (A table of the clarinetists
of the New York Philharmonic is given as Figure
1.) For the first three seasons Goeller played second
clarinet, and from 1845 to 1849 he played principal.
A musician named George Goeller is listed in New
York City directories in the years 1844-48, 1850, and
1852-54, but nothing further is known about him.
A great deal more information is available about
“Grönefeldt.” Theodore W. Groenevelt (the spelling
of his surname varies widely in early newspapers
and other documents) was not only a clarinetist
but also a cellist, and played in both sections of
the New York Philharmonic during the first two
decades of its existence. As principal clarinet from
I
40 | THE CLARINET
1842-45 and again in 1853-54, he performed
not only in the orchestra but also as a soloist on a
number of occasions. Perhaps the most lauded of
these solo performances was on January 11, 1845,
when he played Weber’s Concertino. Several glowing
reviews appeared in newspapers the following week,
including this one:
We never heard this artist to so great advantage
as on the occasion here alluded to; the evenness
and purity of his tones, his distinct and perfect
articulation, the care and taste with which he gave
due elasticity to his passages, his frequently rapid
but distinct passages, and the pathos of his slow
movements marked him an artist of the highest
standing in his department… This performance
was a perfect musical gem, and richly deserved
the enthusiastic applauses [sic] which were poured
upon it.2
Of the same performance, a writer for the
Broadway Journal praised Groenevelt’s tone and
style, and stated, “his expression is that of a man
who feels the power of music in his heart.”3
Groenevelt also performed on concerts besides
those of the New York Philharmonic, including
performances with the New-York Sacred Music
Society, the German Society of New York and
the German Jefferson Band, and as a guest artist
MARCH 2016
on concerts given by other individual
musicians. He may also have been in the
orchestra at Palmo’s Opera House. Despite
these activities Groenevelt must have been
looking for greener pastures, because for
the next several years (1846-48) he worked
in Boston as both a clarinetist and a cellist.
No information exists for the years 184953, but by 1853 he was back in New York
City, once again as principal clarinet in
the Philharmonic. After 1854 he seems to
have played mostly in the cello section.
Another important clarinetist in
the early history of the New York
Philharmonic was Frederick Starck. Starck
played regularly as the Philharmonic’s
second clarinetist from 1846 to 1860. He
also played as a soloist with the orchestra
in 1846, 1848 and 1850, despite the fact
that he was not principal. Like Groenevelt,
Starck played on concerts outside
the Philharmonic, but not always to
unequivocally good reviews. On a concert
given by the pianist H.C. Timm in
February 1847, Starck played a solo work
by Ivan Müller, about which a reviewer
had the following to say:
Mr. Stark is a very good performer
on the clarionet, both in point of
execution and tone, and his playing
gave great satisfaction; but he has not a
perfect command of his instrument, and
now and then, both to his mortification
and to that of the audience, his clarionet
gave a squeak which is peculiar to it and
unpleasant to the ear.”4
An individual named George Schneider
played principal in the Philharmonic
between 1850 and 1853, but nothing
further is known of him. From 1854 to
1858 the principal clarinetist was Xavier
Kiefer (1821-c.1858). Kiefer had already
been playing in New York since 1851 as
a soloist with bands and orchestras, and
as a chamber musician. He even played a
basset horn solo of his own composition
on a concert by the Dodworth Band
in 1852.5 On his first solo appearance
with the Philharmonic, Kiefer played a
Concertino composed by the orchestra’s
conductor, Theodore Eisfeld.6 He seems to
have made something of a specialty of this
work, since he performed it again in 1855
and several times in 1858. He also played
other concerts in New York, and in the fall
of 1858 toured with an orchestra managed
by the impresario Bernard Ullman.
Upon Kiefer’s death in 1858 the New
York Philharmonic finally hired its first
long-term principal clarinetist: Edward
Boehm (1825-1885). Boehm occupied the
post until 1885, for a total of 27 seasons
– longer than any other clarinetist until
Stanley Drucker. He was one of New York
City’s most prominent musicians during
that time, performing as a soloist as well
as an orchestral player, and he holds a
position of great importance in the history
of the clarinet in America.
Nothing is known for certain of
Boehm’s life before he came to the U.S.,
except that he came from Germany.7
He appeared in New York beginning in
1853, playing a solo at a concert given
by the Dodworth Band at Metropolitan
Hall on January 22 of that year.8 Data is
spotty regarding his activities in 1854-58,
but he certainly performed as a soloist
and chamber musician on concerts in
1856, and continued to do so after
his appointment to the Philharmonic.
He performed on the Mason-Thomas
chamber music soirées, in the orchestra
for the 50th anniversary of the Handel
& Haydn Society in Boston, and as a
soloist with various orchestras including
the New Haven Philharmonic, Theodore
Thomas’s orchestra, the Ninth Regiment
Band, and the Liederkranz Society, as
well as on miscellaneous concerts given
by other musicians. One of the highlights
was undoubtedly his performance of the
Beethoven Septet with Wieniawski as the
violinist, on May 30, 1873.9
In 1871 Boehm took up the bass
clarinet. He played a solo on that
instrument on concerts by both the
Brooklyn Philharmonic (January
28) and the New York Philharmonic
(February 4). The latter concert spurred
a number of reviews, almost none of
them favorable. The work he played was
called Recitativ and Romanze, composed
by Carl Bergmann, who also conducted
the performances (see Figure 2). Many of
DATES
PRINCIPAL
CLARINET
SECOND
CLARINET
NOTES
1842–45
Groenveldt
Goeller
Presumed for 1842-43; roster for that
year not extant.
1845–49
Goeller
Starck
1849–53
Schneider
Starck
1853–54
Groenveldt
Starck
1854–58
Kiefer
Starck
1858–60
Boehm
Starck
1860–64
Boehm
Bahls
1864–65
Boehm
Drewes
1865–68
Boehm
Bahls
Goepel replaces Bahls on 2 concerts;
Wendelschaefer replaces Bahls once
and Boehm once.
1868–85
Boehm
Drewes
When Boehm plays bass, Drewes
plays principal and Goepel plays 2nd.
Sometimes Wendelschaefer or Bahls
plays second.
1885–91
Schreurs
Drewes
Kohl plays bass and sometimes extra;
other extras are Freund, Penzel, Giese.
1891–94
Reinecke
Drewes
Kohl plays bass; Foerster plays extra.
1894–96
Stockigt
Drewes; Foerster
at end of 95–96
Toward the end of each season Scheck
plays principal.
1896–97
Scheck
Freund
1897–1900
Scheck
Streit
H.A. Goepel and Schmeltz on 2 concerts
in 1863–64.
Kohl and Freund continue to play bass.
Fig. 1: Table of New York Philharmonic Clarinetists, 1842–1900. Some details omitted.
(Compiled from materials at the New York Philharmonic Archive)
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 41
falls into the hands of some professor of the ordinary clarionet,
who has not practiced it sufficiently to acquire complete mastery
over its special difficulties. We have noticed this many times in
European orchestras, and the performance on the present occasion
offered a similar cause for regret. Mr. Boehm, as everyone knows,
is an excellent artist, but he was obviously not “at home” with
his unwieldy instrument. His phrasing and expression were full
of musical purpose, but, unfortunately, his intonation was never
as good as his intention, and no amount of style or feeling can
compensate for constantly playing out of tune.
In spite of this, Boehm went on to play bass clarinet solos on
several other occasions, and played the instrument in the orchestra
when it was called for.
In addition to performing in the orchestra, Boehm served
administratively on the Philharmonic board, as a director from
1865-69, and vice president from 1870-74 and 1876-80.10 He
also seems to have taught clarinet, first at the Mason and Thomas
Conservatory of Music (1867) and then later at the New-York
College of Music (1878).11 News of Boehm’s death in late October
of 1885 reached newspapers as far away as Salt Lake City; The
Deseret News of November 4, 1885 recounted it thus:
Edward Boehm, the widely-known clarionet player, died last
week in New York from lung disease. He was 60 years of age, and
had been for fifteen years the first clarionet player of Thomas’
orchestra. He was first a member and lately vice-president of the
Philharmonic Society. Mr. Boehm was a remarkable musician and
an exquisite clarionet player, in fact one of the best in this country.
In addition to the Philharmonic, many other opportunities
also existed for clarinetists in New York City in the 1840s and
’50s. The usual “season” of concerts and opera performances
had expanded greatly by the middle of the century. Clarinetists
working outside the Philharmonic included Giulio Macchi, J.E.
Drescher and Esuperanzio Belletti.
Macchi appeared for the first time in 1847, playing for the
Italian opera company of Sanquirico and Patti at the newly-built
Astor Place Opera House; by the next year he was touring with a
concert troupe formed of members of that same company. Macchi
and Drescher played together on at least one occasion in New York
City, but Drescher seems to have had a rather more active career.
Drescher was known not only as a clarinetist, but also as
a basset horn player; his performance on that instrument at a
concert for the American Musical Fund Society in 1850 was
lauded by a reviewer.12 He played solos with the New York
Philharmonic on two occasions, in 1851 and 1852, and also
traveled with an orchestra that accompanied the “Swedish
Nightingale,” Jenny Lind, for some of her U.S. touring, during
which he performed the Weber Concertino on concerts in
Baltimore and New Orleans.13 Belletti was also associated with
Lind, playing solos on her concerts in 1851 in New York and
elsewhere. He was still performing in New York in 1853, but after
that went south to Charleston, New Orleans and Havana.14
In the 1840s several European orchestral ensembles toured
the main cities of the East Coast. Most pertinent to this study
were the so-called “Steyermarkische Company,” under Frances
Riha (arrived 1846); the Germania Musical Society under Carl
Lenschow (arrived late September 1848); and Joseph Gungl and
his orchestra (arrived early November 1848). The Steyermarkische
Company, appearing in New York in 1847, traveled with at
Figure 2: Program of the New York Philharmonic Concert, February 4, 1871,
documenting the first appearance of the bass clarinet with the Philharmonic.
(Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives)
the reviewers commented on the effectiveness of the piece itself,
which had the unusual accompaniment of two clarinets and two
bassoons; but most were of the opinion that Mr. Boehm, though
a fine musician, was not comfortable with the bass clarinet. The
following excerpt, from the periodical Orpheus (March 1, 1871), is
representative of critical reaction.
The composer’s principal object was apparently to display
the peculiar powers and capabilities of the bass-clarionet, an
instrument which stands an octave lower than the ordinary
clarionet in B flat, and is scarcely known in America where it has
rarely been heard except in the “Huguenots” and “L’Africaine”
of Meyerbeer. Its lower tones are somewhat sepulchral, and the
upper ones decidedly ineffective in cantabile passages. For certain
effects, especially of a weird, solemn, or mystic character, the lower
tones of this instrument cannot be matched; but a little of the
bass-clarionet goes a great way, and we much doubt the possibility
of it being rendered interesting through a long solo. Moreover,
in consequence of its being so seldom required, it nearly always
42 | THE CLARINET
MARCH 2016
least one clarinetist, K. Ingerstein, who
sometimes played as a soloist.15 The
clarinetists of the Germania orchestra
during their six-year stay in the U.S.
were I. Shultz (principal), A. Haenel and
H. Albrecht; Shultz received a positive
review when he played a clarinet solo by
Baer on a New York concert in 1848.16
Gungl’s clarinetists were named Bohme
and Herwig; no evidence has yet surfaced
identifying these individuals with either
Edward Boehm, mentioned earlier, or
with William Herwig, mentioned in part
1 of this article.17
The last clarinetist to begin his career
before the close of the 1850s was August
Henry Goepel. His first appearance was in
1859 on a concert in the series chamber
music soirées organized by William Mason
and Theodore Thomas, when he was
the clarinetist in a performance of the
Schubert Octet.18 Goepel played principal
clarinet in the New York Philharmonic
on two concerts in the 1863-64 season
when Boehm was absent, and deputized
for absent second clarinetists on numerous
occasions between 1866 and 1877.
Goepel’s other concert appearances
included a performance of Mozart’s
Quintet for Piano and Winds on a MasonThomas soirée in 1862, and a performance
as a soloist with Grafulla’s band in 1871.
minstrel band (banjo, fiddle, tambourine,
and bones), but no mention has been
made of the use of the clarinet in these
and other types of popular entertainment.
Newspaper advertisements found in New
York and elsewhere make it clear, however,
that clarinetists sometimes performed and
traveled with minstrel shows. William
Christy, for example, advertised in the
New York Herald of August 11, 1860,
that he wanted “gentlemen to form a first
class quartette, first and second violinist,
violincello [sic], flute or clarionet player,
and a first class tambourine end man.”
Other groups of this type using clarinets
in the early 1860s included Cowley’s
Minstrels, Buckley’s Serenaders, and the
San Francisco Minstrels, who played in
New York frequently.
Another popular attraction was Van
Oeckelen’s clarinet-playing automaton,
which was on display in 1865 and was
described thus:
The automaton itself is a very
remarkable affair. The figure, somewhat
larger than life, is dressed in the old
The Art of Better Reeds
reedgeek.com
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE
END OF THE CENTURY
The advent of the American Civil War
brought military bands back into action.
Scholars of American music often speak of
the bands of this era as consisting entirely
of brass instruments, and certainly many
did, but there were also bands of mixed
winds and brass that included clarinets.
Advertisements recruiting clarinetists for
military regiments appeared in newspapers
in New York and elsewhere throughout
this period. Wind bands in general were
experiencing a golden era in American
towns and cities in the 19th century, and
New York was no exception. Clarinetists
performed as soloists with the Dodworth
band, and as members of bands conducted
by Lothian, Noll, Grafulla and other wellknown bandmasters.
Band concerts provided both “highclass” and “popular” entertainment for
the general public. Audiences also flocked
to minstrel shows. Writers on American
minstrelsy usually discuss the typical
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 43
“A little of the bass clarionet goes a great way,
and we much doubt the possibility of it being
rendered interesting through a long solo.”
court costume of three centuries ago.
In response to the applause which
greets its appearance, it bows to the
audience, turning its head slowly in
doing so. At the proper moment it
places the instrument, to all appearances
an ordinary clarionet, to its lips, and
plays a few musical phrases, lowers the
instrument to allow an interlude on
the piano-forte, surveys the audience,
nods, and soon resumes its playing. The
inventor asserts that the music is really
made by the clarionet, and in view of
this, the manipulation of the fingers
of the automaton is truly astonishing,
for scales and rapid chromatic passages
are played with unerring facility and
correctness.19
By the mid-1860s, orchestral music was
flourishing in New York City. The New
York Philharmonic was well established,
and other orchestral ensembles began to
emerge as well. The most important of
these was the orchestra formed by Theodore
Thomas (1835-1905), widely recognized
as one of the most important figures in
the history of the orchestra in America.
The Thomas Orchestra was the resident
orchestra of the Brooklyn Philharmonic
Society, and played in many other locations
within and outside of New York as well,
including for a series of “Popular Concerts”
in Central Park. The clarinetist most
closely associated with Thomas was Edward
Boehm, who played for him frequently as
a soloist at the Central Park concerts and
on the Mason-Thomas chamber music
soirées mentioned earlier. Boehm may have
traveled with Thomas’s orchestra on its
many tours beginning in 1869; he certainly
played with the group at the Cincinnati
Music Festival in 1880.
After Boehm’s death in 1885, a new
group of clarinetists came to prominence
in New York City, including John Drewes,
Joseph Schreurs, Carl Reinecke (not the
well-known composer, but possibly a
relation), Louis Stockigt, Emil Scheck
and others. John Drewes served a long
period as second clarinetist of the New
44 | THE CLARINET
York Philharmonic, first in the 1864-65
season and then continuously from 1868
to 1896. He also played principal when
the regular principal was absent, or, under
Boehm, when Boehm moved to the bass
clarinet chair.20 Drewes performed on
numerous occasions as a soloist with the
7th Regiment Band of New York and
other groups as well.
Schreurs (1863-1921) succeeded
Boehm as principal clarinetist in both
the Philharmonic (through 1891) and
the Thomas Orchestra, playing often as
a soloist. He was also associated with
Liberati’s band, and was a founder and
member of The New-York Reed Club,
a group devoted to chamber music for
winds.21 In 1891 he moved to Chicago to
play principal in Thomas’s newly founded
Chicago Symphony. Carl Reinecke
performed as principal clarinet of the
Philharmonic from 1891 to 1894. In
addition, he was a member of The Mozart
Club (a woodwind quintet) in 1892, and
in 1895 he performed the Brahms Quintet
with the Maud Powell string quartet (not
the first New York performance of the
work – see below).22
Stockigt (his surname appears in
various spellings) was playing as a soloist
with a resort orchestra at Long Beach,
New York, in the summer of 1880. He
performed as an extra clarinetist with
the New York Philharmonic off and on
between 1881 and 1894, and played
principal for good portions of the 189496 seasons. Stockigt was also a member
of the Gilmore band, with which he
performed as solo clarinetist from 1882
until at least until 1894, and of the Seidl
Society orchestra. Emil Scheck took over
as principal of the Philharmonic in 1895,
having substituted for Stockigt on a
couple of concerts in the previous season;
he remained principal through 1908.
Scheck also played with the Seidl Society
orchestra and, along with four other
principal wind players from that group,
formed the Seidl Quintet.23
In 1877 a new orchestra called the
New York Symphony was started by
Leopold Damrosch. The original principal
clarinetist of this orchestra was Henry
Kayser, who also sometimes appeared
as a soloist with Theodore Thomas’s
orchestra in New York and on tour. Kayser
performed with the New York Symphony
until 1898 (after 1886 playing bass
clarinet). Stockigt played principal from
1888-90, before joining the Philharmonic,
and other clarinetists associated with the
Philharmonic (Henry Giese and Gustav
Penzel, for example) also performed with
Damrosch’s orchestra. The New York
Symphony merged with the Philharmonic
in 1928.
Other important clarinetists active
in New York from 1870 to the end of
the century were Luigi Schneider, who
appeared as a soloist in 1872-73 before
being named director of the Marine
Band; Carl Kegel and the E-flat clarinetist
Matus, who were both important soloists
with the Gilmore Band (Kegel also
sometimes played bass clarinet with the
Philharmonic); and Otto Fritzsche, who
played as a soloist as well as serving as
principal with the New York Symphony
from 1897 to 1902.
A concert worth mentioning took
place on November 1, 1892, on which
both the Trio, Op. 114 and Quintet, Op.
115 of Brahms received their earliest
American performances; the performer
is unfortunately not named in the
advertisement.24 A few months later the
Quintet was performed by the famous
Kneisel Quartet with a clarinetist named
Goldschmidt (probably G. Goldschmidt,
who was principal clarinet of the Boston
Symphony from 1889 to 1894). A
reviewer for the New York Times admired
the work, but panned Goldschmidt’s
playing.25 Brahms’ Sonata in F minor
was played in New York in 1896 by
Léon Pourtau, who had taken over from
Goldschmidt as principal clarinetist of the
Boston Symphony.26
By the early 20th century, the names
of clarinetists in New York begin to sound
more familiar to modern clarinetists:
Alexandre Selmer, Gustave Langenus,
Simeon Bellison. The activities of these
players have been well documented.
