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Stravinsky’s Secret 4th Piece for Solo Clarinet
Serious clarinetists are probably all-too familiar with Igor Stravinsky’s devilishly difficult Three Pieces for solo clarinet, written in 1918 and published in 1919. This piece was written as a thank-you present to philanthropist and amateur clarinetist Werner Reinhart (1884-1951) for his support of Stravinsky’s music. This is one of the first true unaccompanied solos in the clarinet repertoire, and it is commonplace for this work to be asked on auditions because it demonstrates the player’s technical and lyrical abilities. Another unique element of this piece is that it is written for both B-flat and A clarinet in the same piece (the first two movements are “preferably” on A clarinet, while…
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Famous Clarinet Cadenzas
The clarinet has a wide variety of repertoire written throughout its history, and the collection only continues to grow as more people write for the best instrument around. Among these works, there are many pieces with famous clarinet cadenzas, or extended solo passages to demonstrate the virtuosic ability of the player. A brief history of the cadenza At the turn of the 19th century, cadenzas were improvised by the performer and typically placed at the end of the movement to demonstrate the performer’s technical dexterity. Over time, composers began creating and writing cadenzas in their works. While some were still placed at the end of movements, this was no longer…
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The Complete Guide to Getting a Superior at Solo & Ensemble
One of my most popular blog posts ever is my Complete Guide to Making All State, so I thought it’s about time I make a similar guide to help students prepare for Solo & Ensemble. Solo & Ensemble is a great opportunity for young musicians to perform solos and small chamber ensembles in front of judges to receive ratings and valuable feedback on their performances. Here’s my advice to receive a Superior rating this year at Solo & Ensemble: Prepare Practice Perform Repeat Just like learning a new piece of music, performing is a skill that takes time and practice to develop. The more you practice performing, the better musician…