Buffet Crampon's - International Clarinet Association

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Readers of the previous issue of The Clarinet know that this is the fourteenth part of a series of articles based on materials from which Keith Stein (Professor of Clarinet at Michigan State Uni versity from 1934 to 1975) planned to create a how-to book for those who had no access to a clarinet teacher. I have attempted to put those materials into prose form, and a little fuller explanation of the circumstances surrounding that endeavor is given in Part One in the Volume 29, No. 4 (September 2002) issue of the magazine. This article deals with Stein’s materials related to what he called “legato playing style,” an approach to clarinet playing at which he himself excelled. And in my own approach to this article, I have had to face a problem — that of whether to include all the many, many musical examples that Stein wanted to include in his planned chapter on the subject of legato playing. If I included them, this article would be prohibitively lengthy. And because these ex - amples are all from well-known literature for clarinet, I have decided not to include them here. I must presume that readers of this magazine have copies of these examples in their own clarinet library, whereas a learner without a teacher, for whom Stein planned to write his book, probably would not have had access to this music right there in his own home. So, minus the printed musical examples, here we go. * * * * * Legato fingering is an essential part of good legato style playing. The plastic nearglissando slur-lines of legato style depend to a great extent upon a sympathetic me - chanical response in the fingers without which the bending vocal style cannot be realized. The breath and its ally the em - bouchure most certainly play significant roles in legato style also. Some teachers demonstrate the tremendous difference finger-action makes in playing by fingering the clarinet while the student supplies the blowing on a turned-around mouthpiece. Unbelievable results are possible! Legato finger movement differs significantly from the light, deft typewriter snap and the close finger action of tongued ar - ticulation. Legato fingering also employs light finger action but in addition it must be controlled in a continuous up-and-down action that never breaks its steady, stalking Page 30 movement from one part of an interval to the next. Legato style also permits the use of otherwise forbidden high finger movement both preceding and during progress to and from keys and tone-holes. This is sometimes permissible to establish a legato “mood” in the fingers as well as to help counteract “popping” and suddenness of finger action. The player must learn to approach from within a very close range a key or tonehole under continuous movement, pause, and then move in without popping or bang - ing. This is particularly effective when a finger covering requires simultaneous ar - rangement of several fingers or when the interval is particularly wide. TRAINING LEGATO FINGERS WITHOUT THE CLARINET Legato finger-action can be approximated by placing the left hand, palm side facing down, a few inches in front of oneself with the index finger tip touching the thumb tip. Raise the index finger off the thumb tip in a continuous rise upward until its highest limit is reached before all arch straightens out in the joints. Ideal legato fingers move both upward and downward in a dreamy, continuous manner. On the re turn make a preliminary upward, rounded motion with the index finger, then rev erse the same action slowly, steadily and continuously all the way back to the thumb. Permit nearby fingers freedom to react sym - pathetically and similarly until the entire hand is instilled with the legato feeling. Continue this procedure with each of the other fingers contacting the thumb. Extend the routine to pairs of fingers operating together, three fingers, and finally all four moving to and from the thumb. Repeat the whole procedure with the right hand. THE CLARINET NOW, WITH THE CLARINET Practice playing intervals of your own choosing, at random, with silent finger movement on the clarinet before playing them in sound. Repeat each exercise the necessary number of times from slower to faster tempo rates, both silently and then in sound. THE LEGATO PLAYING STYLE ITSELF Instrumental legato playing requires plastic finger-binding across intervals to approximate the near-glissando style common in vocal expression. The aim is to play continuously across intervals without the slightest stop or let-up, using tones as guideposts to encircle rather than to bump into, as though you were attempting to personify a flowing stream with swiftly running water. To continue the analogy, a flowing stream of water may well be covered by rocks down below, but nevertheless the water flows smoothly and uninterruptedly, allowing nothing at all to stop it. Clarinetists often omit the great singers’ invaluable use of smoothly flowing breath up from lung source for playing purposes, resorting instead to mere hard blowing on the breath line. AN APPROACH TO A SINGING LEGATO STYLE First establish the idea of singing on a single tone, that first tone of two notes comprising an interval. Any note, even the shortest, has duration; therefore, become aware of the first tone’s duration across its dimensions with sensitivity for sustaining a living, moving quality en route. One cannot engage in legato style without being concerned with tone quality. Make the first