It is to be hoped that this article has
succeeded in bringing to light their many
predecessors, and in demonstrating how
MARCH 2016
important these earlier performers were in
establishing a tradition of serious clarinet
playing in New York City. v
ENDNOTES
1 Howard Shanet, Philharmonic: A History of
New York’s Orchestra (New York: Doubleday,
1975), 73; also Henry Edward Krehbiel, The
Philharmonic Society of New York (New York and
London: Novello, Ewer & Co., 1892), 41. Some
annual reports containing roster information are
held by the New-York Historical Society, while a
fuller set is held at the New York Philharmonic
Archive. The New York Philharmonic Archive
also holds a complete set of programs and other
sources, which have been consulted by the
author.
2 The Anglo American, January 18, 1845, p. 309.
3 Broadway Journal, Vol. 1, No. 3 (January 18,
1845), p. 46.
4 The Anglo American, February 1, 1847, pp. 405406.
5 A handbill for this concert is reprinted in John
H. Mueller, The American Symphony Orchestra:
A Social History of Musical Taste (Bloomington:
Indiana University Press, 1951), plate facing page
102.
6 Adrienne Fried Block, “New York’s Orchestras
and the ‘American’ Composer: A NineteenthCentury View.” In European Music and Musicians
in New York City, 1840-1900, ed. John Graziano
(University of Rochester Press, 2006), 130.
The performance and the work were positively
reviewed in the Musical World, December 9,
1854, 178.
7 The 1855 New York State Census (accessed
through Ancestry.com) lists Edward Boehm,
musician, aged 30, living in the 8th ward of New
York City with his wife Harriet, aged 28. His
birthplace is listed as Germany. His length of
residence in New York is listed as six years, so he
must have arrived in 1849, although no evidence
for his musical activities has been found before
1853.
8 New York Daily Times, January 21, 1853.
9 New York Herald, May 27, 1873.
10 Krehbiel, 167-70.
11 An ad for Mason and Thomas’s Conservatory
appeared in the Evening Post, August 21, 1867;
the New-York College of Music was advertised in
the New York Times, September 17, 1878.
12 The Message Bird, February , 1850, p. 218.
13 The concerts with the New York Philharmonic
are documented in Krehbiel, 106-7; the Lind
concerts are mentioned in The Sun, Baltimore,
December 12, 1850, and The Daily Picayune,
New Orleans, February 22, 1851.
14 References to Belleti’s performances appear in
numerous New York newspapers and periodicals
in 1851. Secondary sources that mention
him are Adriano Amore, Il Clarinetto in Italia
nell’Ottocento (Academia Italiana del Clarinetto,
2009), 37, 108, 138-41, 142, 147, 174 (n. 637);
Pamela Weston, More Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past
(London: The author, 1977), 45; idem, Yesterday’s
Clarinettists: A Sequel (Ampleforth, Yorkshire:
Emerson Editions, 2002), 33.
15 The name of this clarinetist is found in a concert
advertisement in Boston’s Daily Atlas, December
18, 1847.
16 The review appeared in The Literary World, Vol.
3, No. 90 (October 21, 1848), 753.
17 See Roger L. Beck and Richard K. Hansen,
“Josef Gungl and his Celebrated American
Tour: November 1848 to May 1849,” Studia
Musicologica Academiae Scientarium Hungaricae
36, vol. 1-2 (1995): 53-72.
18 A review of the concert appeared in the New-York
Musical Review and Gazette of April 30, 1859.
19 Evening Post, March 20, 1861.
20 According to programs held at the New York
Philharmonic Archive.
21 Numerous notices of Schreurs’s activities with
the Thomas Orchestra can be found in the New
York Times in the second half of the 1880s,
and his time as principal with the New York
Philharmonic is documented in programs at the
New York Philharmonic Archive. The first (and
perhaps only) performance of the New-York
Reed Club was reviewed in that same newspaper
on March 2, 1889.
22 Reinicke’s time as principal of the New York
Philharmonic is documented in programs at the
New York Philharmonic Archive. A notice of the
Mozart Club appeared in the New York Times,
January 24, 1892; the Brahms performance was
reviewed in the same newspaper on January 4,
1895.
23 The formation of the Seidl Quintet was
announced in the New York Times, November 30,
1897.
24 New York Times, November 1, 1892.
25 New York Times, February 12, 1893.
26 New York Times, January 7, 1896.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Jane Ellsworth is
associate professor
of music at Eastern
Washington
University, where
she teaches music
history and directs
the graduate music
program. She is both
a musicologist and a professional clarinetist.
She earned her Ph.D. in musicology in
2004 from The Ohio State University, and
also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
clarinet performance from the Cleveland
Institute of Music and a D.M.A. from Ohio
State. Dr. Ellsworth is bass clarinetist with
the Spokane Symphony, and has performed
on modern and historical clarinets in
Europe, Asia, and South America. She is
currently at work on a book tracing the
history of the clarinet in 18th- and 19thcentury America.
Excellence in
clarinet hand
selection service
www.rodriguezmusical.com
470-545-9803
Now offering clarinet overhauls. Contact us for more information.
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 45
MASTERWORKS FOR
BASS CLARINET –
A Personal Experience
by Rocco Parisi
W
hen the composer Saverio
Mercadante first met Catterino
Catterini who played the glicibarifono
(the forefather of the modern bass
clarinet) in “La Fenice” Theater Orchestra in Venice,
he immediately became fascinated by this instrument
and recognized its great potential. Mercadante was
so moved by Catterini’s virtuosity that he wrote
a solo for him in the opera Emma di Antiochia,
commissioned for the 1834 carnival season and
played in March of the same year. This is the first
solo ever written for bass clarinet.
Emma di Antiochia was considered a masterpiece.
This solo impressed and interested critics of the
day who referred to the bass clarinet sound as “voce
del clarinetto e insieme del fagotto vale a dire che
ha le note dell’uno e dell’altro” (like the sound of a
clarinet and a bassoon at the same time). The solo
is in the Italian aria style with a brief cadenza at the
beginning, a main theme and a coloratura section.
A similar situation happened when Luciano
Berio first listened to me playing my bass clarinet
Donatoni loved the bass clarinet sonority
and compared it with velvet: soft on one
side but rough and scratchy on the other!
46 | THE CLARINET
version of Paganini’s Capriccio 24 for violin. I
remember his gaze ranging between astonishment
and surprise, as if he was listening and seeing
something extraordinary. Some days later he phoned
me, asking if I was available to work with him on a
bass clarinet version of his Sequenza IXa for clarinet.
The main theme of every Berio Sequenza for
solo instrument is the required virtuosity both in
conceptual and technical aspects. These were the
elements that really amazed Berio in my version
of Paganini’s Capriccio 24. I worked with him for
four days in his house in Florence in 1997. He
was fascinated by the versatility of my bass clarinet
playing and loved the low sounds and high sounds at
the same time. These are the parameters that inspired
the new version, Sequenza IXc for bass clarinet.
Compared with the previous version for clarinet,
everything has been shifted down by a 10th and
distributed across a great range of four-and-a-half
octaves in the Sequenza IXc for bass clarinet.
The first long note is a low C, a sound
particularly loved by Berio. The entire piece was
developed taking into account the skill of the bass
clarinet player to change from the low notes to the
highest notes with great ease. For example, at letter
M, the score reaches a high F – one of the highest
notes of the instrument – and is immediately
followed by a low C, thereby including the entire
sound range in which Sequenza IXc is written.
An interesting situation occurred when I asked
Berio about the multiphonics between letter J and
L. I was concerned about whether I could play
them, especially in a context of a piano sonority. I
MARCH 2016
Photo Credit: © Universal Edition / Eric Marinitsch
Luciano Berio
remember that Berio looked me straight
in the eyes and told me to find a solution
that I could manage. A few days later, I
found some easier and accessible fingerings
based on natural harmonics: the Maestro
had already guessed I would!
Berio told me that he preferred this
new version to the clarinet version,
because it was much more varied and
interesting. This has become a masterpiece
of our small literature!
Another bass clarinet masterpiece is
Soft by Franco Donatoni. I contributed
to this piece, commissioned and written
for Harry Sparnaay, a great pioneer of
the bass clarinet who collaborated with
great musicians like Berio, Donatoni,
Ferneyhough and Yun. (Learn more about
the fantastic musician Harry Sparnaay in
Sparnaay’s book The Bass Clarinet.)
Donatoni loved the bass clarinet
sonority and compared it with velvet: soft
on one side but rough and scratchy on
the other! In fact, Soft is played two times,
starting with a low-sound-based section
at a ppp dynamic, which slowly grows
up to a long C-sharp in the high register,
followed by a gradual decrease to the deep
register accentuated by the use of a slap
tongue, resulting in a complete extinction
of the motif. On a different line is the
second time: scratchy as velvet’s back, and
aggressive, characterized by the use of fast
staccato, flutter tongue and slap tongue.
When Donatoni died, I was invited to
play Soft during his funeral in Milan.
Another jewel of our musical literature
is Come un’onda by Ennio Morricone.
Morricone listened to me play and was
immediately impressed by my bass clarinet
and its sounds. He was so fascinated that
he dedicated the bass clarinet version
of Come un’onda, which was originally
for cello, to me. It is a short but very
intense piece! Morricone used every
single instrumental peculiarity of my
bass clarinet, writing for a four-octave
range, using a variety of timbres and
articulations, creating a remarkable work
with great sound effects. Come un’onda
starts with a strong sonority – like a
tsunami, Morricone said – characterized
by forte tremolos in the low register,
followed by a short series of slap tongues,
a virtuoso section, and implied polyphony
at the end. v
ABOUT THE WRITER
Bass clarinetist Rocco
Parisi, born in San
Pietro a Maida (CZ)
Italy, is recognized as
a talented interpreter
of contemporary music
and an innovator of
new techniques for the
bass clarinet. He gave
the world premiere of Sequenza IXc for bass
clarinet and the Italian premiere of Chemins
IIc for bass clarinet and orchestra, both by
Luciano Berio, as well as the world premiere
of Come un’onda by Ennio Morricone. He
has performed at ClarinetFest® conferences
in New Orleans, Stockholm, Salt Lake City,
Austin, Assisi, Baton Rouge and Madrid.
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 47
Report from Norway
Music Reviews Editor Gregory Barrett reports on his recent trip to Norway to learn about its
clarinetists and its music.
by Gregory Barrett
I
n Norway, an oft-heard boast equates the
distance from Oslo north to the tip of Norway
with the distance from Oslo south to Rome. If
the size of Norway fails to impress you, have
you sailed up a fjord lately or attended a production
in the new Opera House that sleekly glides into
Oslo Fjord? My clarinet journey in Norway began
with a concert by the visiting Bergen Philharmonic
Orchestra at the Snøhetta-designed Opera House.
Flying over the mountainous spine of Norway
from the west coast to Oslo is something the
Bergen Philharmonic does with regularity. It also
tours internationally, including a 2007 concert
at Carnegie Hall with its music director, Andrew
Litton. Their concert I attended in Oslo featured
two works, Unsuk Chin’s Scenes from Alice in
Wonderland for soprano, mezzo-soprano and
orchestra, and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.
Oslo Opera House
48 | THE CLARINET
MARCH 2016
Bergen Philharmonic Principal Clarinet
and ICA National Chairperson for
Norway Christian Stene beautifully played
the lilting introduction for soprano Sally
Matthews in the Mahler last movement,
“Wir genießen die himmlischen Freuden.”
Matthews mesmerized the audience with
her sensitively inflected performance.
Another highlight of the evening was
unexpectedly running into my friend from
ClarinetFest® 2011 and 2013, Stig Eide. He
is a full-time administrator and counselor
at Lørenskog Upper Secondary School and
teaches clarinet and piano in the evenings
at Lørenskog Music and Culture School.
CLARINET WORKS IN THE
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF
NORWAY
One focus of my time in Norway was to
investigate Norwegian clarinet music past
and present. The best place in Norway
to get an overview of all published and
unpublished clarinet music is at the
National Library in Oslo.
Law requires all published Norwegian
works to be deposited in the library,
and many composers belonging to the
Norwegian Society of Composers have
also done so with their unpublished
Peer Gynt welcomes visitors to the National
Library
Oslo Konserthus
scores. To aid the researcher, an expert staff
is on hand and highly detailed catalogs
for woodwinds and mixed ensembles
have been produced. All works in the
catalogs are available either directly from
a publisher, the National Library or its
publishing service “NB noter” (www.
nb.no), a digitized collection of thousands
of Norwegian scores in PDF format for
study or for purchase as sheet music. I
am in the process of preparing an online
annotated listing of repertoire most
interesting to clarinetists; for example,
works by Johan Kvandal, Trygve Madsen
and Finn Mortensen.
NB noter is most thorough with works
by Norwegian composers active from the
mid-20th century to the present. That
covers almost all clarinet solo and chamber
works, but to check for any now-forgotten
earlier works I also examined every volume
of the Norsk Bogfortegnelse. Since 1885
all newly published Norwegian books or
music scores have been cataloged in the
Norsk Bogfortegnelse. The earliest mention
of repertoire with clarinet (other than in
works for symphony orchestra) is in works
from the early 1930s for salon orchestra
by composers including Sørensen, Johan
Halvorsen, David Monrad Johansen and
Arvid Kleven.
The first published chamber music
with clarinet is Carl Gustav Sparre Olsen’s
Suite for 3 treblåsere I fem små satser, Op.
10 (composed 1933, published 1946).
The Norwegian Wind Quintet recorded
the five short movements of Olsen’s work
on a Philips LP in 1974. It is currently
available on CD from Simax. Like other
music by Olsen, the Suite is influenced by
Norwegian folk music. The Norwegian
Wind Quintet was formed in 1955 from
members of the Oslo Philharmonic,
who were also teachers at the Norwegian
Academy of Music. One result of the
decades-long activity of this ensemble is
the large number of woodwind quintets
composed in Norway and now found
cataloged in NB noter.
Currently, the foremost quintet in
Norway is the Bergen Wind Quintet. They
annually tour outside Norway and are
comprised of four members of the Bergen
Philharmonic Orchestra and clarinetist
Fredrik Fors of the Oslo Philharmonic
Orchestra. There is a lot of collaboration
among musicians in Norway. The flight
between the two largest cities, Oslo and
Bergen, is just an hour. In this country of
considerable distances and mountainous
terrain, air routes are numerous and
convenient. Works found on the Bergen
Wind Quintet’s numerous recordings
include the three quintets by David
Maslanka, two dedicated quintets
by Harald Sæverud and much of the
standard repertoire.
I met up with Fredrik Fors of
the Bergen Wind Quintet and Oslo
Philharmonic at the Oslo Konserthus,
from where we meandered to a harborside cafe serving bowl-size “cups” of
coffee. From this sunny vantage point we
perused the library catalogs to help me
understand which composers and works
are the most noteworthy.
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 49
Up until a few decades ago it was stated
in the musicians’ contracts that as a member
of the Oslo Philharmonic you were not
allowed to go skiing the same day you were
playing a concert!
FREDRIK FORS AND THE OSLO
PHILHARMONIC
Swedish by birth (1973), Fredrik
studied at the Royal College of Music
in Stockholm and later with Yehuda
Gilad, Karl Leister, Anthony Pay and
Richard Stoltzman. He performed the
Jean Françaix Clarinet Concerto in 1990
with the Austrian Radio Orchestra and
joined the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
in 1995 as associate principal clarinet.
Next season he will premiere a clarinet
concerto being written for him by
Bjørn Kruse. In addition to quintet and
orchestra responsibilities, Fredrik teaches
at the Norwegian Academy of Music along
with his colleague in the Philharmonic,
Leif Arne Pedersen, and Björn Nyman of
the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. Fredrik
praises his native Norwegian students,
citing the high level of Norwegian military
bands contributing to the elevated level of
wind playing.
Beyond his recordings with the
Bergen Wind Quintet, Fredrik has
recorded several clarinet recital repertoire
CDs. His recent recording Black Bird
mixes outstanding Norwegian works by
Johann Kvandal, Kyrre Sassebo Haaland,
Trygve Madsen and Finn Mortenesen
with standard works by Schumann,
Stravinsky and Saint-Saëns. Prior to this
he recorded well-known French works and
the Busoni Suite for Clarinet and Piano
on a Harmonia Mundi CD in the “Les
Nouveaux Musiciens” series, a recording
that resulted from his selection as a prizewinning Juventus Laureate.
That evening I had the pleasure of
hearing Fredrik play in a concert by the
Oslo Philharmonic featuring Anton
Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7. The 87-yearold legend Herbert Blomstedt conducted,
and the orchestra expressed in their
playing their fondness for Blomstedt.
The Wagner tubas augmenting the brass
section created the special sound for which
this work is known. When I asked Fredrik
what might surprise someone about the
Oslo Philharmonic, he said:
I think people would be
surprised to know that, up until a
few decades ago, it was stated in
the musicians’ contracts that as a
member of the Oslo Philharmonic
you were not allowed to go skiing
the same day you were playing a
Custom Clarinet Reed Blanks
www.aurora-winds.com
50 | THE CLARINET
Diego Lucchesi and Fredrik Fors
concert! Older colleagues of mine
have told me this and I think it’s
a bit funny. Perhaps they were
afraid the musicians would get lost
in the woods! As you know, the
surroundings of Oslo are a paradise
for skiing and I often go crosscountry skiing when I have the
chance – even on concert days!
Personifying the back-and-forth
between Oslo and Bergen was visiting
Oslo Philharmonic section clarinetist
Diego Lucchesi. Diego has been a
permanent member of the Bergen
Philharmonic Orchestra since 2003 and
is originally from Piacenza, Italy. He
performed with his Bergen Philharmonic
clarinet section at the 2013 Assisi
ClarinetFest®, playing Håvard Lund’s
Clarinet Quartet and Trygve Madsen’s
Clarinet Marmalade. Next season with the
Bergen Philharmonic, Diego will premiere
a bass clarinet concerto being written for
him by Henrik Hellstenius.
THE BERGEN PHILHARMONIC
AND THE GRIEG ACADEMY
The next day it was my turn to make
the trip from Oslo to Bergen to reunite
with Christian Stene, and to meet his
colleagues in the Bergen Philharmonic
Orchestra and their students at the Grieg
Academy, University of Bergen. Bergen is
a lovely rain-soaked city on the Atlantic
coast surrounded by seven impressively
MARCH 2016
multiphonics were notoriously hard
with a fixed bass note and changing
upper register partials. It was a very
interesting process working together
with Therese, as I really needed to
rethink most of my basic playing
technique to find the sounds and
colors for which she was asking.
