The Clarinet In The Classical Period

A comprehensive study of the clarinet in use through the classical period, 1760 to 1830, a period of intensive musical experimentation. The book provides a detailed review and analysis of construction, design, materials, and makers of clarinets. Rice also explores how clarinet construction and performance practice developed in tandem with the musical styles of the period.

Following his much-acclaimed The Baroque Clarinet and The Clarinet in the Classical Period, Albert R. Rice now turns his signature detailed attention to large clarinets - the clarinet d'amour, the basset horn, the alto clarinet, bass and contra bass clarinets. Each chapter is devoted to a specific instrument, and offers a fascinating insider's look at its defining characteristics, a comprehensive history of its evolution, meticulously-researched information on its makers and aspects of construction, and a thorough discussion of its music. Rice illustrates how the introduction of large clarinets into chamber ensembles, wind bands, and opera orchestras was the result of experiments meant to address specific musical needs. Along the way, he brings to life the musicians, virtuosi, soloists, and orchestral and band musicians, as well as the instruments' makers and the composers from J. C. Bach to Smetana who wrote for them. Based on careful study of primary sources - musical compositions, patents, memoirs and diaries, and unfettered access to historical instruments themselves--Rice's expert presentation is nothing short of exhaustive. From the Clarinet d'Amour to the Contrabass will engage all who love the clarinet and its music.

The first edition of Albert R. Rice's The Baroque Clarinet is widely considered the authoritative text on the European clarinet during the first half of the eighteenth century. Since its publication in 1992, its conclusions have influenced the approaches of musicologists, instrument historians, and clarinet performers. Twenty-eight years later, Rice has updated his renowned study in a second edition, with new chapters on chalumeau and clarinet music, insights on newly found instruments and additional material on the Baroque clarinet in society. Expanding the volume to include the chalumeau, close cousin and predecessor to the clarinet, Rice draws on nearly three decades of new research on the instrument's origins and music. Discoveries include two recently found chalumeaux in a private collection, one by Johann Heinrich Eichentopf of Leipzig, and attributions based on historical evidence for three more chalumeaux. Rice furthers the discussion to recently uncovered early instruments and historical scores, which shed light on the clarinet's evolution. Most essentially, Rice highlights the chalumeau's substantial late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth century repertory, comprising over 330 works by 66 composers, and includes a more expansive list of surviving Baroque clarinet works, organized by date, composer, and tonality/range. The Baroque Clarinet and Chalumeau provides a long-awaited follow-up to Rice's groundbreaking volume, drawing from a variety of sources-including German, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Flemish, Czech, and Catalan research-to bring this new information to an English-speaking audience. With his dedication to scholarly accuracy, Rice brings the Baroque clarinet into sharper focus than ever before.

The clarinet has a long and rich history as a solo, orchestral, and chamber musical instrument. In this broad-ranging account Eric Hoeprich, a performer, teacher, and expert on historical clarinets, explores its development, repertoire, and performance history. Looking at the antecedents of the clarinet, as well as such related instruments as the chalumeau, basset horn, alto clarinet, and bass clarinet, Hoeprich explains the use and development of the instrument in the Baroque age. The period from the late 1700s to Beethoven's early years is shown to have fostered ever wider distribution and use of the instrument, and a repertoire of increasing richness. The first half of the nineteenth century, a golden age for the clarinet, brought innovation in construction and great virtuosity in performance, while the following century and a half produced a surge in new works from many composers. The author also devotes a chapter to the role of the clarinet in bands, folk music, and jazz.

This practical guide is intended for all clarinettists with a desire to investigate music of earlier periods. It contains practical help on both the aquisition and playing of historical clarinets, while players of modern instruments will find much advice on style, approach and techniques which combine to make up a well-grounded, period interpretation. The book presents and interprets evidence from primary sources and offers suggestions for further reading and investigation. Most importantly, a series of case studies which include the music of Handel, Mozart and Brahms helps recreate performances which will be as close as possible to the composer's original intention. As the early clarinet becomes increasingly popular worldwide, this guide, written by one of the foremost interpreters of early clarinet music, will ensure that players at all levels - professional, students or amateurs - are fully aware of historical considerations in their performance.

The Baroque Clarinet is a sourcebook for the historical study of the European clarinet during the first half of the eighteenth century. The book is based on a comprehensive study of the theoretical, musical, and iconographical evidence, and many conclusions are presented here for the first time. The opening chapter provides a general view of the precursors of the clarinet. The remainder of the book looks in detail at the baroque clarinet: its design and construction, its playing techniques, the music written for it, and its use by both amateur and professional players. Of particular interest is the author's investigation into aspects of performance practice at various points in the instrument's development. The book is generously illustrated with pictures and music examples, and the appendix provides an inventory and short description of extant baroque clarinets. - ;List of illustrations; List of music examples; Abbreviations; Origins; The earliest instruments; Playing techniques of the baroque clarinet; Music for the baroque clarinet; The use of the baroque clarinet by amateurs and professionals; Appendix: A checklist of extant baroque clarinets; Bibliography; Index -