note a pearl of the most beautifully centered tone possible, free of attack flaws, and a sound that begins and holds to the peak of tone quality across its duration. A long tone is simply several short ones in chained succession; a slurred group is simply one large, long tone comprised of several shorter ones blended together. Bend this first tone from its earliest be - ginnings on in the direction of the new tone ahead, spanning the interval without loss of tone quality, without the slightest break in the continuity of sound and without any evidence of lunging the breath forward or slamming the fingers into the second tone of the interval. The actual crossing is accomplished by continuously moving breath through a full-dimensioned breath channel, the airflow adjusted to keep the density equalized by means of the midtongue which receives the air and redirects it onto the reed with appropriate speed. Equalizing breath density is one of the essentials for successful playing of wide intervals. Slow practice, while concentrating on sensing and maintaining an un break - able plastic line, is the sure ap proach to mastery of legato style. Forcing and leap - ing with fingers and breath only destroys the opportunity to gain permanent control. Slowly played scales are excellent practice for legato style. Play slowly; halfnotes are even better than quarters for this purpose. Listen critically so that the line is continuous across each interval and that tonal momentum continues across the dur - ation of each tone after arrival. In descending scales, creep or stalk the fingers into near-coverage, then complete the fingering without banging the fingers down or gripping the clarinet upon arrival. In ascending scales practice lifting fingers deftly and precisely without “pre-pressing in” or permitting undue suddenness in the lift-off. Also lift the tones across the interval spans with the breath but without squeezing or grunting each one by narrowing the throat for each tone. Another fine way to practice legato style is to play scales in thirds and in fourths, if you haven’t already done that in your ear - lier interval practice. CROSSING WIDE LEGATO INTERVALS It is common to hear wide intervals crossed with a combination of increased breath force, exaggerated embouchure man ipulation, and finger slamming. Cor - rect crossings, either up or down, do re - quire slight changes in lip pressure and also slight adjustments of breath speed and volume, but these are so minute that it is to the player’s advantage to hold constant with steady, normal breathing and lipping, turning the responsibility over to his more in tuitive levels to draw exactly the amounts needed from his stored energies to cross the interval. Thinking in these terms, the embouchure is maintained at normal activity, the breath steadily supported within an open channel, while the fingers softly and continuously change from position to po - sition, quietly stalking each new tone. Above all, neither shy off nor hold back the breath on leaving the first note, nor permit a last-minute surge accompanied by a finger snap on nearing the second tone. CLARINET LITERATURE REQUIRING LEGATO STYLE INTERPRETATION Turn in Baermann, Part III, to No. 9, “Sixths.” Look at the first two exercises, the ones in C Major and A Minor. The rest of the exercises, in the other keys, may be used in the same way that these two are used, of course. Place no stress on speed. Practice each key study in three tempi, the first allowing a quarter-note value per tone, the second an eighth-note value per tone, and in the third, a sixteenth. But go to the sixteenth values only after the first two playing pass the test of truly unbroken legato lines bending across from note to note with whisper-soft landing of both fingers and breath into each successive tone. Use the breath to lift the tones plastically across the intervals, circumscribing rather than bumping into the tonal landings. In No. 1 of the Forty Studies by Crylle Rose, use a slow eighth-note beat, with the metronome set at 76. As the slurred intervals widen make a point to keep the throat