Christian Stene and Katy Whitelaw at Edvard Grieg’s waterside composing hut at Troldhaugen
high mountains. Bergen will always be
connected with Edvard Grieg, whose
home, Troldhaugen, is not far south from
the city center. Christian personified
Norwegian hospitality and drove my
spouse, Katy Whitelaw, and me to visit
this site sacred to all Norwegians.
Grieg was artistic director of the Bergen
Philharmonic Orchestra from 1880 to
1882 and the orchestra’s architecturally
striking hall is named after him, as is the
Grieg Academy of Music of the University
of Bergen. Bergen was historically the
center of the Norwegian kingdom, and its
orchestra, founded in 1765 (!) is among
the world’s oldest.
Through Christian I was invited
to give a presentation at the Grieg
Academy. Clarinet students and several
professors, including department head
Frode Thorsen, shared an hour with me
as I described what I had learned so far
investigating Norwegian clarinet music at
the National Library. Like most university
clarinet students around the world, my
new acquaintances in the clarinet classes
of Christian Stene and Håkon Nilsen were
conversant in the core German, Austrian
and French pieces in our repertoire, but
were mostly unaware of works penned
closer to home.
Christian played in the Norwegian
National Opera before joining the Bergen
Philharmonic in 2010 as principal clarinet.
A recent highlight for him was premiering
in February 2015 Shadows and Shields,
a concerto for clarinet by Therese Ulvo,
his former classmate in the Skjold School
Band. Christian said about the concerto:
Therese’s piece was a true
challenge and she deliberately set
out to push my limits. Some of the
Shadows and Shields is being released
on a live CD this fall alongside other
works from the Bergen Philharmonic
Orchestra’s 250th anniversary season.
Christian is a native of Bergen and
began his studies with Lars Kristian
Brynildsen, former principal clarinet of
the Bergen Philharmonic. Students from
Norway enjoy the benefit of governmentfunded education, whether at home
or abroad. Making the most of this,
Christian earned his bachelor’s degree with
George Pieterson, the former principal of
the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and
his master’s and soloist diploma with Lee
Morgan of the Royal Danish Orchestra.
Rounding out his study was work with
François Benda in Basel and a graduate
certificate with Yehuda Gilad in Los
Angeles. Reflecting on his years of study
Christian said:
Looking back, all my teachers
had very different backgrounds and
teaching methods. ... This meant
that I wasn’t conformed to just one
Grieg Hall
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 51
school or method of playing, but
had to create my own. Two concepts
of playing that I constantly strive
for are Lee Morgan’s embodiment
of “Beauty of Sound” and Yehuda
Gilad’s “Musical Mission.”
Christian’s colleague at the Grieg
Academy is Håkon Nilsen, who is a
member of the contemporary music
ensemble BIT20 and since 1994 has been
the associate principal/E-flat clarinetist in
the Bergen Philharmonic. Håkon exclaimed
how his first concert with the orchestra was
playing E-flat clarinet in Ravel’s Daphnis
et Chloé. Quite a trial. He was born in
Bodø, which lies just north of the Arctic
Circle and is the northern terminus of
the rail system in Norway. Håkon studied
with Lars Kristian Brynildsen at the Grieg
Academy and then with Hans Christian
Bræin at the Norwegian Academy of Music
in Oslo. (On a side note related to Hans
Christian, clarinetists looking for engaging
and accessible solo works with string
orchestra will find four appealing pieces in
his 2001 CD release Norwegian Concertinos
for Clarinet and Strings.)
Bergen Philharmonic section clarinetist
since 1987, Tone Hagerup is a native
Christian Stene and Tone Hagerup
52 | THE CLARINET
Grieg Academy clarinet students (on left) with professors Christian Stene, Håkon Nilsen and Gregory
Barrett
of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag, one of
Norway’s 19 administrative counties. Tone
began her clarinet studies in Trondheim
with Knut Lauritzen and continued in
Oslo at the Academy of Music with Bendt
Neuchs Sørensen and Richard Kjelstrup
(the dedicatee of the concertinos on
Hans Christian Bræin’s CD) before
concluding her clarinet study with Guy
Deplus in Paris.
With Diego Lucchesi currently
playing in the Oslo Philharmonic, French
clarinetist Alexis Baldos has been his
substitute in the Bergen Philharmonic.
Previously Alexis played in southern
Norway in Stavanger. After an evening
concert I socialized with all the clarinetists
in the orchestra’s canteen. And yes it is
true, like most everything in Norway, it
is very expensive to have a drink – unless
your new friends are buying. Takk!
My second day in Bergen was devoted
to six hours of master classes with
Christian and Håkon’s students. Staff
pianist Anne Nitter Sandvik energetically
accompanied their performances of
Brahms, Lutosławski, Weber and Mozart.
Well done all!
NORTH TO TRONDHEIM
AND TROMSØ
I was sad to leave behind my new friends
in Bergen, but like so many before me, I
was off to the north and Tone Hagerup’s
hometown, Trondheim, to see its
famous medieval cathedral, Nidaros – a
pilgrimage goal for centuries on a bend
of the river Nid – and to visit the Ringve
Musikkmuseum. Downstream from the
cathedral, with its concert hall facing
the river Nid, the Trondheim Symphony
Orchestra plays 100 concerts a year. Their
young music director Krzysztof Urbański
occupies the same post in the U.S. with
the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to the cathedral, what is
singular to Trondheim is its extensive
Ringve Music Museum. Housed in several
historic buildings in a park-like complex a
few miles from the city center, it is home to
over 2000 musical instruments, only about
one-third of which are Western classical
instruments. The first-rate exhibit of
instruments is brought to life by recordings
accessed over personal headphones.
At 63 degrees north latitude,
Trondheim is considered in the midregion of Norway. My next stop
northbound, Tromsø, 200 miles north of
the Arctic Circle, is the coastal gateway to
the Arctic. Tromsø straddles the Tromsøya
Strait with the mainland on one side and
the island Tromsøya on the other.
I first met University of Tromsø clarinet
professor Håkon Stødle in warm and sunny
Los Angeles at our 2011 ClarinetFest®. He
has been a fixture in the music department
at the University of Tromsø since 1972, has
been solo clarinet in the Tromsø Symphony
Orchestra and the Finnmark Symphony
Orchestra, and has performed with the
Harmonien Orchestra and the Norwegian
Radio Orchestra. His primary studies
MARCH 2016
talent. I played Clair by Donatoni
and Berio’s Sequenza, and both
pieces became kind of successful
for me and I really enjoyed playing
them. I guess I got a reputation as a
contemporary music talent. I went
on to play Lachenmann’s Dal Niente
and studied this with the composer
(who became a good friend – I later
played his Accanto with the Oslo
Philharmonic, and met him again
recently when we played two of his
pieces in the Oslo Sinfonietta) and
I started commissioning new music,
first solo pieces from Norwegian
composers. And so on… It is really
important for me that I never left
the classical music behind, I have
only expanded, I have never quit
playing anything.
Håkon and Tori Stødle
were in Oslo with Olav Rimstad and
Richard Kjelstrup but also beyond Norway
with David Weber, Ib Eriksson, Gervase
de Peyer, Walter Boeykens and Jacques
Lancelot. Håkon’s spouse, pianist Tori
Stødle, is also on the University of Tromsø
faculty. Several works were written for
them, which they included on their 1987
record Musikk Fra Nord. The recording
features pieces by Ketil Vea, Folke
Strømholm, Ivar Antonsen and Søren
Hjorth. When asked about the recording,
Håkon said:
The important idea behind
making this record was to show
that the music from the northern
part of Norway was multi-stylistic
and worth listening to. Yang og
yin II by Søren Hjorth is a piece
written in the style of the Danish
composer Per Nørgård’s “infinity
series,” which in this piece results in
beautiful melodies. The Prelude and
Fugue by Ivar Antonsen is in a more
modern harmonic and melodic
style with stylistic elements from
Stravinsky and jazz. At the time
I did not know any work written
in the form of a Bach prelude and
fugue for clarinet, so I asked Ivar to
write one for me.
And then there is the Suite by
Ketil Vea, and by Folke Strømholm
the Karakeino farvel. The Suite,
in the very personal style of the
composer Ketil Vea, was inspired by
the Sami people’s music, the joik,
without use of any specific Sami
melody. The Karakeino farvel on the
other hand uses specific Sami joik
from the region where I was born
and is written in Messiaen’s quartet
instrumentation.
Dovetailing with Håkon exiting his
duties in the music department of the
University of Tromsø, Rolf Borch was
appointed the new associate professor
of clarinet in 2014. Rolf belongs to the
leading edge of our clarinet community
by performing groundbreaking works
such as Brian Ferneyhough’s clarinet
concerto La Chute d’Icare and Helmut
Lachenmann’s Mozart Concerto-quoting
Accanto, and by commissioning works
from composers exploring new sounds and
expressive possibilities. On Rolf ’s 2007
Aurora CD Step Inside he performs the
classic Lachenmann solo clarinet work Dal
Niente (Interieur III) and works written for
him by Mark Adderly, Sven Lyder Kahrs
and Magne Hegdal. The CD’s name refers
to the “…new approach to the timbral
subtleties of the clarinet – its ‘inside,’ so
to speak.” Rolf explained how he became
interested in the experimental side of
the clarinet:
I think it was when my
wonderful teacher through my six
years of studying at the Norwegian
Academy of Music, Hans Christian
Bræin, encouraged me to play
‘something contemporary’ that I
discovered both a freedom and a
Like Step Inside, Rolf ’s second album
Inside Out was nominated for a Spelleman
Award (often called a “Norwegian
Grammy”). It contains works ranging
from solo clarinet to clarinet concerto
with orchestra, all by Ørjan Matre.
Rolf ’s desire to expand the clarinet’s
boundaries extends to his love and
promotion of the contrabass clarinet. He
was a research fellow at the Norwegian
Academy of Music from 2011 to 2014,
and one of the outcomes of his activities
was the CD Rolf Borch plays Houvenaghel’s
Organ. Charles Houvenaghel was
a Belgian acoustician employed by
LeBlanc (Paris) when he developed
the Houvenaghel/Leblanc contrabass
clarinet in the 1930s. A limited number
of these sought-after instruments were
manufactured, and Rolf has the last
one! And to what does “Houvenaghel’s
Organ” refer? Why, to a family of clarinets
from high sopranino to the one-of-akind octocontrabass clarinet designed
by Houvenaghel. Rolf plays a range of
clarinets from soprano down to contrabass
in his overdubbed arrangements of organ
works by Bach, Reger, Frescobaldi and
himself. What a sound!
Another product of Rolf ’s research is
the book he published in 2015 through
the Norwegian Academy of Music:
Contrabass Clarinet Orchestral Excerpts and
a Brief History. Following a brief history of
the instrument, he edited chronologicallyarranged orchestral excerpts from Vincent
d’Indy’s Fervaal, Op. 40 to several
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 53
Woodwindiana
A resource for great
clarinet music and CDs
Home of The Clarinet Doctor
book and a place to purchase
unique clarinet duets, trios &
quartets from around the world.
Visit our website for full catalog
and ordering information:
www.woodwindiana.com
For interesting and informative
articles on a variety of
pedagogical topics, visit
the Forum section at:
www.howardklug.com
Woodwindiana, Inc.
P.O. Box 344
Bloomington, IN 47402-0344
(812) 824-6161
Gregory Barrett, Rolf Borch and clarinet/saxophone students at the University of Tromsø
contemporary Norwegian orchestral works
for which he was the contrabass player at
the premiere.
The conclusion of my Norwegian
clarinet journey was soon at hand. There
was no better place to close my memories
than in Tromsø. The scenery was magic:
islands, snow-covered mountains and
the sea. These elements of nature and
the sense of peace that pervades Tromsø
contribute to the success of a university
in such a distant corner of the world. In
Tromsø, between looking for reindeer
and eating heart-shaped pancakes with
lingonberry jam, I enjoyed a class with
clarinet and saxophone students at the
Department of Music. We played music
by Debussy and others, and it was clear
that the clarinet, in all its diversity, was
alive and well in Norway. v
ABOUT THE WRITER
Dr. Gregory Barrett
is professor of clarinet
at Northern Illinois
University, a Buffet
Group Artist and
music reviews editor for
The Clarinet. Barrett
takes special pride in
the achievements of
his students who have performed in groups
such as the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and
the National Center for the Performing Arts
Orchestra – Beijing, and who have gone on
to advanced study at the Curtis Institute of
Music and the universities of Iowa, Kansas,
Missouri-Kansas City and Yale.
54 | THE CLARINET
MARCH 2016
ICA ANNOUNCEMENT
2016 Orchestral Audition Competition
Eligibility: The competition is open to clarinetists of all ages who are not employed full-time as salaried members of a professional symphony orchestra.
Application: Deadline for the submission of application and other application materials is Friday, April 1, 2016. Please submit
the online application at www.clarinet.org.
Orchestral Audition Competition Coordinator: Robyn Jones – [email protected]
CONTEST RULES
1. Application Fee: $65 USD. All applicants must be members
of the ICA and submit the Competition Application. Nonmembers wishing to apply may join the ICA by going to
www.clarinet.org and becoming a member.
The application fee is non-refundable.
2. Recording Instructions: Please provide a high quality
recording containing the following excerpts, in the exact
order. Each selection/movement should be listed as a
single track, and should not contain your name. Please
be aware that the quality of the recording will influence
the judges. Recordings should not be edited and only
continuous performances of entire works or movements
are allowed. Use the 1st clarinet part for all orchestral
excerpts required.
a. Mozart: Concerto, K. 622, Movement I, exposition
b. Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 – 1st mvt., Measures 474492; 2nd mvt. Measures 68-78; 3rd mvt. Measures
122-133
c. Mendelssohn: Scherzo from Midsummer Night’s Dream
– beginning to B
d. Respighi: Pines of Rome – 3rd mvt., 1 before #13 to #15
e. Kodály: Dances of Galanta – Measures 31-65; Measures
571-579
f. Brahms: Symphony No. 3 – 1st mvt., Measures 23-46;
2nd mvt., Measures 1-22
g. Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol – 1st mvt.,
Measures 14-27 and 41-61; 3rd mvt., Measures 51-72
h. Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2 – Measures 155158; 212 to the end
3. A separate written and signed statement, attesting the
recording is the playing of the contestant and has not
been edited.
4. A permanent address, telephone number and e-mail
address should be provided.
JUDGING
Judging of recordings will be conducted with no knowledge
of the contestants. Do not include any identification
on your audio files. There should be no speaking on the
recording, such as announcing of compositions. Preliminary
judging will be held by recorded audition. Semifinalists
will be chosen by committee and notified via email by
Monday, May 16, 2016. Semifinal and final rounds will be
at ClarinetFest® 2016, to be held in Lawrence, Kansas from
August 3-7, 2016. Repertoire for the semifinal and final
rounds will consist of the excerpts listed in item 2. Past firstprize winners are not eligible to compete. All contestants will
accept the decision of the judges as final. All semifinalists will
receive free registration at ClarinetFest® 2016. Travel expenses
will be the responsibility of the contestant. All recordings will
become the property of the ICA and will not be returned.
PRIZES
First Prize: $1000 and Gregory Smith model clarinet
mouthpiece
Second Prize: $500 and Gregory Smith model clarinet
mouthpiece
The Orchestral Audition Competition is generously
sponsored in part by Gregory Smith.
The International Clarinet Association assumes no tax liability that competition winners may incur through receiving prize money.
Individuals are responsible for investigating applicable tax laws and reporting prize winnings to requisite government agencies.
Don’t Give Me Daphnis:
An Injury Recovery Guide for Clarinetists
by Mary Alice Druhan, with Kristin Keesey and Debbie Gillespie
Part one of this three-part series (Dec. 2014) examined evaluation of musculoskeletal injury, and part two
(March 2015) covered treatment of the injury through medication, physical agent modalities and massage.
PART THREE –
TREATMENT OF THE INJURY, CONTINUED
D
STRETCH
uring rehabilitation, heat is applied
prior to active or passive stretching and/
or exercise. The benefits of stretching
include relaxation of tightened,
restrictive muscles, improved flexibility of muscles,
improved range of motion, relaxation of the mind
and body, aid in the prevention and rehabilitation
of muscular injuries, improved circulation, and
promotion of the tissue “remolding” process
following injury (Jameson, 203).
Therapeutic stretch is often used as a treatment
for myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) and
myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). A therapist
will perform active stretching and mobilization to
increase mobility where the nerves are most likely
to be pinched or compressed (Damany, 111).
Intermittent cold and heat-stretch is often used as
a treatment for MTrPs and MPS as is postisometric
contraction-relaxation exercise which can be
coupled with respiratory facilitation techniques.
Gentle contraction-and-relaxation exercises can be
performed with deep ischemic compression and
may be followed by local trigger point massage,
myofascial release, therapeutic stretch and selfdirected stretch (Gerwin, 135).
56 | THE CLARINET
Stretching should be stopped if warning signs
(increased pain, numbness, tingling, muscle weakness
or sensations of cold in the extremities) are detected.
ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND
ACUPUNCTURE
Electrical stimulation through the subcutaneous or
intramuscular needle can inactivate trigger points
(Gerwin, 135) and the use of an acupuncture or dry
needle can yield similar results. The ancient theory
behind acupuncture claims that the life-force energy
called qi flows through pathways that connect all the
tissues and organs of the body through twelve main
meridians. It also claims that disease is caused by the
disruption of this flow of energy. Acupuncture claims
to normalize the electrical energy of the body. Recent
study has confirmed many of the ancient principles
upon which acupuncture is based (Jameson, 154).
Acupuncture works through nerve reflex action
which is transmitted through the neural pathways to
harness energy. It can be an effective treatment for
pain management. In addition, the minor traumatic
irritation of local tissue allows those nerves which
are excessively stimulated to cease firing and rest
while at the same time causing the release of an
anti-inflammatory hormone (cortisol) into the
bloodstream. Another desired effect of acupuncture
MARCH 2016
is that it aids in cell respiration by
causing capillaries to dilate around the
injured tissues.
EXERCISE
According to Lowe, “postural reeducation
is initiated after the acute response to
injury is controlled and begins with
exercises to improve extension of the
midthoracic spine to place the head and
neck in a more balanced position over the
trunk and with exercises to improve the
patient’s ability to stabilize the scapula to
decrease abduction” (Lowe, 87).
Range of motion (ROM) exercises are
typically prescribed once inflammation
subsides. In addition, low-resistance
strengthening exercise can be added. In
treatment of serious injury to a musician,
a gradual “return to play” schedule is
considered a strengthening activity and
additional exercise may place too much
stress on the recovering body.
If active ROM exercises elicit pain,
the patient begins a program of isometric
exercise which generally consists of a brief,
repetitive, isometric, maximal exercise
program (Liberson, 236). Postisometric
contraction-relaxation exercise is often
used as one of the treatments for MTrPs
and MPS.
Glides are exercises performed for the
prevention of nerve entrapment. In a
glide, the patient moves from one position
to another without any force or resistance
(Damany & Bellis, 111). The glide
should put a nerve or tendon through its
maximum range of motion.
A sedentary lifestyle has many risks,
but specifically for someone with a
musculoskeletal disorder, it can lead
to poor circulation and escalated pain.
Poor circulation and stagnant lymphatic
tissue can result in an increase of overuse
symptoms. In defining treatment of
repetitive strain injury, Jameson states,
“maintaining good aerobic fitness before,
during, and after a repetitive strain
injury cannot be emphasized enough”
(Jameson, 257).
Aerobic exercise (any activity that raises
the heartbeat 60 to 80 percent for at least
20 minutes) increases cellular activity and
induces a hormonal response which reduces
insulin levels and increases glucagon levels.
Gerwin adds, “use of aquatic programs,
swimming, yoga, tai chi, and specific
resistive strengthening programs help
to condition muscle, to restore normal
reciprocal inhibition in the affected
functional muscle unit, and to restore the
patient’s confidence” (Gerwin, 136).
LOCAL INJECTION AND
SURGERY
In addition to therapeutic techniques,
injection of local anesthetic or dry
needling techniques have proven
successful in the treatment of the MTrP
(Hong, 205-217; Chu, 106-121). A high
velocity jet-stream injection technique
(without needle) is also effective (Gerwin,
135). The Performing Arts Medicine
Association (PAMA) generally relies on
a conservative approach to the treatment
of musician injury, but states that, “when
conservative methods fail to produce
satisfactory results, corticosteroid injection
or surgery may be reasonable alternatives
for certain musculoskeletal problems”
(Sataloff, 215). Treatment plans may
also include injection of muscle relaxers,
anti-inflammatories or the patient’s own
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP).
DIET AND NUTRITION
Every cell of the body relies upon
proper nutrition to grow, divide and
function, and whether or not these cells
are optimally nourished depends upon
the person’s diet (Jameson, 118). Cells
inside the body constantly grow and die,
replacing themselves completely over time.
The state of health of the newly-replaced
cells also depends upon a properly
functioning nervous system and genetics.
Herbal supplements can have a potent
and wide range of effects on the body
and should be treated as a prescription
medication. Patients should consult a
natural health care provider who is familiar
with herbs and utilizes specialized or
applied kinesiology to test the body’s needs.
ADDITIONAL TREATMENT
OPTIONS
Occupational therapists coach patients
through safely performing critical daily
tasks while recovering from and preventing
injury. In general, this includes activities
like dressing and writing, ergonomics,
work environments and posture.
Many disease states of the body can
be created by dysfunction in the nervous
system. The chiropractic philosophy is
based on maintaining a proper nerve
balance through spinal and extremity joint
adjustments. Chiropractic treatment for
musculoskeletal injury may include spinal
and extremity adjustment, physical agent
modalities, rehabilitation techniques and
nutritional advice.
Specialized kinesiology is a form of
muscle testing which can quickly detect
many emotional, structural, spiritual and
nutritional imbalances, while applied
kinesiology is used within the chiropractic
profession and differs in the type of
muscle testing used, the assessment, and
the treatment.
Homeopathy is based on the “law of
similars” which states that “like cures like.”
Homeopaths believe that a substance
in minute quantities will heal the body,
whereas the same substance in large
quantities will cause symptoms (Jameson,
176). Homeopathic remedies are made
from substances found in nature and are
considered by some to be entirely safe.
As with the use of herbal supplements,
patients should consult a health care
provider who is familiar with homeopathy.
Meditation has been used for thousands
of years to affect human physiology. Two
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 57
major forms are mindfulness meditation,
which allows the patient to become aware
of all of the senses, and concentrative
meditation, during which the patient
focuses on a mantra, an image, or their
own breathing. The effects of meditation
include lowered blood pressure, decreased
heart rate, decreased breathing rate and
decreased cortisol in the blood.
Clinical hypnosis is an altered state
of awareness used by licensed therapists
to treat both psychological and physical
problems. Recent research supports that
hypnotic communication and suggestion
effectively change aspects of a person’s
physiological and neurological function.
Hypnosis has a reliable and significant
impact on acute procedural pain and
chronic pain conditions (Patterson, 521).
More information can be found at www.
asch.net.
Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a method
of evaluating and boosting the function
of the craniosacral system. It can be
used individually or in conjunction with
other therapies as a preventative health
measure to effectively treat a number of
medical problems associated with pain,
dysfunction and trauma.
EMOTIONAL IMPACT
Emotional repercussions of chronic
injury include second-stage denial,
anger, depression, suicidal thoughts, fear,
anxiety, guilt, self-recrimination and
grief. Musicians recovering from injury
may develop a sense of hopelessness,
nervousness or insecurity about the
quality of their performance. They can be
fearful of repercussions from their peers
or conductors and may try to hide their
injury or postpone getting the necessary
help. This and the possibility of lost
income during an injury can lead to high
levels of stress. The effects of chronic
stress include adrenal fatigue which affects
every organ and system in the body.
More information can be found at www.
adrenalfatigue.org.
Professional psychiatrists, psychologists
and social workers are trained to help
patients struggling with emotional wellbeing. Approaches to emotional health
include finding a safe way to express
emotions, avoiding isolation, associating
with positive people, practicing positive
self-talk, refusing to be a victim, and taking
charge of the recovery process (Quilter,
58 | THE CLARINET
51-57). Emotional well-being in patients
can be aided by exercise, pets, pampering,
empathy and involvement in alternate
musical activities. Other emotional
healing treatments include “Golden Light
Healing” or “Three-in-One Concepts.”
RETURN TO PLAY
Following an injury, returning to practice
is often considered an exercise regimen.
Musicians must be mindful of additional
exercises while they also increase practice
time. The practice routine must be
continually monitored and analyzed for
each patient in order to prevent recurrence
of injury, specifically if a significant time
was spent away from the instrument.
Regardless of the plan used, musicians must
be cautious to not add time or intensity
to their “workout” if they experience
discomfort in their current routine. v
WORKS CITED
Brummit, Jason. “The Role of Massage in Sports
Performance and Rehabilitation: Current
Evidence and Future Direction,” North American
Journal of Sports Physical Therapy 3.1 (2008): 8.
Chu, J. “Dry needling (intramuscular stimulation)
in myofascial pain related to lumbosacral
radiculopathy,” European Journal of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation 5 (1995): 106-121.
Damany, Suparna and Jack Bellis. It’s Not Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome! Philadelphia: Simax, 2000.
Gerwin, Robert D. “Myofascial Pain Syndromes in
the Upper Extremity.” Journal of Hand Therapy
10.2 (1997): 130-136.
Hong, C. “Myofascial trigger point injection,”
Critical Review Physical Rehabilitation Medicine 5
(1993): 205-217.
Jameson, Timothy J. Repetitive Strain Injuries:
Alternative Treatment & Prevention. New Canaan,
CT: Keats Publishing, Inc., 1998.
Liberson, WT. “Brief Isometric Exercises,”
Therapeutic Exercise, 3rd ed. Baltimore: Williams
& Wilkins, 1981.
Lowe, Colleen. “Treatment of Tendinitis,
Tenosynovitis, and other Cumulative Trauma
Disorders of Musicians’ Forearms, Wrists,
and Hands... Restoring Function with Hand
Therapy,” Journal of Hand Therapy. 5.2 (1992):
84-90.
Patterson DR, Jensen MP. “Hypnosis and Clinical
Pain,” Psychology Bulletin. 129.4 (2003): 495521.
Quilter, Deborah. The Repetitive Strain Injury Recovery
Book. Bloomington: iUniverse, Inc., 1998.
Sataloff, Robert T., Alice G. Brandfonbrener, and
Richard J. Lederman. Performing Arts Medicine.
3d ed. Narberth, PA: Science and Medicine, Inc.,
2010. eBook.
* * * * *
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
This article is for informational and educational
purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for
professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The
information provided in this article is not a substitute
for medical or professional care, and you should not use
the information in place of a visit, call consultation or
the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other
qualified health provider with any questions you may
have regarding a medical condition. Never rely on
information contained in this article in place of seeking
professional medical advice. Never disregard professional
medical advice or delay in seeking it because of
something you have read in this article. You should also
ask your physician or other healthcare provider to assist
you in interpreting any information in this article, or in
applying the information to your individual case.
Medical information changes constantly. Therefore
the information in this article should not be considered
current, complete or exhaustive, nor should you rely on
such information to recommend a course of treatment for
you or any other individual. Reliance on any information
provided in this article is solely at your own risk.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Mary Alice Druhan
is associate professor
of clarinet at Texas
A&M University
– Commerce and
recipient of the James
‘Jim’ Vornberg Award
for Teaching. She
has performed with
orchestras and opera companies, chamber
ensembles and premiere bands for more than
twenty years in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
She is a Backun Musical Services Performing
Artist. Dr. Druhan has suffered from and
is in recovery for a serious playing-related
injury which inspired her research, writing,
lectures and advocacy for musician injury,
prevention and recovery.
Kristin M. Keesey received her degree
from Texas Woman’s University School of
Occupational Therapy in 1995. She is a
Certified Hand Therapist and a graduate of
the Dr. Vodder School of Manual Lymphatic
Drainage. For eight years she was an
instructor of orthopedic continuing education
to fellow therapists in the Dallas and Houston
areas in Texas. At present she is working at
Covenant Hand Therapy in Plano, Texas.
Debbie Gillespie graduated from Texas
Massage Institute in 2004 and has worked
as a full time massage therapist for 10 years.
She has served as the exclusive massage
therapist for Cirque Du Soleil “Kooza” show
in Dallas and now owns Massage Rockwall.
She is proficient in many modalities
including sports massage, trigger point,
deep tissue, hot stones, TMJ Release and
Lymphatic Drainage.
MARCH 2016
ICA ANNOUNCEMENT
2016 ICA Young Artist Competition
Eligibility: The competition is open to all clarinetists who shall not have reached the age of 27 by January 1, 2017
(i.e., born on or after January 1, 1990) and are not currently under major artist management.
Application: Deadline for the submission of application materials is Friday, April 1, 2016. Please submit the online application
at www.clarinet.org.
Young Artist Competition Coordinator: Caroline Hartig ([email protected])
CONTEST RULES
1.
Application Fee: $65 USD. All applicants must be
members of the ICA and submit the Competition
Application.
Non-members wishing to apply may join the ICA by
going to www.clarinet.org and becoming a member. The
application fee is non-refundable.
2.
Recording Instructions: Please provide a high-quality
recording containing the following repertoire in the
exact order listed. Repertoire must be recorded with
accompaniment when appropriate. Any published
edition is acceptable. Each selection/movement should
be listed as a single track, and should not contain your
name. Please be aware that the quality of the recording
will influence the judges. Recordings should not be
edited and only continuous performances of entire works
or movements are allowed.
a.
b.
c.
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Leonard Bernstein,
Boosey & Hawkes
Quattro Pezzi A Giovanni Punzi per clarinetto solo
(2012), Antonio Fraioli, Potenza Music
Le Tombeau De Ravel, Arthur Benjamin,
Boosey & Hawkes
3.
A photocopy of the contestant’s driver’s license,
passport or birth certificate as proof of age.
4.
Both the private teacher, if any, and the contestant attest
in a separate written and signed statement that the
recording is the playing of the contestant and has not
been edited.
5.
A summer mailing address, telephone number
and email address should be provided. Email is the
preferred means of communication. Please check your
email regularly as this is how you will be contacted.
JUDGING
Judging of recordings will be conducted with no knowledge
of the contestant. Do not include any identification on your
audio files. There should be no speaking on the recording
such as announcing of compositions.
Preliminary judging will be by recorded audition. Semi-finalists
will be chosen by committee. Notification will be sent by
Monday, May 2, 2016. Semi-final and final rounds will
be held at the ClarinetFest® 2016, in Lawrence, Kansas,
August 3-7, 2016. Semi-finalists will receive a waiver of
registration fees for ClarinetFest® 2016. Travel and other
expenses will be the responsibility of the contestant.
Visa and travel arrangements are solely the responsibility
of the contestant.
Repertoire for the semi-final and final rounds of competition
will consist of selections from the works listed in item 2. A
pianist will be provided for competitors in the semi-final and
final rounds. Memorization is not required. All contestants
will accept the decision of the judges as final. Past first-prize
winners are not eligible to compete.
All recordings will become the property of the ICA.
PRIZES
First Prize – $4,000 U.S. and a professional clarinet
Second Prize – $2000 U.S.
Third Prize – $1,000 U.S.
The Young Artist Competition is generously sponsored
in part by The Buffet Group, D’Addario Woodwinds,
L. Rossi Clarinets, Henri Selmer Paris, and Yamaha.
The International Clarinet Association assumes no tax liability that competition winners may incur through receiving prize money.
Individuals are responsible for investigating applicable tax laws and reporting prize winnings to requisite government agencies.
I
August 3-7, 2016
am thrilled to invite you to the International
Clarinet Association ClarinetFest® 2016 at
the University of Kansas (KU) in beautiful
Lawrence. Located in the picturesque rolling
hills 45 minutes west of Kansas City, Lawrence
boasts one of the greatest main streets in the nation,
bustling with shops, restaurants and galleries. The
University of Kansas, an integral part of this diverse
and educated community, is situated on Mount
Oread, just minutes from downtown via a lovely
walk through tree-lined historic neighborhoods. As
one of the major research centers of the region, KU
has a reputation for excellence in all academic areas.
All ClarinetFest® activities will take place on the
University of Kansas campus, including in the worldfamous Lied Center, the Crafton-Preyer Theatre and
the newly-renovated Swarthout Recital Hall.
Plentiful and comfortable accommodations
are available, including the luxurious and awardwinning Oread Hotel located directly on the KU
campus. SpringHill Suites of Lawrence, a Marriott
property, is a little over a mile from campus in the
heart of downtown Lawrence, with easy access to a
diverse selection of dining, shopping, galleries, and
museums, all convenient to KU’s campus. Every suite
has a view of the Kansas River. Campus residence
hall accommodations, located directly on the KU
campus, are also available for budget travelers.
These reasonably priced rooms include a daily
three-meal plan. Additional information concerning
accommodations is available on the ICA website.
60 | THE CLARINET
Come experience the latest instruments,
mouthpieces, sheet music and accessories, as well
as the newest recordings and much more from
world-class exhibitors. Trying some of the newest
products while visiting with our industry’s highestlevel clarinet equipment specialists is always one
of the highlights of the festival. These exhibits are
open throughout the conference, so be sure to
visit as often as you can! This is also a wonderful
opportunity to connect with other clarinetists,
manufacturers and leading innovators.
The theme for ClarinetFest® 2016 is
INSPIRATIONS and the event is indeed going
to be quite inspiring. With an impressive roster of
performers, presenters and educators, some of the
finest clarinetists from all over the world will be
under one roof. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary
defines one aspect of inspiration as “a person … that
makes someone want to do or create something.”
ClarinetFest® 2016 is partially centering around
the five clarinetists that inspired so much of our
significant repertoire throughout the ages: Anton
MARCH 2016
contact director Raphael Sanders
(SUNY – Potsdam) at sanderrp@
potsdam.edu.
• Collegiate Clarinet Choir: Open to
all college, university and conservatory
students. For more information,
contact director Tod Kerstetter (Kansas
State) at [email protected].
• Professors Ensemble: Open to all
collegiate professors and instructors.
For more information, contact director
Mitchell Estrin (University of Florida)
at [email protected].
Stadler from the 18th century; Heinrich
Baermann, Johann Hermstedt and Richard
Mühlfeld from the 19th century; and
Benny Goodman from the 20th century.
In addition to performances of the music
they inspired, there will be opportunities
to learn more about their lives and
circumstances. Also on the schedule will
be an interesting series of daily concerts,
Forgotten Gems, which will feature many
masterworks that have been underplayed
but are wonderful and significant additions
to the canon of clarinet repertoire.
The roster for this summer’s
ClarinetFest® is especially impressive.
With an all-star line-up filled with
performances, master classes and
presentations, this event will be one to
remember. Several of the epic artists this
year include the principal clarinetists from
some of the world’s leading orchestras,
including the Metropolitan Opera,
Philadelphia Orchestra, Paris National
Opera, Cleveland Orchestra and the
Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. David Shifrin
will be joined by acclaimed pianist André
Watts, the Miró Quartet and noted
television actor Jack Gilpin in his program
“An Unlikely Muse.” This dramatic
musical tribute explores the relationship
between Brahms and his clarinet muse,
Mühlfeld. Eddie Daniels will give a
sizzling jazz performance and many
others will give memorable concerts of
everything from classics to contemporary
works throughout the week.
Beyond experiencing one of the
greatest performing lineups of clarinetists
ever assembled, those attending the
conference this summer can participate
as a member of one of our ClarinetFest®
clarinet choirs. The following groups
will rehearse during the conference and
perform on the last day:
• Festival Clarinet Choir: Open to
all attending. For more information,
Plan air travel through the convenient
Kansas City International Airport
(MCI), a one-hour drive from Lawrence.
Ground travel options from the airport
include shuttle and rental car. Lawrence
also has an Amtrak station with travel
options from several major hubs. More
information on travel will be available on
the ICA website.
We are so excited to welcome you to
KU this summer. Join us for a great week
of music, innovation, ideas, trying the
latest gear and meeting new friends. Pack
your bags and your best reeds, and we’ll
see you soon in Lawrence! v
Dr. Stephanie Zelnick
Associate Professor of Clarinet
University of Kansas
For the latest information,
please visit the ICA ClarinetFest® 2016
website at www.clarinet.org.
HEADLINING ARTISTS
Boris Allakhverdyan – Metropolitan Opera, principal
Sauro Berti – Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, bass clarinet
J. Lawrie Bloom – Chicago Symphony, bass clarinet
Henri Bok – Renowned bass clarinetist
Philippe Cuper – Paris National Opera, principal
Eddie Daniels – Preeminent jazz clarinetist
Pierre Génisson – First Prize, 2014 Tokyo International Clarinet Competition
Richard Hawkins – Oberlin Conservatory, artist faculty
Bil Jackson – Vanderbilt University, artist faculty
Benjamin Lulich – Cleveland Orchestra, principal
Jacques Merrer – Noted E-flat clarinet specialist
Eugene Mondie – National Symphony, assistant principal
Ricardo Morales – Philadelphia Orchestra, principal
Fred Ormand – University of Michigan (retired)
David Shifrin – Renowned soloist and chamber musician
Eddy Vanoosthuyse – Brussels Philharmonic, principal
Michele Zukovsky – Los Angeles Philharmonic, principal (retired)
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 61
MUSIC
Claude Françaix
(composer’s
daughter) and
Tiziana de Carolis,
2013. $25.00
Jean Françaix. Concerto pour
clarinette et orchestra. Éditions
musicales transatlantiques, Paris
([email protected];
rights transferred to Première Music
Group: [email protected]).