open with the air emanating from breath source. In concentrating on the expanding upper part of the interval, do not overlook the continuous descending portion into a soft landing on the lower tone. Turn now to the slow movement (the Larghetto) from Mozart’s Clarinet Quin - tet, K. 581, one of the most beautiful movements in all of clarinet literature. It demands, of course, an extremely legato playing style. Many lines are comprised of half- and whole-steps. Insist that they first meet your standards of pure legato, then match the wider intervals to them. Take the time to make a sostenuto on the top tones of the octave crossings in rubato fashion. In the first “Fantasy-Piece” of the three contained in Schumann’s Opus 73 for clarinet and piano, strive for what could be called a velvety transference from tone to tone. A really choice, ultimate example of a demanded legato playing style occurs in the Andantino movement of the Brahms Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, Opus 114. The passage in question occurs be - tween Letters D and F in most editions. The music is actually a “Landler,” almost a waltz-style passage. In it the music de - mands a continuation of sound across the octaves with no dead-sound spots in leaving the first tone of each octave interval, and with no finger popping into the second part of the octave. Take caution, as well, to make the entrances without bumping into them. ARTICULATED WIDE INTERVALS Continuous breath flow accompanies intervals bound together under slurred lines (legato) whereas breath segmentation (breath releasing) together with the action of the tongue touching back to the reed delineates (separates) articulations. In the interim between these separated tones it is essential to maintain constant breath support within an open throat even though the breath itself is in a state of pause at these points. The breath channel must remain in open readiness for breath availability between each part of articulated wide intervals with all playing factors, including support, remaining active. The breath is re - leased off and held in forward suspension as well as by breath control means in the short interim between tonal members of articulated wide intervals. This means that breath must not be sucked inward to aid in stopping tones, and that the support must not be withdrawn momentarily between the tones. March 2006 Page 31
Page 1: Volume 33 Number 2 March 2006 Buffe
Page 5: INTERNATIONAL CLARINET ASSOCIATION
Page 8 and 9: used in a classical way, combined w
Page 10 and 11: y Michael Webster Michael Webster S
Page 12 and 13: Without exception, all of these arp
Page 14 and 15: The diminished seventh chord gets s
Page 16 and 17: Page 14 by William Nichols One of t
Page 18 and 19: conceived heartfelt pieces with Heb
Page 20 and 21: MICHAEL NORSWORTHY AT CALIFORNIA ST
Page 22 and 23: “Historically Speaking” is a fe
Page 24 and 25: y Paul Harris Irecently gave a perf
Page 26 and 27: y Paul Globus THE NEW WORD IS “CL
Page 28 and 29: A: Don’t worry. You don’t need
Page 30 and 31: Biographies of Candidates for I.C.A
Page 34 and 35: As with slurred wide intervals it i
Page 36 and 37: A TRIBUTE TO Josef Horák by Henri
Page 38 and 39: Buffet Crampon’s 180th Anniversar
Page 40 and 41: y Christine A. Zimmerman For years,
Page 42 and 43: In Review The Friday morning, July
Page 44 and 45: A stunning performance of Bassi’s
Page 46 and 47: Lapa and Yoshimatsu works are espec
Page 48 and 49: No 16: Super Wind Orchestra, Michiy
Page 50: Asia, but it was a huge success tha
Page 53: Page 51
Page 56 and 57: Page 54 The University of Georgia a
Page 58 and 59: Dileep Gangolli, Evanston, IL Barba
Page 60 and 61: The following is a brief report on
Page 62 and 63: I use a stock off-the-shelf Vandore
Page 64 and 65: Gervase de Peyer in his 80th Year,
Page 66 and 67: practicing. One special forthcoming
Page 68 and 69: Bernstein and the Clarinet: Stanley
Page 70 and 71: conductor, from 1970 up to 1989 whe
Page 72 and 73: PART II: INTONATION AND FINGERINGS
Page 74 and 75: TONY SCOTT Part I: The Stateside Ye
Page 76 and 77: The first installment in this serie
Page 78 and 79: Sheet music “Out of This World”
Page 80 and 81: The Mozart Partita Project First Ed
Page 82 and 83:
Entry from K 6 states location of t
Page 84 and 85:
An Early Performance of Messiaen’
Page 86 and 87:
MUSIC REVIEWS by Himie Voxman Chris
Page 88 and 89:
Innovative Music Fehr, Jorg, Ich sp
Page 90 and 91:
movements have great drive and are
Page 92 and 93:
(P pronounced like “th” in “t
Page 94 and 95:
the program, is not to be missed. H
Page 96 and 97:
Also heard on this CD are 13 record
Page 98:
STUDENT… Alejandro Lozada, clarin
Page 102:
INTERNATIONAL CLARINET ASSOCIATION
show all

Buffet Crampon's - International Clarinet Association

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?