No. ETR003001. Piano reduction by
Jean Françaix’s
exquisite and
colorful clarinet
concerto was first
published in 1968 and premiered that year
by Jacques Lancelot in Nice, France. The
original edition contained a significant
number of errors, as listed in two articles
written in 1998 by the highly respected
French clarinetist Philippe Cuper, in the
British Clarinet & Saxophone and the
French Clarinette Magazine. Additionally,
the original piano reduction was extremely
difficult to perform, with some pages
requiring the pianist to read complex
chords on up to four lines simultaneously
instead of two.
Yet again, with this 2013 edition,
editorial collaborator Philippe Cuper
notes a fair number of errors (see below).
This new edition is good news for
accompanists, though, because it has a
simplified piano part, albeit still quite
complex and challenging to perform. The
clarinet part was reorganized to simplify
ERRATA FOR THE 2013 EDITION OF THE
JEAN FRANÇAIX CONCERTO FOR CLARINET
by Philippe Cuper
MOVEMENT I
M. 8 – The last note is fourth-space E (not D).
M. 20 – The first three notes should be marked staccato.
M. 41 – Should read “Ne pas ralentir” (not “Ne pas refentir”);
translation: Don’t play rallentando.
M. 111 – The last note is E (not D).
M. 171 (cadenza) – The second note of the third beat
should be A-natural (not A-sharp).
MOVEMENT IV
M. 1 – The first note of the second beat should be D-natural.
M. 82 – Add the number 3 under the three sixteenth notes
to indicate sixteenth-note triplets.
M. 168 – Add e = e
M. 198 – The first note should be a staccato C-sharp,
the following B-sharp and C-sharp should be slurred
sixteenth notes, and the next B-sharp should be a
staccato quarter-note.
M. 203 – There is a half rest on the second beat; delete the
half rest before the third beat.
Mm. 213-215 – All the notes should be an octave higher
with an indication of “octava bassa ad libitum.”
M. 216 – Add e = e
M. 232 and m. 236 – The first and second beats should be
slurred.
MOVEMENT II
M. 113 – The third note should be third-space C (not A).
M. 160 – The third note should be fourth-line D-sharp.
M. 170 – The third note should be C-natural (not C-flat).
MOVEMENT III
No errors.
62 | THE CLARINET
MARCH 2016
page turns. Some notes were corrected
from the original edition, and all tempos
were reduced (the composer explained that
his wind-up metronome was inaccurate).
When the work was first introduced,
some players found it almost unplayable.
The clarinet part is in B major, leading
me to believe it was composed on the
piano in A major, without immediate
regard for difficulties posed to the soloist.
Some clarinetists experiment to simplify
fingerings by using and interchanging
both B-flat and A clarinets, but I prefer
this light and refreshing music to be
played on the intended B-flat to match
tone with its light character, even though
the key is very challenging. In fact, Jean
Françaix once wrote a tongue-in-cheek
apology to clarinetists because of its
difficulty. However, today’s advances in
technique make it an increasingly popular
work for performances and competitions
all over the world.
Jean Françaix (1912-1997) is one of
the most well-known and often-performed
composers in France. He studied in Nadia
Boulanger’s composition class along with
Ravel, Milhaud, Stravinsky, Poulenc and
Roussel. His works are played by the
world’s greatest orchestras and his clarinet
concerto is now considered a staple in our
repertoire.
To listen to Jean Françaix perform
one of his works on piano visit www.
JeanFrancaix.org. On another video a
few clicks away, the composer’s grandson
describes him as a man who never
followed new trends and who created
some of the most beautiful music in
France. In 1994, Jean Françaix was
awarded the Arthur Honegger Prize
by Honegger himself, who referred to
Françaix’s music as simple, transparent,
light, yet deep, youthful, humorous, fresh
and distinguished.
Since I studied this work with Lancelot
in Nice only 12 years after he premiered it
there with the Nice Chamber Orchestra,
Françaix’s concerto has always been close to
my heart. It is a fantastically challenging,
beautiful and meaningful work.
– Michele Gingras
Mike D’Ambrosio. Super Groove for
clarinet and piano. Potenza Music,
2014. Duration: 7’30” $24.95
Potenza Music has championed new
music by American composers since
2003. Bassoonist Mary Stuckemeyer
and her spouse Pat own the record label
and publishing company. They also cofounded Just for Winds, an online sheet
music, instrument and musical accessory
retailer for woodwinds.
One of their featured composers is
Mike D’Ambrosio, associate professor of
music theory and composition at Murray
State University in Kentucky. Previously,
he taught at Jacksonville State University
(Alabama), Oklahoma State University
and the University of Dayton. He received
his doctoral and master’s degrees in music
composition from the University of
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
where he studied with Joel Hoffman and
Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon. Originally from
Long Island, New York, D’Ambrosio
did his undergraduate work at Lehigh
University where he double-majored in
music and accounting.
D’Ambrosio has won many awards and
his works have been performed by wellknown brass groups, youth orchestras and
college ensembles in the United States,
and at the 2008 Cultural Prelude to the
Olympics concert at the Forbidden City
Concert Hall in Beijing.
Originally composed for oboe and
piano, Super Groove was commissioned
by oboist Celeste Johnson Frehner
(Oklahoma State University) and
premiered in 2012. The composer writes:
“I was trying to bring together my worlds
as composer and music theory professor
by taking some of the fun theory topics
I get to teach (sonata form, chromatic
mediants, ostinato, polyrhythms and set
theory) and squeezing them into a driving,
energetic and highly rhythmic texture. The
piece is extremely fun to play and has been
very well received by audiences.”
D’Ambrosio arranged Super Groove
for clarinet and piano in 2014 for his
colleague Scott Locke. The clarinet version
is almost identical to the original except
for a few changes in registers. Whereas a
few bits and pieces are indeed “groovy,”
most of the musical material is quite
“modern legit” in style. The writing is
both lyrical and rhythmically energetic.
It contains polyrhythms, such as three
against two in the piano, has powerful
moments and holds together well. In
terms of audience friendliness, I would
agree with the composer that the piece
has appeal, most especially if the audience
consists of serious music lovers, new music
explorers, and woodwind enthusiasts. Visit
the composer at www.mikedambrosio.net.
– Michele Gingras
Joseph Küffner (adapted by Simeon
Bellison). Fifty Progressive Duets from
the Klosé Celebrated Method for Clarinet.
Carl Fischer. $12.99
Best known for compositions for guitar,
Joseph Küffner also wrote a set of duets
for oboe and clarinet, Op. 80. Adapted by
Simeon Bellison and included in the Klosé
Celebrated Method, these became standards
for generations of students. Here they
are presented in an easy-to-read edition
extracted from the larger pedagogical
source. For teacher/student and student/
student playing, these duets cover all the
necessary skills required for the myriad
combinations of articulation and slurs
in performance, while allowing time for
development of hand position, finger
movement and tone development.
– Robert Riseling
Nathan Ivan Kaplan. Concert Etudes,
18 unaccompanied etudes for B-flat
clarinet. Edited by Lawrence Sobol.
Kendor Music. $14.50
These etudes resulted from the
collaboration of two friends during
their days at the Manhattan School of
Music. Nathan Kaplan enjoyed success
as a composer and Lawrence Sobol
received recognition and numerous
awards as a performer, educator and
author. “Exploiting the clarinetist’s large
and luscious-toned chalumeau register,”
the etudes were written for Sobol who
recorded them at Jimi Hendrix’s Electric
Lady Studios under Kaplan’s supervision.
They are available at www.KendorMusic.
com. This new, revised edition is dedicated
to Kaplan’s memory.
Each etude is preceded by a short
commentary on the substance and nature
of the piece with performance suggestions.
As mentioned in the description above,
emphasis is on the lower range of the
clarinet and altissimo writing is limited.
Successive etudes expand the demands
on the performer in range, rhythm,
articulation, dynamics, rhythmic
organization and musical styles. Meant to
be included on concert programs, each is a
separate musical entity – or the performer
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 63
could choose a few and group them. The
layout and printing are well-planned.
There are practical suggestions for a few
rhythmic and fingering problems. This is
a good collection for students who have
established a solid grasp of the instrument.
It can be used over several years.
– Robert Riseling
Amir Zaheri. Two Girls and a Boy, for
oboe, clarinet and bassoon. Potenza
Music. Duration: 4’15” $21.95
Amir Zaheri is professor of theory
and composition and director of the
Contemporary Ensemble at the University
of Alabama. A prolific composer for choral
ensembles and solo voices, his more recent
works include those for solo instruments,
chamber music and electronics. This trio is
dedicated to the Cavell Trio. Scott Hannah
writes on the Potenza Music website:
Zaheri describes Two Girls and
a Boy as a musical conversation, for
which he first wrote a story, then
created a musical setting. He likens
the piece to the film work of Woody
Allen, which frequently features
overlapping conversations, with
characters finishing one another’s
sentences.
The musical material is based on two
octatonic scales beginning on C, the first
in the oboe, the second in the bassoon.
The clarinet employs notes from both.
As in conversation, eventually all three
instruments trade notes from both scales
in a give-and-take exchange. Conflict and
agreement are expressed both rhythmically
and in musical material. Independent
lines suggest the players ignoring each
other, but they are brought together with
the same patterns, if not pitches from
the same scale, and the reiteration of the
initial C. Resultant harmonies fluctuate
between thirds, sixths, triadic mixing
and strong dissonances. Individual lines
alternate between passages of lyricism and
those of active rhythmic figures. Scott
Hannah’s preface to the score describes
the ending as follows: “As the piece
closes, each instrument gravitates to the
second scale, the rhythms unify, and
ultimately each part has the satisfaction of
its individual final say, all on the starting
pitch of C.”
– Robert Riseling
64 | THE CLARINET
Bach, Johann Sebastian. Air on the G
String, for clarinet quartet (3 B-flats,
bass). Arranged by Richard Johnston,
edited by Alan Woy. Kendor Music,
2013. $8.95
Gounod, Charles Francois. Funeral
March of a Marionette, for clarinet
quartet (3 B-flats, bass). Arranged by
Richard Johnston, edited by Alan Woy.
Kendor Music, 2013. $12.50
Chopin, Frederic. Minute Waltz, for
clarinet quartet (3 B-flats, bass).
Arranged by Richard Johnston, edited
by Alan Woy. Kendor Music, 2013.
$12.50
Richard Johnston has had an
impressive career as a performer, educator,
instrument repairman and arranger. He
transcribes music primarily for clarinet
quartet. Bach’s Air on the G String,
Gounod’s Funeral March of a Marionette
and Chopin’s Minute Waltz are truly
classics, and Johnston has done a superb
job of arranging them for the clarinet.
Heard at many a wedding, Bach’s Air on
the G String has a sustained adagio tempo.
The beat note is the eighth note, and the
melody is passed around to each part. The
four parts function independently, and
the rhythms can be tricky, so four strong
players with a good sense of rhythm would
be essential. The bass clarinet carries the
foundational bass line, and would require
a good player to master the part with
finesse. Marked Grade 4, it is not an easy
piece, and the players would need to be
of a solid intermediate level. The duration
is 2’20”, and it would be a good piece
to program on a concert, church service,
or an occasion where more somber music
is required.
Brought to popularity by Alfred
Hitchcock, the Funeral March of
a Marionette is a classic, and this
arrangement is delightful. The first clarinet
has the melody throughout, while the
second, third and bass parts contain the
harmonic and rhythmic foundation. Each
part becomes more independent and
engaged in the theme as the piece draws
to an end. Despite the nature of the parts,
the piece is challenging for all – there
are consistent staccato notes throughout
different registers at all dynamics. This
arrangement could be done with an
intermediate group of high quality,
but would be better with an advanced
group that could handle the nuance
well – perhaps a high school or college
group. Without question, this would be
a welcome addition to any program, in
a concert or as an encore. The tune is
appealing, the arrangement lays well on the
clarinet, and the timbre of the instrument
complements the tune. This arrangement
of this classic piece will have the audience
and the players asking for more!
The Minute Waltz by Chopin has a
duration under two minutes. The fastmoving melody begins in the first clarinet,
then transfers to the second clarinet. The
third clarinet has the sustained melody
in the B section. The bass functions as
the harmonic and rhythmic foundation.
Because this is in the key of E-flat,
fingerings might be awkward – the
melodic line crosses the break repeatedly
from B-flat to D in the first eight
measures, which might prove challenging,
but helpful to a clarinetist needing
practice going over the break. Technically,
this is the most difficult arrangement
of the three and requires advanced
intermediate players; however, the players
would enjoy the piece so much that they
might overlook the fingering challenges!
My hat is off to Johnston for these
wonderful arrangements! They are suitable
for a variety of venues due to the diverse
styles and popularity of the pieces. Paper
quality is excellent and printing easy to
read. Each quartet includes a score in
which the printing, although smaller than
in the parts, is readable. All are housed in
a laminated folder.
– Alice A. Meyer
Antonio Gervasoni. The Garden of the
Shadows for wind octet. Cayambis
Music Press, 2013. Score and parts
$36.90 Duration: 8’30”
Focused on promoting Latin American
chamber music, Cayambis Music
Press offers several works by Peruvian
composer Antonio Gervasoni. He is
professor of music composition for film
at the Universidad Peruana de Ciencias
Aplicadas in Lima.
Gervasoni’s four-movement octet
for two flutes, two oboes (second oboe
doubles on English horn), two clarinets
and two bassoons was inspired by two
MARCH 2016
works from English literature, H. G.
Wells’ The Time Machine and Robert
Graves’ I, Claudius. Each brief movement
in the octet effectively portrays a mood.
The first movement, “The Garden,”
is somber, legato and in slow tempo.
Gervasoni uses each instrument in a
comfortable register and sensitively blends
their colors. “The Hunt” emphasizes
staccato rhythmic pulse in fast tempo.
Simple meter changes keep the thrill in
the hunt. “The Adoration of the Black
Moon” is languorous at its outset with a
streamlined texture of just one flute, oboe,
clarinet and bassoon. The English horn
is added and then goes mute again. The
concluding movement, “The Feast,” recalls
the motoric orientation of “The Hunt”
but is far richer in variety of meter – a
conductor would be a great aid.
Gervasoni’s harmonic style is
moderately dissonant and his score is
nuanced with regard to dynamic markings
and articulations. This is a moderately
difficult work within reach of college-level
chamber ensembles.
– Gregory Barrett
Phillip Brookes. Concerto for Clarinet
and Strings, Op. 30 (1979). Version
for clarinet with piano reduction.
Musikproduktion Höflich, 2015.
€28.00
Musikproduktion Höflich is a
Munich-based consortium of musicians,
musicologists and amateurs dedicated
to expanding the available performance
literature through expertly-produced first
editions of masterworks that were not
published upon completion. Every score
has a scholarly preface (which can also be
viewed online) to help bring to life the
forgotten work.
In 1979, Phillip Brookes (b. 1952),
composer, conductor and lawyer, was
in love with clarinetist Anne Ferrige. In
the spring, during what he describes as a
“period of continuous sunshine,” he wrote
the central “Romanze” movement. Being
English, the Finzi Clarinet Concerto was a
favorite of both Brookes and Ferrige, and
Finzi’s lilting melodiousness and piquant
harmonizations are echoed in Brookes’
work. The sustained lines in the clarinet
and accompaniment are expressively
heightened by several sweeping arpeggio
passages in the clarinet traversing two
to three octaves. The main theme in
the “Preludio” Andante con moto first
movement is scalar in G melodic minor
and came to Brookes while on a favorite
walking route with Ferrige. The 6/8
“Scherzo-Rondo” Vivace third movement
is built upon a six-note cipher of the
dedicatee’s name. This rapid-paced motive
propels the movement from beginning
to end, though it is offset by several meno
mosso passages of great beauty.
The piano reduction is satisfying and its
moderate technical demands complement
the medium difficulty level of the solo
clarinet writing. Both part and score are
beautifully typeset in a spacious style.
Musikproduktion Höflich also publishes
a full score and string parts for those
wanting to perform the original version
with orchestra.
– Gregory Barrett
World Music: Balkan. Clarinet with
piano or play-along CD. Arrangements
by Hidan Mamudov. Universal
Edition, 2013. U.S. distribution by
Carl Fischer/Theodore Presser. $23.95
Clarinetist Hidan Mamudov has made
arrangements of seven traditional pieces
from Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Turkey
and Bulgaria and compiled them in
a collection that ranges from easy to
moderately difficult. Two feature additive
rhythms and most include non-Western
scales. From the included CD that
contains at least two selections with
Mamudov’s playing, it is evident that
he is an expert in this genre. Each of
the approximately one-minute pieces is
presented twice on the accompanying
CD. First is a full performance with
an ensemble of bass guitar and varying
melody instrument (clarinet, violin, flute),
harmony instrument (accordion, guitar)
and often percussion, then a second full
performance with the recorded melody
instrument still in the mix, but greatly
attenuated. Alternately, the live clarinetist
can play with the printed piano part that
includes useful chord symbols if additional
arrangements are desired. The score
includes a page of brief notes encouraging
the clarinetist to experiment with
unwritten phrasing and ornamentation
that is a feature of Balkan music. Examples
are provided from three of the tunes.
– Gregory Barrett
Tango Clarinet Duets. Carlos Gardel,
arranged by Diego Collatti. Universal
Edition, 2014. U.S. distribution by
Carl Fischer/Theodore Presser. $19.95
Argentinian Carlos Gardel (18901935), born Charles Romuald Gardés in
Toulouse, France, is renowned for making
tango music internationally popular and
especially for successfully setting words
to the music. His international fame
ended with a tragic airplane crash in
Columbia. All the features of Gardel’s style
are found in the five medium-difficulty
duet arrangements by Diego Collatti:
sentimental melodies, syncopation,
chromatic inflection and a back-and-forth
ebb and flow to the line. Collatti makes
both clarinet parts equally interesting to
play. In Melodía de arrabal he several times
joins a fleetly moving 16th-note line to the
melody. Por una cabeza is distinctive for its
slinky melody and contrasting minor-key
middle section. El dia que me quieras (The
Day You Love Me) is famed for the beauty
of its melody. Collatti could not resist
adding several bars of clarinet-idiomatic
arpeggios leading to the climax. Mi Buenos
Aires querido is less successfully arranged
due to several measures of awkward,
large-interval pianistic tremolos. Volver,
the slower, Tempo rubato final selection,
uses harmonically-gliding, flowing
triplets in counterpoint to the melody.
Articulations, dynamics and phrasing
are carefully notated throughout. Highly
recommended – the rhythmic/stylistic
complexity is engaging.
– Gregory Barrett
Johannes Brahms. Danses hongroises no.
1 et no. 5, originally for piano fourhands, arranged for two clarinets by
Joachim Forlani. Edited by Gérard
Billaudot. Collection Jean-Marc
Fessard, 2013. U.S. distribution Carl
Fischer/Theodore Presser. $12.95
Both of these boisterous dances are
notated in A minor. The melodies are
shared between the performers and there
are plenty of audience-pleasing broken
arpeggios, colorful use of all registers (up
to altissimo A) and large accompagnando
leaps. Clarinetist and arranger Joachim
Forlani was a prize winner at the ARD
contest in Munich, and is a member of
the Orchestre de Chambre du Valais and
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 65
the Sinfonietta de Lausanne, and regularly
plays with the Orchestre National du
Capitole de Toulouse. He has also been a
soloist at the Opéra Comique of Paris.
– Gregory Barrett
ADDITIONAL NOTEWORTHY
PUBLICATIONS:
Keiron Anderson. Marsden Moor for
clarinet ensemble (E-flat, 4 B-flats, alto,
alto or bass clarinet, 2 bass clarinets,
optional contrabass). Forton Music,
2014
Appealingly independent parts in a
pastoral, 144-bar, easy grade 2 or 3
composition.
Daniel Dorff. Three Little Waltzes for flute
and B-flat clarinet. Tenuto Publications,
distributed by Theodore Presser
Company, 2015. Duration: 6’ $11.99
Little gems with a Peter Schickele-esque
whimsical quality. These duos rise above
the mundane with interesting harmonic
twists. Medium-easy.
Armando Ghidoni. Yellow Green for
3 B-flat clarinets and bass clarinet.
Alphonse Leduc, 2014.
Another winner from Ghidoni. Here,
the blues meets Baroque fugue. Medium
difficulty (or harder if the Vivace tempo
really flies).
Jonathan Russell. Bass Clarinet Double
Concerto for bass clarinet duo and wind
ensemble. Potenza Music, 2014. Full
score and CD containing printable
parts: $99.95 Duration: 15’
This funky, rhythmic “Carl Maria von
Weber meets heavy metal” concerto for
two bass clarinets is available with several
different accompanying forces. Who can
resist the Russell touch?
Claudio De Siena. Martha Lullaby for
clarinet and piano. Potenza Music,
2015. $14.95
A tender A-B-A lullaby in flowing 6/8.
Musikverlag Bruno Uetz. Halberstadt,
Germany.
If you are not familiar with the quality
arrangements and original compositions in
the Uetz catalog, know that you will find
a variety of light, entertaining, moderately
priced works for a range of ensembles
with clarinet: duos, works with piano
or organ, as well as chamber music with
other woodwinds. My current favorite is
Chopinaise –Potpourri nach Melodien von
Frederic Chopin for flute, clarinet, bassoon
and piano arranged by Leslie Searle.
Melodies from eleven Chopin works
float by in rapid succession supported by
syncopated beguine vamps.
Črt Sojar Voglar. Arabesque for clarinet
sextet (E-flat, 2 B-flats, alto or basset
horn, bass clarinet, contrabass or
contralto). Alry Publications, 2013.
$15.00 Duration: 6’40”
A little bit of everything in this manysectioned, modally inflected work:
prominent contrabass clarinet, mixed
meter, hocketing interplay, chains of trills
and varied moods. Medium advanced.
– Gregory Barrett
RECORDINGS
Mozart 1791. Charles Neidich, basset
clarinet and clarinet, conductor;
Ayako Oshima, clarinet; Ensemble
Clarimonia: Jochen Seggelke, Bernhard
Kösling and Ekkehard Sauer, basset
horns; Orchestra Solamente Naturali.
W. A. Mozart: Concerto in A, K. 622;
Adagio in B-flat, K. 411; Adagio in F,
K. 580a; J. Družecký: Concerto in F
for three basset horns and orchestra.
Bremen Radiohall Records BRH
CD1402. Total time 51:51. www.
bremenradiohallrecords.de
This new CD released by Bremen
Radiohall Records features works of
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a single
work of the relatively unknown and
pioneering Bohemian composer Jiří
Družecký. First up on this recording
is the Mozart Concerto in A featuring
Charles Neidich performing on a
Schwenk & Seggelke basset clarinet
with Orchestra Solamente Naturali. This
recording, performed entirely on historical
instruments, is likely the most authentic
1790 instrumentation available to date.
For the first time, the work is performed
on a basset clarinet reproducing the
likely specifications of Anton Stadler’s
instrument. This design is based on a
drawing of Stadler’s basset clarinet in a
concert program from 1794.
This performance opens with a stunning
orchestral introduction by the Orchestra
Solamente Naturali. After hearing their
incredible sound, I immediately went to
their website and found this quote:
… Solamente Naturali uses
period instruments, finds inspiration
in historical documents and is
united through passion, creativity,
66 | THE CLARINET
MARCH 2016
and professionalism. But the special
treat of the ensemble – as its artistic
leader and concertmaster unveils
– is spontaneity and naturalism,
hence the name Solamente Naturali
– Simply Natural, as their version of
the musical past.
This performance clearly affirms their
mission. Their playing is extremely artistic
with flawless intonation, thoughtful
phrasing and natural classical style. This
group is clearly comprised of artists that
have mastered these instruments and
perform regularly together in this style. At
times, I forgot that these were not modern
instruments. Neidich’s performance of the
work is extremely confident and genuine.
However, this recording misses the
target for me in a few areas. Inconsistent
phrasing styles between the orchestra and
soloist create a feeling at times of “soloist
versus orchestra.” Although balance is
excellent, an incredible feat in itself with
a basset clarinet, I would have preferred a
more cohesive interpretation. The basset
clarinet intonation in this recording also
wavers too much for my taste and I found
myself often distracted from an immersion
in Mozart’s emotional message.
Next is the Concerto in F for three
basset horns by Jiří Družecký. This
wonderful work is rarely performed.
Artfully performed by Ensemble
Clarimonia, this work is reminiscent of
the Johann Melchior Molter (1696-1765)
concertos. The group does a beautiful job
transforming these simple melodies into a
wonderful blended sound that only three
basset horns can achieve. Unfortunately,
the intonation is a hindrance and the
challenges of the instruments detract
from an otherwise good performance. The
orchestral playing is again virtuosic and
first rate, which is especially evident in the
finale of the third movement.
Concluding the disc are two Mozart
Adagios; the Adagio in B-flat for two
clarinets and three basset horns and the
Adagio in F for clarinet and three basset
horns. These short, six-minute works
exemplify the incredible compositional
technique of Mozart. Effortless-sounding
melodies are showcased in both of these
Adagios, and the beautiful vocal quality
of this writing is achieved by the period
clarinet and basset horn. I found these
pieces to be uplifting, yet tender. At times,
the group is a bit heavy-handed with
dynamics that seem slightly affected, but
the ensemble performs with clarity and
thoughtfulness throughout.
This CD is highly recommended for
the period clarinet completist.
– Robert DiLutis
Fine Tune. Calvin Falwell, bass clarinet;
University of South Florida (USF)
Faculty Chamber Ensemble, conducted
by Todd Craven (Hallman); USF
Percussion Ensemble, conducted by
Robert McCormick (Thomas); USF
Symphony Orchestra, conducted by
William Wiedrich (Goodman). J.
Hallman: Concerto for bass clarinet; D.
Bennett Thomas: Fine Tune for bass
clarinet and percussion ensemble; T.
Goodman: Concerto for bass clarinet
and orchestra. Potenza Music PM1041.
Total time 50:00. www.potenzamusic.
com
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Calvin Falwell is currently third and
bass clarinet of the Sarasota Orchestra and
professor of clarinet and bass clarinet at
the University of South Florida and The
College of New Jersey. During the summer
months, he performs with the Ash Lawn
Opera Festival in Charlottesville, VA, and
Green Mountain Opera in Barre, VT.
His former teachers include Paul Demers
(Philadelphia Orchestra), Ron Samuels
(Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), Tim
Zavadil (Minnesota Orchestra), Dallas
Tidwell (Louisville Orchestra), Daniel
Lochrie (Nashville Symphony) and Scott
Locke (Murray State University). Falwell
holds degrees from the University of
Louisville and Duquesne University. He is
devoted to furthering new music through
the premiere and performance of new
Want to see repair projects,
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and cute-yet-cynical shop mascots?
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MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 67
works. Here, he presents a recording of
three recently-commissioned concertos for
bass clarinet by Joseph Hallman, David
Bennett Thomas and Todd Goodman.
Philadelphia composer Joseph Hallman
has penned a concerto that wonderfully
showcases the bass clarinet’s unique
attributes. Hallman, recently named by
National Public Radio as one of their “100
Composers Under 40,” has composed a
series of chamber concertos “akin to Bach’s
Brandenburg Concertos and Hindemith’s
Kammermusik.” This noteworthy live
recording from 2011 of Hallman’s Concerto
for bass clarinet features assured playing by
the USF Faculty Chamber Ensemble and
well-coordinated direction by Todd Craven.
Falwell plays boisterously where needed,
with an enviable evenness and control of
tone throughout all registers. Hallman’s
writing requires remarkable flexibility, and
Falwell meets the challenge.
David Bennett Thomas’ 2012 piece
Fine Tune, the title work for this recording
project, is scored for bass clarinet and
percussion ensemble. Thomas teaches at
the University of the Arts in Philadelphia
and holds degrees from West Chester
University and the Peabody Conservatory.
His primary teacher is Lukas Foss, with
additional study with Steven Mackey,
Ron Thomas, Jacques Voois, Michael
Connell and Donald Chittum. Thomas’
work shows that the bass clarinet timbre
melds well with percussion instruments.
Falwell adeptly handles the contemporary
technical challenges presented here,
such as pitch-bending, delay effects and
altissimo. The USF Percussion Ensemble,
led by Robert McCormick, maintains
great balance with the soloist in this work
of complex rhythm and harmony.
Todd Goodman’s Concerto won
third place in the 2011 American Prize
for Orchestral Composition. Another
Pennsylvania composer, Goodman holds
degrees from the University of Colorado
at Boulder, Duquesne University and Kent
State University. He currently serves as the
resident composer for the Lincoln Park
Performing Arts Center located outside
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From the liner
notes, this piece is a “passionate journey
of the relationship between a child and
a parent.” Of the three works, this is my
least favorite presentation; the recording
seems less clear than the other two works,
highlighting the challenge of recording
68 | THE CLARINET
a work that equalizes three markedly
different ensembles – chamber ensemble,
percussion ensemble and symphony
orchestra. In addition, the bass clarinet
writing here seems the least inspired.
However, virtuosic bass clarinetists
such as Calvin Falwell continue to expand
the instrument’s capabilities and inspire
composers to consider it as a solo voice. I
highly recommend this recording for those
interested in new bass clarinet repertoire
and fine bass clarinet performance!
– Gail Lehto Zugger
Many Languages – One Soul: Balkan
Clarinet Summit. 14 performances of
music for instruments of the clarinet
family from Athens, Belgrade, Novi
Sad, Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Sofia,
Salonika and Brașov, presented by S.
Pazarentsis, S. Trkulja, S. Balutel, O.
Büyükberber, O. Pamukov, T. Klein,
C. Puntin and S. Schorn. Pirhanha
Musik Berlin. Total time 72:57. www.
piranhashop.de and www.Amazon.com
This first offering by the Balkan Clarinet
Summit is a fantastic gaze into the depths
of gypsy and Balkan clarinet music with
artists from Greece, Serbia, Moldavia, the
Netherlands, Bulgaria, Switzerland and
Germany. The project’s recording label,
Piranha Records, is an independent music
label based in Berlin, and this is their first
release of clarinet music.
Aside from the music itself, one of the
most fascinating elements of the disc is
the story of how the players of the Balkan
Clarinet Summit came together to rehearse
and record. The director of the Athens
branch of the Goethe-Institut, Wolfgang
Pöhlman, sought out local experts in
clarinet performance from different
cultural heritages and enlisted Guenther
Huesman, Claudio Puntin and Steffen
Schorn to further refine the project. Stavros
Pazarentsis, Slobodan Trkulja, Sergiu
Balutel, Oguz Büyükberber, Tobias Klein
and Orlin Pamukov joined Puntin and
Schorn to form the clarinet choir utilized
throughout the disc.
Each featured work is an outstanding
arrangement of an original composition
from one of the artists themselves. Since
the players are from throughout Europe
and the Balkan countries, no single idiom
of clarinet playing is dominant and the
listener is treated to a great deal of variety.
I was particularly taken by the lyrical
sweeping gestures of Nostalgic Dances, one
of two compositions by Stavros Pazarentsis,
and the outstanding virtuosity of Sergiu
Balutel (as well as the rest of the group) in
his high-energy contribution titled Breaza.
Because each of these compositions is a new
arrangement of traditional Balkan music, I
was not previously familiar with any of the
content found on this disc.
The recordings are taken from live
performances, so listeners will occasionally
encounter applause in unexpected places.
However, the high quality of the players’
performances is unaffected, as they produce
a live recording with studio polish.
As a whole, the Balkan Clarinet
Summit’s work on this recording is
remarkable and it should serve as a
valuable resource for students, instructors
and aficionados. Those unfamiliar with
the clarinet’s rich history in the nations of
Southeast Europe will find it particularly
stimulating. It is my sincere hope that the
compositions recorded on this disc are
published so that clarinetists may explore
the pieces for themselves!
– Joel Auringer
Clarinet at Maryland. Robert DiLutis,
clarinet; Yin Zheng, piano. J. Horovitz:
Sonatina; G. Donizetti: Etude; F.
Poulenc: Sonata; J. Brahms: Sonata
in F Minor, Op. 120, No. 1. Artist
produced JD 005. Total time 52:26.
www.reedmachine.net and gumroad.
com/reedmach
Robert DiLutis is currently professor
of clarinet at the University of Maryland
at College Park and principal clarinet of
the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.
Previously, he has served as professor of
MARCH 2016
clarinet at Louisiana State University
and the Eastman School of Music, and
as assistant principal clarinet of the
Rochester Philharmonic. His teachers
include William Blayney at the Peabody
Conservatory and David Weber at the
Juilliard School.
This is a new recording of four standard
works from the clarinet’s traditional
repertoire. In addition to this disc,
one may download a video of DiLutis
and Zheng performing these works
on DiLutis’ website. According to the
website, a third part of this project, which
will include an instructional video about
both collaboration and clarinet technique,
should be available soon.
Throughout the recording, DiLutis’
sound is pleasing. It combines darkness
with enough brightness to make the
technical passages shine. The balance
between the piano and the clarinet is quite
good. However, at times, such as the third
movement of the Horovitz Sonatina, I
would have preferred the clarinet to be
more prominent. Their interpretation of
the Horovitz is energetic. In particular, the
chosen tempos in the outside movements
are very exciting. The first movement
of the Horovitz begins faster than the
composer’s marking. Although I prefer
a calmer tempo for this movement, this
performance presented a convincing
rendition at this lively pace.
The Donizetti study, a technical
challenge for most clarinetists, is
performed with sensitivity throughout.
DiLutis is true to the dynamic markings
and the character of the lines, which is
refreshing. One must approach works by
composers steeped in Italian opera with
lyricism, drama and flexibility. DiLutis
succeeds with this recording.
70 | THE CLARINET
In the Poulenc Sonata, once again the
duo’s energy abounds. The first movement
begins with the appropriate vigor and
the last movement is as fast and clean as
possible. The duo’s approach to the second
movement particularly stands out. The
colors both DiLutis and Zheng achieve are
lovely, and it is a pleasure to hear DiLutis’
lyrical and emotional approach to shaping
the melodic lines.
The duo’s interpretation of the Brahms
Sonata in F Minor does not stray from
the composer’s intent. A standard tempo
and approach to expressive design are
clear in the first movement. In the
second movement, the duo’s rubato and
shaping of the lyrical lines hold close to
a traditional performance practice. The
third movement flows beautifully between
the clarinet and the piano. The tempo for
this movement is tricky. If too slow or too
fast, one loses the character of a Viennese
waltz. The duo’s tempo was perfect. The
fourth movement, once again, is held to
its customary interpretation.
This recording provides the listener with
traditional interpretations of staples of the
clarinet repertoire. I would not hesitate
to recommend it as an example of one
convincing way to approach these works.
In particular, the Donizetti is a distinctive
contribution. DiLutis approaches this work
in a charming and operatic manner, rather
than as a mere technical exercise.
– Amanda McCandless
Viktor Kalabis. Thomas Martin, clarinet;
Richard Sebring, horn; Kai-Yun Lu,
clarinet; Vytas J. Baksys, piano. V.
Kalabis: Variations for Horn and Piano,
Op. 31; Invocation for Solo Horn, Op.
90; Suite for Clarinet and Piano, Op.
55; Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op.
30; Three Impressions for 2 Clarinets,
Op. 87. Terezin Music Foundation
TMF140227. Total time 56:09. www.
terezinmusic.org and Amazon, iTunes,
CD Baby
When Czech composer Viktor Kalabis
visited Boston from Prague, he was
enchanted by the orchestra and Symphony
Hall. His wife, Zuzana Ružičková,
remembers him wistfully sighing, “Would
that a work of mine could be played here.”
Clarinetist Thomas Martin and hornist
Richard Sebring, associate principal
and principal players in the Boston
Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops
Orchestra respectively, recorded this disc
in Symphony Hall in 2013, thus fulfilling
Kalabis’ wish.
One of the most distinguished
20th-century Czech composers, Viktor
Kalabis’ music and artistic voice were
suppressed for much of his life. Initially,
this persecution was the result of the Nazi
occupation of Prague during World War
II. Later, his rejection of communism
was the cause. Kalabis revered Bohuslav
Martinů and served as president of the
Martinů Foundation. Additionally, he was
a great admirer of elder contemporaries
such as Bartók, Kodály and Stravinsky.
His style is distinctive with strident,
colorful, contrasting harmonies and lyric
chromaticism, showing the influence
of Stravinsky and Bartók. However,
Kalabis developed his own distinctive and
appealing compositional voice.
The first work on this CD, Variations
for Horn and Piano, begins and ends
with the same plaintive, elegiac melody,
framing a section of building tension
and agitation. In the Variations as well
as the Invocation for solo horn, Richard
Sebring conveys Kalabis’ dramatic intent
by building intensity and momentum,
while demonstrating fine dexterity and a
no-nonsense approach to execution.
The works for clarinet share dramatic
similarities and the Suite for Clarinet and
Piano shows the influence of Stravinsky.
The first movement progresses rhythmically
with plentiful color and contrast between
the clarinet and piano. The second
movement, in the character of an elegy,
evokes a feeling of profound sadness. The
third movement could have been extracted
directly from Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du
Soldat. The dryness of the melody creates
the mood of the movement with sharp,
MARCH 2016
biting staccato, crisp rhythm and quick
tempo. This light and energetic movement
left me desiring additional movements.
In the Sonata for Clarinet and Piano,
the individual lines of the clarinet and
piano evoke emotion and depth in the
first movement. The melody abounds with
chromaticism and strong rhythmic drive.
Frequent tone clusters and bitonality in the
piano are strongly laced with chromatic
melodic content. The second movement
contrasts with a plaintive quality in the
clarinet melody. The piano is subservient
to the clarinet in this movement, acting
mainly as a bed of subtle harmonic color.
When compared to the other works on
the disc, this sonata’s third movement
shares a sense of strong inner emotion in
its slow, melancholy middle section. This
movement, which is twice as long as the
prior movements, is a kaleidoscope of
temperaments. The sudden changes provide
the listener with an array of tonal color and
unexpected direction.
Three Impressions for 2 Clarinets is
a brilliant work that shows Kalabis’
inspirations with his use of bitonality, tonal
palette and dissonant harmonic language.
The agility of both Martin and Lu is
impressive. After listening to this work, I
found myself contemplating the obscurity
of Kalabis’ music, as it is captivating,
skillfully written and gratifying.
I found this CD quite enticing
with good variety in the programming.
Throughout, I found myself wanting to
hear more. Thomas Martin is obviously
a skilled and talented artist. His
interpretation and proficiency surmount
the technical obstacles in these works
to make this recording memorable. The
talents of Kai-Yun Lu, Vytas J. Baksys and
Richard Sebring are impressive and earn
high commendation. I highly recommend
this CD and will consider works of
Kalabis for my next recital program.
– Lori F. Ardovino
RECENT
ARRIVALS
À La Carte. Jan Jakub Bokun, clarinet;
Jakub Kościuszko, guitar. J.S. Bach:
Arioso; F. Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata,
D. 821; C. Debussy: Arabesque No. 1; P.
Smutný: Dolor Amoris; Piotr Szewczyk:
Jay Jay Bee for Clarinet Solo; Yom: Moïse;
Yom/trad.: Rêve de l’Enfant; D. Pajdzik:
It Gets Worse. JB Records JBR 017-2;
QBK Records QBK 011. Total time
51:40. www.jblrecords.com.pl and www.
qbkrecords.com
Agents of Espionage. Brian Viliunas,
clarinet; Jeffrey Flaniken, violin;
Donald Sanders, piano; Kathryn Fouse,
piano. M. Lackey: Paths of the Seas,
Particles; R. Springler: Spectacular Time;
Z. Bramble: To American Innovation,
Sonata, Agents of Espionage. Potenza
Music PM1045. Total time 52:00.
www.potenzamusic.com
Spring Fantasy. Jeremy Reynolds, clarinet;
Gal Faganel, cello; Caleb Harris, piano.
N. Rota: Trio; P. Merkù: Astrazioni,
Op. 23; R. Muczynski: Fantasy Trio;
C. Früling: Trio in A Minor, Op. 40.
Potenza Music PM1044. Total time
69:19. www.potenzamusic.com
Link at His Very Best. Larry Linkin,
clarinet; Terry Harrington, saxophones;
Murray Middleman, saxophones;
Bobby Shew, trumpet; Roy Wiegand
III, trumpet; Dan Fornero, trumpet;
Tony Terran, trumpet; Roy Wiegand,
Jr., trombone; Don Vincent, piano;
Ross Tompkins, piano; Richard Simon,
bass; Ernest McDaniel, bass; Doug
MacDonald, guitar; Ron Anthony,
guitar; Jack LeCompte, drums; Elvio
Ditta, drums; Billy Hulting, percussion
& vibraphone. Thirteen tracks
consisting of Dixieland, jazz, and blues
standards in big band arrangements by
Don Vincent. Whoelsebut Records.
Total time 47:05. www.whoelsebut.com
Follow the Stick. Sam Sadigursky,
clarinet; Chris Dingman, vibes &
marimba; Bobby Avey, piano; Jordan
Perlson, drums, percussion; Jason
Palmer, trumpet; Ljova, viola. J.
Grey/E. de Lange: String of Pearls; S.
Sadigursky: Fast Money, 3+2, Mule,
Do the Dance, Austerity Measures,
Looks Can Be Deceiving, Reach,
Life’s Flowering, Deadly Sins, Touché,
Heart, Math Music. Brooklyn Jazz
Underground Records BJUR 056.
Total time 75:11. www.bjurecords.com
Clarinet Music by J. & A. SemlerCollery. Hedwig Swimberghe, clarinet;
Dana Protopopescu, piano. A. SemlerCollery: Cantabile et Allegro; J. SemlerCollery: Fantasie et danse en forme de
gigue, Lied et final, Reverie et scherzo, 10
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MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 71
h Levi Tracy
Etudes de concert. Artist produced. Total
time 47:23.
Clari 10 – X Curso Julián Menéndez,
Ávila 2005. Henri Bok, Radovan
Cavallin, Silvye Hue, Philippe Leloup,
Alberto Rodríguez, Pedro Rubio, Luis
San Sebastián, Justo Sanz, Hedwig
Swimberghe, Cuarteto Alhambra,
Alumni of the 10th Julián Menéndez
Clarinet Course, clarinets. R. Boutry:
Aires Abulenses; D. Loeb: Fantasía sobre
“Por qué lloras blanca niña”; P. Iturralde:
Miniatura Impromptu; M. Castelló:
Madre Teresa; M. Ravel: Pavana
para una infant difunta; Rodrigo/C.
Corea/R. van Bavel: Adagio/Spain;
J. Van der Roost: Rikudim. Artist
produced. Total time 50:05.
Why Not? Hedwig Swimberghe, clarinet;
Inna Poroshina, piano. A. Lonque:
Introduction et danse rustique; J. Bauer:
Rondo kwartowe; J. Absil: Sicilienne;
J. Feld: Scherzino; B. de Crepy:
Repliques; J.M. Ruera: Meditacio; L.
Cahuzac: Cantilene; W. Hildemann:
Ritmi Dispari; M. Reger: Romanze in
G Major; I. Bazel: Elegie and Scherzo;
G. Bacewicz: Easy Pieces; M. Deroo:
C
C
alifornia
Impromptu, Op. 72; V. Nossow:
Walz “Junior”; N. Marchenkova-Frei:
Augurio; G. Lyashenko: Con Amore; H.
Swimberghe: My Tune 1, Le Printempos
s’annonce, My Tune Too! Artist
produced. Total time 61:36.
Pages of Life. Hedwig Swimberghe, Sabine
Schmitz and Philip Sierens, clarinet;
Isidro Santos, bass clarinet; Emilia
Zenko, bassoon; Laure Campion,
soprano; Inna Poroshina, piano. Nadiya
Poklad: Pour Toi for solo clarinet; Danse
Fantastique for solo clarinet; Variations
for clarinet, bassoon and piano; Les
Pensees for solo clarinet; Sonata for
clarinet and piano; Une Tendresse for
solo clarinet; Una Imagen Espanol for
solo clarinet; La Lune et Les Etoiles for
bass clarinet and piano; Derwish’s Prayers
for solo clarinet; Agnus Dei for soprano,
clarinet and piano; Les Versions for solo
clarinet; Partite for clarinet quartet.
Artist produced. Total time 58:08.
Brussels Clarinet Choir. Arrangements
and original works for clarinet choir.
Hedwig Swimberghe, clarinet and
conductor; Evy Roelants, soprano.
T. Albinoni: Sonata in G Minor; N.
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72 | THE CLARINET
Marchenkova: Sommer Farbenspiel über
dem Bodensee; G. Rossini: Introduction,
Theme and Variations; P.I. Tchaikowsky:
Andante cantabile; J. Tassyns: Vocalise;
M. Ravel: Pavane pour une infant
défunte; G. de Kerpel: Clarichor; R.
Boutry: Aires Abulenses; F. Mendelssohn:
Tarantella, Op. 102, No. 3. World Wind
Music WWM 500.106. Total time
74:25. www.mirasound.nl/wwm
East Meets West. Jun Qian, clarinet; Kae
Hosoda-Ayer, piano; Hu Jianbing,
sheng; Scott Steele, percussion; Jing
Zhou, guzheng. J. Zhou: The Four
Gentlemen Among Flowers for clarinet
and guzheng; K. He: Soliloquy – Wings
for solo clarinet; A. Wang: The Feeble
Breeze, The Sullen Spring for clarinet,
percussion and guzheng; Z. Long:
Taiping Drum for clarinet and piano;
C. Yi: Three Bagatelles from China
West for E-flat clarinet and sheng; J.
Qian/J.B. Hu: New York Improvisatory
Dialogue for clarinet and sheng; Q. Li:
We Song Fights the Tiger for clarinet and
electroacoustic music. Albany Records
TROY1528. Total time 59:12. www.
albanyrecords.com
CrossOver. Andrew DeBoer, clarinet; Qing
Nadia Feeken, piano; with Katherine
Palmer, clarinet; Melissa Vaughan,
clarinet; Matthew Miracle, bass clarinet.
Nikola Resanovic: Sonata for clarinet
and piano; The Ox and the Lark for two
clarinets; Four Miniatures for clarinet
trio; Thunder-Blossom for solo clarinet;
Analogues for clarinet and bass clarinet;
alt.music.ballistix for clarinet and
recording. Artist produced. Total time
55:57. www.potenzamusic.com
Violet Convergence – Viola Works on
Clarinet. Andrew DeBoer, clarinet
and arranger; Qing Nadia Feeken,
piano; Gail Novak, piano. Y. Bowen:
Sonata No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 18;
Phantasy in F, Op. 54; Romance in
D-flat; Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op.
22. Artist produced. Total time 70:28.
www.Amazon.com, iTunes, and www.
cdbaby.com/cd/andrewdeboer3
Atonement. Kimberly Cole Luevano,
clarinet; Midori Koga, piano; Lindsay
Kesselman, soprano. J. Higdon:
Clarinet Sonata; K. MacMillan: The
Country Wife; K. Bunch: Cookbook; E.
Chambers: Atonement. Fleur De Son
Classics FDS58028. Total time 63:26.
www.fleurdeson.com
Tornado Project. Esther Lamneck,
MARCH 2016
clarinet; Elizabeth McNutt, flute.
R. Climent: Russian Disco; R. Rowe:
Primary Colors; P. Wilson: Beneath the
Surface; A. May: Still Angry; E. Lyon:
Trio for flute, clarinet and computer;
R. Pinkston: e++. Ravello Records
RR7908. Total time 58:47. Additional
content including study scores, liner
notes, biographies and credits is
available at www.ravellorecords.com/
tornadoproject
Payne/Lindal/Liebowitz. Bill Payne,
clarinet; Eva Lindal, violin; Carol
Liebowitz, piano. B. Payne/E. Lindal/C.
Liebowitz: Ever Since, It Happened This
Way, Unspoken, B/E, If Then, Glissade,
Preludes, Holus Bolus, What We Are
Saying, Blue Flame, ‘til Always. Line Art
Records A1001CD. Total time 56:33.
www.lineartrecords.com
The Snake Charmer. This project explores
a very special moment in India’s history
through words and music. Kim Maerkl,
clarinet; Calvin E. Burke, narrator;
Christian Gruber, guitar; Tobias Ott,
tabla. K. Maerkl: The Snake Charmer.
Atlantic Crossing Records ACR 0007.
Total time 36:25. CD, manuscript
and sheet music are available at www.
atlantic-crossing.com
Piotr Moss. Jean-Marc Fessard, clarinet;
Jadwiga Rappé, alto; Polish National
Radio Symphony Orchestra in
Katowice; Michal Klauza, conductor
(D’un silence); Jerzy Maksymiuk,
conductor (Loneliness). P. Moss: D’un
silence; Loneliness. Dux Recording
Producers DUX 1118. Total time
68:03. www.dux.pl
Triple Dutch. Kurios Clarinet Quartet:
Boujke Musch, E-flat and B-flat
clarinet; Peter Koetsveld, clarinet;
Corien Hoepman, clarinet and basset
clarinet, Mark Snitselaar, bass clarinet.
J. Andriessen: Clarinet Quartet; H.
Tomp: Clarinet Quartet No. 2; F.
den Herder: Clarinet Quartet. Artist
produced. Total time 51:40. www.
kuriosklarinetkwartet.nl
The Lyric Clarinet. F. Gerard
Errante, clarinet and arranger;
Philip Fortenberry, piano; Voltaire
Verzosa, piano; D. Gause, piano.
C. Guastavino: La rosa y el sauce, El
Sampedrino, Milonga de dos hermanos;
J. Duke: I Carry Your Heart; C.
Debussy: Beau soir, Mandoline, Clair
de lune; F. Poulenc: Bleuet, Les Chemins
de l’amour, Hôtel, Voyage à Paris; D.
Gause: Lunar Lace; R. Schumann:
Widmung, Er der Herrlichste von allen;
J. Brahms: Wie Melodien zieht es mir,
Vergebliches Ständchen, Botschaft; F.
Schubert: Nacht und Träume; S. Barber:
Sure on This Shining Night; L. Laitman:
The Apple Orchard; A. Ginastera/S.
Sondheim: Triste/Send in the Clowns.
Ravello Records RR7886. Total time
60:28. www.ravellorecords.com
orchestras throughout Europe under
conductors such as Claudio Abbado,
Riccardo Muti and Kent Nagano.
Since 2008, Bandieri has promoted the
Collection Davide Bandieri project, which
is a set of new works for E-flat clarinet
published by Periferia Music. A more
detailed biography is available at www.
davidebandieri.com.
Il Clarinetto Piccolo all’Opera:
19th-Century Italian Music for Piccolo
Clarinet and Piano will delight the E-flat
clarinet enthusiast, particularly those in
search of quality solo repertoire for this
instrument. Nearly every selection was
new to me, with the exception of Luigi
Bassi’s Gran Duetto Concertato Sopra
Motivi dell’Opera “La Sonnambula” for
E-flat clarinet, B-flat clarinet and piano.
Along with Bassi and Ernesto Cavallini,
familiar composers of Italian opera
fantasies, Bandieri introduces works
by two obscure composers, Giuseppe
Cappelli and Giacomo Panizza. A
summary of the disc’s contents is available
in the Recent Arrivals section of June
2015’s “Audio Notes.”
Bandieri performs on the E-flat
clarinet at a level many hope to achieve
on the soprano clarinet. His performance
throughout is exceptional. Virtuosic
passages are executed with ease; intonation
and ensemble with pianist Duncan
Gifford are excellent. Bandieri intimately
understands the meaning of the text in each
fantasy, expressing the full gamut of human
emotion embodied by the source material.
The performance of Ernesto Cavallini’s
treatment of the revered Il Carnevale di
Venezia is a particular standout, as Bandieri
flawlessly negotiates extreme register leaps
between the chalumeau and altissimo
registers. He transcends the instrument,
with only fleeting moments of timbre and
intonation issues one commonly associates
with the E-flat clarinet.
My only criticism concerns the final
track, Bassi’s Gran Duetto Concertato
AUDIO NOTES
by Christopher Nichols
Since my appointment in September 2015
as Audio Reviews Editor for The Clarinet,
I have had the privilege of examining and
listening to numerous quality offerings
from artists around the world, many
previously unfamiliar to me. I am totally
enamored with the depth and breadth of
excellent clarinet performance in recorded
music today!
I received three excellent recordings
from Italian clarinetist Davide Bandieri: Il
Clarinetto Piccolo all’Opera, Tentative
Winds 2006-2011 and Ferruccio &
Ferdinando Busoni: Complete Music
for Clarinet. Each is a remarkable
contribution in its own right to the
scholarship and discography of the
clarinet. Bandieri currently serves as
principal solo clarinet of the Lausanne
Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland.
His pedigree is impressive, citing
Fabrizio Meloni, Karl Heinz Steffens
and Alessandro Carbonare as principal
teachers. Prior to his position in the
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Bandieri
served as piccolo clarinet (as the E-flat
clarinet is known in Italy) in the Madrid
Symphony from 2004 to 2011. He
has performed with a wide variety of
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 73
Sopra Motivi dell’Opera “La Sonnambula,”
when Bandieri and Gifford are joined by
clarinetist Javier Balaguer Doménech.
I would have liked to hear Doménech’s
contribution to this performance more
clearly; he sounds distant in comparison
to Bandieri. However, this is a relatively
minor complaint.
The next disc, Tentative Wings
2006-2011: 21st Century Music for
Piccolo Clarinet, presents contemporary
compositions for E-flat clarinet in a variety
of instrumentations. These contributions
to our repertoire are the result of Davide
Bandieri’s commissioning activities between
2006 and 2011 during his employment
with the Madrid Symphony Orchestra.
This disc opens with Eduardo MoralesCaso’s (b. 1969) Hiranyagarbha for E-flat
clarinet, violin and piano, composed in
2010. Here, Bandieri is joined by violinist
Yoshiko Ueda and pianist Duncan
Gifford. In the liner notes, Morales-Caso
cites his inspiration for Hiranyagarbha
in “the Hindu cosmological conception
emerging from the ‘golden ratio.’” He
describes the work as a fantasy which
“delicately unveils a marvelous dreamlandscape in which the ‘colour’ leads us,
like a cyclic personage, through the subtle
combinations of timbre revealed to us by
the discourse.” The composer’s impetus
is irrefutably realized in a technically
and musically virtuosic performance by
Bandieri, Ueda and Gifford.
Next, Ailem Carvajal’s (b. 1972) Eón
(2009) for E-flat clarinet and electronic
tape combines Bandieri’s E-flat clarinet
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74 | THE CLARINET
with sonorities from various types of
transportation, the sounds of Havana,
Cuba, and the infinite flow of water. To
fully experience the overall effect created
by this work’s use of binaural recording
techniques, a fine stereophonic setup
is essential!
Willy Merz (b. 1964) contributes the
single work for unaccompanied E-flat
clarinet on this disc, titled Points: Espace
(2008). Merz exploits the full expressive
range of the instrument, both in regard
to traditional and extended techniques.
Bandieri easily negotiates every challenge,
demonstrating his mastery of flutter
tonguing, portamento and facility in every
extreme available on the instrument.
Marcello Bonanno (b. 1975) joins
Bandieri for his work Spettri (2010) for
E-flat clarinet and piano. He attributes
Davide’s pure sound on the instrument
as an inspiration for the composition.
Poised at the midpoint of the disc, the
work’s reliance on minimalist simplicity is
a welcome respite from the complexity of
the first three works. Of special note: the
pitch performed at 3:10 for 15 seconds
– a written sixth-ledger-line altissimo D
– makes, perhaps, its world premiere in
E-flat clarinet literature. Other moments
in this extreme register appear throughout
the work and Bandieri’s performance
seems effortless.
In Tres Palabras (2009), Massimo
Botter (b. 1965) joins the timbres of the
E-flat clarinet and a flamenco percussion
instrument, the cajón, which is struck
by the clarinetist’s foot! Botter divides
his composition into three distinct parts.
The first part introduces a sustained and
static pitch which alternates with moving
pitches to represent “panting speech.”
The arrival of the second part is marked
by the introduction of the cajón. Its
meditative nature contrasts with the outer
parts. The work has an epilogue featuring
diminution, which comes to a frenzied
conclusion. Bandieri executes this work
with the utmost conviction and ease. The
punctuation from the cajón provides an
effective addition to the principal texture
of unaccompanied clarinet.
Luigi Abbate (b. 1958) constructed his
Homage to W.O.L.S. (2011) for clarinet
and electronics in collaboration with
Marco Biscarini and Guido Ponzini. The
electronics created with Biscarini and
Ponzini exclusively use samples provided
MARCH 2016
by Bandieri. The opening palette of
sonorities often seems entirely abstract
from clarinet tone, which creates a
fascinating variation of texture. It is likely
that Biscarini and Ponzini omitted the
natural beginning and end of samples to
create this effect. Later, the work becomes
far more active and the characteristic
sound of clarinet articulation abounds.
To close this disc, Bandieri is joined by
Gianluca Cascioli to perform Cascioli’s
Fantasia (2011) for E-flat clarinet and
piano. Cascioli constructs Fantasia around
a theme based on a hexachord, which is
introduced with a clarinet cadenza followed
by a “melody-carillon” for solo piano.
The remainder of the work is a series of
expansion and variation on this material,
which the composer cites as a significant
aspect of his compositional technique.
Cascioli’s collaboration with Bandieri, who
is the dedicatee of this work, is artistically
convincing in all aspects of performance.
conducted by Jonathan Webb. Bandieri’s
resonant sonority, phrasing and style are
beautiful throughout. The collaboration
with Alessandra Gentile and Quartetto
di Roma is stunning in regard to unity
of phrasing, intonation, balance and
ensemble. However, the recording of
Busoni’s Concertino, Op. 48 falls short
of the superlative standard demonstrated
throughout the remainder of the set.
Intonation flaws from the Camerata
Strumentale Città di Prato sometimes
detract from the overall effect, but
Bandieri’s beautiful sound and musical
approach to phrasing still make this track
worthwhile listening. Clarinetists interested
in lesser-known romantic recital literature
will welcome the addition of this Busoni
two-disc set to the clarinet discography.
Bandieri’s commitment to the
expansion and visibility of the E-flat
clarinet in solo and chamber music is
evident in these recordings of 19th and
21st century literature. I will certainly seek
opportunities to hear Davide Bandieri
in live performance as the result of these
wonderful recorded contributions! v
Wenzel
Fuchs
first solo clarinettist
of the Berlin Philharmonic
Ferruccio & Ferdinando Busoni:
Complete Music for Clarinet, a twodisc set from Brilliant Classics 94978,
is the first complete reference recording
of clarinet works from the Busoni son
and father (Ferruccio and Ferdinando,
respectively). The complete content is
listed in the September 2015 “Audio
Notes” in the Recent Arrivals section.
Particularly significant is the premiere
recording of the recently published edition
by A. Manuel de Col of Ferruccio Busoni’s
Sonata in D Major, K. 138, of which only
three movements are extant in manuscript.
The liner notes by Michele Napolitano are
well-written and informative.
Bandieri is joined by pianist Alessandra
Gentile, the Quartetto di Roma and
Camerata Strumentale Città di Prato
has been appointed professor of
clarinet at the Mozarteum University
in Salzburg.
The entrance exam for the
academic year 2016/17 will be
held on 22 June 2016.
Closing date for registration:
30 April 2016
Registration and further details:
www.uni-mozarteum.at
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 75
Candidates
ICA Officer Election
T
he ICA election will be held online from March 15 to May 1, 2016. The election will be administered by Lynn Fryer, ICA
executive director. ICA members without an email address in the ICA database will be mailed a paper ballot. Please refer to
www.clarinet.org and follow the link on the home page to vote online. Ballots submitted by regular mail must arrive in the
office of Lynn Fryer by May 1, 2016, to be counted. Please review the candidate statements and biographies for the offices of
president-elect, secretary and treasurer. All ICA members in good standing are encouraged to participate in the election by casting a vote
for the candidate of their choice in each of the open positions.
PRESIDENT-ELECT
every one of you through the online website and social media,
journal content, and conference activities are critical components
of my vision for our healthy and prosperous future. I would
greatly appreciate your support.
DIANE BARGER
Diane Barger is Hixson-Lied
professor of clarinet at the
University of Nebraska –
Lincoln (UNL) where she
received the 2013 Annis
Chaikin Sorensen Award
for Excellence in Teaching
in the Humanities and the
2001 College Distinguished
Teaching Award. She is an
internationally-acclaimed
soloist and chamber musician,
Diane Barger
master class clinician and
adjudicator, member of
UNL’s Moran Quintet, principal clarinet of Lincoln’s Symphony
Orchestra, and artist/clinician for Buffet Crampon and D’Addario
Woodwinds. Barger is featured on her solo compact disc Bling
Bling and as editor of 13 editions of Bellini operatic fantasies on the
Potenza Music label; she can also be heard with the Moran Quintet
on the Crystal Records label. Actively involved in the International
Clarinet Association for 30 years, Barger is currently the Nebraska
state chair and previously served as artistic director for the 2012
ClarinetFest®, ICA treasurer (2004-2010), and coordinator of the
High School Solo Competition (2001-2005).
PRESIDENT-ELECT
MITCHELL ESTRIN
Mitchell Estrin is professor of
clarinet at the University of
Florida and artistic director
of the Vandoren Clarinet
Ensemble Festival. He was
education and creative
development manager for
Buffet Crampon for eight
years and founder of the
Buffet Crampon USA
Summer Clarinet Academy.
Mitchell Estrin
He performed for 25
years with the New York
Philharmonic in over 2,000
concerts as principal, second, and E-flat clarinetist, as well as in
chamber music performances with the Chamber Music Society of
Lincoln Center, Amadeus Ensemble, and New Arts Trio, and at
the Newport Music Festival. Estrin has an extensive discography
of solo and chamber music and recorded over 100 Hollywood
motion-picture soundtracks. He served as director of ICA clarinet
choirs seven times, and directed clarinet choirs for the Oklahoma
Clarinet Symposium, United States Navy and Texas Clarinet
Colloquium. His University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble has
performed throughout the United States and Europe, including
three recitals at ClarinetFest®. The ensemble has produced three
Grammy Entry List appearance recordings for Mark Masters.
Mitchell Estrin studied with Stanley Drucker at The Juilliard
School and is a Buffet Crampon Clarinet Artist and Vandoren
Performing Artist.
STATEMENT
In my third decade of membership in the International Clarinet
Association, I am honored to be nominated as a candidate for
your president-elect. I enjoyed several years of service in ICA
leadership roles that fostered me with a unique and valuable
insight into our global alliance. My organizational skills and
creative vision – put to the test as artistic director of the 2012
ClarinetFest® – along with my enthusiasm and unwavering passion
for our cause establish a firm foundation from which I would
serve. I am eager to work alongside you, our board of directors,
and our stalwart industry sponsors to ensure our continued
growth by pursuing groundbreaking initiatives. Expanding our
worldwide membership and discovering innovative ways to engage
76 | THE CLARINET
STATEMENT
I am honored to receive the nomination for ICA president-elect.
My 40 years of professional experience as a performer, educator
and administrator have given me a strong and diverse background
MARCH 2016
in the music industry. As a member of the ICA since 1975 (then
International Clarinet Society), my activities with this great
organization include performances, presentations, adjudication,
committee service (as member and chair), directing clarinet choirs
and contributing articles for The Clarinet. My positive long-term
relationships with members of every constituency of the ICA will
allow me to understand the broad range of perspectives needed
for continuing the effective leadership of the organization. I am
not afraid of challenges and will consider all sides of an issue when
working to identify and implement solutions for a particular
situation. I am an experienced and flexible administrator with an
established record of fiscal management and responsibility. My sole
interest would be the continuing global success of the ICA. I would
welcome the opportunity to serve the ICA membership and thank
you for considering my candidacy.
SECRETARY
DENISE GAINEY
Denise Gainey is associate
professor of clarinet and
instrumental music education,
and coordinator of graduate
studies in music at the
University of Alabama at
Birmingham. She is a Backun
Artist/Clinician, a D’Addario
Woodwinds Artist, and serves
as the secretary of the board of
directors for the International
Denise Gainey
Clarinet Association. Gainey
is an active clinician and
performer throughout
the United States and abroad. She has compiled and edited a
collection of clarinet solos, Solos for Clarinet, published by Carl
Fischer in 2001, and is currently writing a book on master teacher
Kalmen Opperman. She received a Bachelor of Music Education
degree from Florida State University, a Master of Music degree
in clarinet performance from the University of North Texas and
a doctorate in clarinet from the University of Kentucky. Gainey’s
major teachers include Kalmen Opperman, James Gillespie, Frank
Kowalsky and Fred Ormand.
STATEMENT
I am honored to be considered for re-election to secretary of the
ICA. My strong organizational skills, ability to work with and
motivate people in a positive, proactive manner, and an eagerness
to serve the ICA will be of great benefit to our organization. I
am currently ICA secretary and served as state chair coordinator,
Alabama state chair, and as a member of the artistic team for
ClarinetFest® 2012. During 23 years of university teaching, I have
held leadership positions on numerous committees. I hosted one
of three regional festivals sponsored by the ICA this past February,
and have also organized and hosted a successful clarinet symposium
for many years that continues to grow in attendance. As secretary,
I have enjoyed working with my colleagues on the board as our
organization makes several major positive changes to help take the
ICA in new and exciting directions.
SECRETARY
MAUREEN HURD HAUSE
Maureen Hurd Hause is
coordinator of woodwinds
and associate professor of
clarinet at the Mason Gross
School of the Arts, Rutgers
University. She has appeared
in concerts and master classes
in New York City and Europe,
Asia and North America. She
has performed at New York’s
Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully
Maureen Hurd Hause
Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center,
and Merkin Hall, with the
American Symphony Orchestra, New York City Opera Orchestra,
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and Chamber Music Society of
Lincoln Center, and in the current production of The King and I
at Lincoln Center. Hause performed at ClarinetFest® conferences
in Italy, Japan, Canada, and the United States and at the Norfolk,
Skaneateles, and Lancaster Festivals. She has recorded for Naxos,
MSR Classics and Marquis Classics. She holds degrees from Iowa
State University and the Yale School of Music, where she worked
with the Benny Goodman Papers of the Irving S. Gilmore Music
Library and received recognition for this research and related
performances.
STATEMENT
I am honored to be nominated for the position of secretary of the
ICA. I have previously served the ICA as New Jersey state chair
for several years and as a judge for the Young Artist Competition
at the 2011 ClarinetFest®. I have enjoyed performing at several
ClarinetFest® conferences, and I was a prizewinner in the 2001
Research Presentation Competition. I have been a member of
the ICA for about 25 years and have found this organization to
be a vital and innovative connector and facilitator for clarinetists
around the world. The ICA promotes and encourages deeper
understanding of our instrument(s) and our literature, and I
would be glad to work with this outstanding group to help
further performance and research. I believe my leadership and
administrative experience as coordinator of woodwinds at the
Mason Gross School of the Arts will serve me well on the ICA
board. I enjoy working with people and helping bring ideas to
fruition. I thank you for your consideration.
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 77
TREASURER
STATEMENT
As current ICA treasurer, I feel doubly honored to have been elected
twice by our membership to this important position. During my
term, we have been confronted by several factors that have severely
challenged our financial status. The ICA board has addressed these
issues by making significant changes to our administration, in how
The Clarinet is published, and in reducing board meeting expenses
through teleconferencing. We now receive financial management
from the C.P.A. firm of Rick Westbrook – a company with years of
experience in working with nonprofit organizations. With Rick’s
help, along with my experience in analyzing our budgetary trends,
we have developed new budgetary and financial policies for the ICA
that should return us to a very strong financial position by the end
of our financial year in August. As treasurer, I will continue using
my experience and dedication to do everything possible to keep the
ICA financially viable for years to come. v
TOD KERSTETTER
Tod Kerstetter serves as
professor of clarinet and as
a member of the resident
Konza Wind Quintet at
Kansas State University. Tod
has been a frequent performer
at ICA ClarinetFest®,
including performances
at recent conventions in
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
and 2015. A graduate of
Furman University, Indiana
Tod Kerstetter
University and the University
of Georgia, Tod has performed
with the clarinet sections of orchestras in Charleston, Evansville,
Kansas City, Nashville and Savannah, as well as on two tours
with the American Wind Symphony. He enjoys traveling, and
has performed internationally in Australia, Austria, Finland,
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, the Netherlands,
Norway, Russia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Tod has enjoyed
being involved in recent commissioning projects for new music
for clarinet by such composers as David Maslanka (Desert Roads,
Eternal Garden), Mauricio Murcia (Colombian Suite, Trio Suite
Colombiana), Kevin Walczyk (Concerto Scion) and Craig Weston
(Still on the Antipodes, Stehekin Sonata).
CLARINET
ACADEMY
JUNE 12-16
2016
Program Director: Professor Caroline Hartig
The Ohio State Clarinet Academy is a five-day resident experience where
high school musicians focus on enhancing musical and performance skills.
Participants engage with Professor Caroline Hartig and Ohio State students in
private lessons, master classes, chamber ensemble experiences and more!
Eligibility: For students who are entering grades 9-12 in the 2016-2017 school
year, as well as 2016 high school graduates.
Program Fee: $450, includes room and board
Deadline to Register: May 20, 2016
Registration and details at music.osu.edu
78 | THE CLARINET
MARCH 2016
by Spencer Prewitt, Jesse Krebs, Kristy Nichols and Eric Salazar
H
ave you ever
wondered
where to
find out things like:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How do you make or adjust your reeds?
What do clarinetists do in their free time?
What exercises can help you tongue faster?
How can you keep your clarinet from cracking in
the winter?
What can you do with all your old and worn-out
reeds?
What are some helpful tips for auditioning
successfully?
Where can you find ideas for your next contest
solo or recital program?
Are scales really that important?
Who invented the clarinet and how did auxiliary
clarinets develop?
BuzzReed will be an exciting new space for
sharing information about the clarinet’s pedagogy,
equipment, culture, literature and history in a
format designed with younger clarinetists and nonprofessionals in mind. Through regular blog entries
and a new column in The Clarinet, this initiative
will foster lively discussions about all things clarinet
and provide information that will be both fun and
educational. It will feed your obsession for the
clarinet and keep you coming back for more! Look
for updates in the ICA e-newsletter and at www.
clarinet.org. v
MARCH 2016
THE CLARINET | 79
Message
from the
A
A
T
Dear ICA Members,
he ICA Board is busily
preparing for many upcoming
events. We are excited to
share all that is happening
and to express our appreciation for your
continued support of our organization. We
are planning several membership drives and
initiatives, and growing our membership
remains our greatest goal. Please encourage
your students, colleagues and clarinet
enthusiasts of all ages to join the ICA. We
are offering new incentives, including access
to The Clarinet online and an updated
website. Also, the ICA/James Gillespie
Online Resource Library continues to be a
favorite “go to” for clarinetists of all levels.
The ICA is pleased to welcome our
new Executive Assistant Kathleen D.
Chau. She is a retired member of the U.S.
ARIA
2016
r
International Summer Academy
Mihai Tetel - Director
2016 Boot Camp Session at
Mount Holyoke College, MA, USA
Session: July 1-12
FAculTy:
i
Deborah chodacki - Louisiana State University
Ken Grant - Eastman School
Jonathan Gunn - Principal, Cincinnati Symphony & faculty
Cincinnati College-Conservatory
Ron Samuels - Pittsburgh Symphony & Duquesne University
Guy yehuda - Michigan State University
Intensive session on technique, intelligent practicing, musicianship, auditions, and career.
For more information please contact Prof. Mihai Tetel at [email protected] or visit our
website at www.ariaacademy.com
Telephone
80 | THE CLARINET
765.212.0327
Navy Band in Washington, D.C., where
she served as a clarinetist and in several
important organizational posts (see her bio
and photo on p. 2).
ClarinetFest® 2016 is fast approaching
and promises to be a wonderful gathering
of clarinetists from all over the world.
We are grateful to Bob Walzel, Stephanie
Zelnick and Lynn Fryer for their
leadership, as well as to the countless
volunteers behind the scenes working
together to make a great event.
Please encourage your students
and colleagues to participate in the
ICA ClarinetFest® 2016 competitions.
These competitions provide a valuable
opportunity for students and young
professionals to compete on an
international level, meet people from
around the world, and develop lifelong
friends and professional colleagues.
As you will note, we have secured
wonderful sites for future ClarinetFest®
conferences, with ClarinetFest® 2017
scheduled for Orlando, Florida and hosted
by Keith Koons and his team. At the time
of the tragic passing of beloved Guido Six
last October, plans had been underway
and funding secured by Guido to host
ClarinetFest® 2018 in Ostend, Belgium.
We have heard from our membership that
some of the finest and most memorable
ClarinetFests have been held outside
of the United States. While it is fiscally
advantageous for our organization to host
ClarinetFests within the United States, the
ICA is committed to working with our
international members. We are pleased
that Eddy Vanoosthuyse, along with the
Six family, will continue to plan and carry
through with hosting ClarinetFest® 2018 in
Ostend. We are now searching for exciting
and inviting U.S. locations for ClarinetFest®
2019 and 2020. Please see page 15 in this
issue for proposal details and guidelines.
As always, we value your membership
and enjoy hearing your comments and
ideas as we all share a great passion for
the clarinet and our clarinet community!
We hope to see you in Lawrence for
what will surely be an inspirational
ClarinetFest® 2016. v
MARCH 2016
CLARINET REEDS
WHAT COLOR IS YOUR SOUND?
#myvandorencolor
© 2015 Vandoren SAS. www.vandoren.com Imported to the U.S. by DANSR,
818 W. Evergreen, Chicago, IL 60642, 888.707.4455, www.dansr.com
Demand
a Higher
Standard
Introducing the NEW CSVR
The Yamaha Custom CSVR clarinets are the result of
years of development dedicated to a clearly focused
concept: crafting a Custom clarinet that has a beautiful
sound, consistent quality, and an affordable price. Both
student and professional clarinetists require a rich sound
and comfortable playability. These qualities were
combined with the high level of consistency that only
Yamaha can provide, allowing clarinetists to demand a
higher standard than ever before.
• Redesigned keys offer comfortable, ergonomic hand
placement. In addition, the new keys have thicker
silver-plating for a dark and resonant sound quality.
• Durable leather pads ensure a precise seal between
pad and tone hole for ease of
response throughout the entire
range of the clarinet.
• A new Custom barrel design provides the CSVR with
a well-balanced response and rich, warm tonal colors
that will elevate the progressing clarinetist’s playing.
Learn more now at www.4wrd.it/csvrcla4
©2016 Yamaha Corporation of America. All rights reserved.