Re: Copland Clarinet Concerto Score Pdfl
Brie Hoffler
Copland was in Rio de Janeiro in 1947 as a lecturer and conductor. While there he made many drafts of the concerto.On August 26, 1948, Copland wrote that the concerto was still "dribbling along".[4] A month later, he wrote in a letter that the piece was almost done.[5]On December 6, 1948, he wrote to composer Carlos Chvez that he had completed the composition and was pleased with the result.[6]
Some claim this performance, however, was not the world premiere, and attribute the world premiere to Ralph McLane and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy because this performance on November 28, 1950 was the first "public performance".[9][10] In any case it was the first public performance of the Concerto in New York.[11]
Copland himself[19] acknowledged that his signature "bittersweet lyricism" like in the first movement of the Clarinet Concerto may have been influenced by his feelings of loneliness and social alienation over his homosexuality.
The piece is written in a very unusual form. The two movements are played back-to-back, linked by a clarinet cadenza. The first movement is written in A-B-A form and is slow and expressive, full of bittersweet lyricism. The cadenza not only gives the soloist an opportunity to display his virtuosity, but also introduces many of the melodic Latin American jazz themes that dominate the second movement.
"an unconscious fusion of elements obviously related to North and South American popular music (for example, a phrase from a currently popular Brazilian tune, heard by me in Rio, became embedded in the secondary material)."
This section was written specially for Benny Goodman's jazz talents; however, many of the technical challenges were above Goodman's confidence level, and the original score shows several alterations by Goodman to bring down higher notes, making it easier to play.[21] The manuscript page of the original coda has suggested changes by Goodman in pencil, and the memo on top reads:[22]
Recently, performances of the restored original version have been given by Charles Neidich and Andrew Simon, amongst others. In the liner notes of the Chandos CD Composers in New York, Charles Neidich writes:
"...of that [1948] coda, complete with a tremendously brilliant clarinet part: cascading arpeggios which [Copland] decided were too difficult for the clarinet and which in the revised version he gave to the piano."
Written by Mozart in his maturity, this work reigns supreme as the classic masterpiece for the A clarinet. Overflowing with the wonders of Mozart, the work blends flowing melodies and exuberant passages. The composer wrote this concerto for his friend, the clarinetist Anton Stadler. Stadler had newly developed the "basset clarinet," which differs from the ordinary clarinet in that it has an extended lower range, and it was for this instrument that Mozart penned the concerto. However, only the score for the version of the work which was adapted to allow it to be played on an ordinary clarinet survives, and the concerto is generally performed using this score. Recently, however, there have also been performances of this work using reconstructions of the basset clarinet.
Famed for his operas, such as "Der Freischtz," Weber (like Mozart) composed music for the clarinet for his friend, the clarinetist Heinrich Brmann. Thanks to the friendship between the two men, five works have survived: two concertos, a concertino, a quintet, and a duet for clarinet and piano. Since Brmann was renowned as a virtuoso who could sound notes throughout the entire register with equal ease, this first concerto has a wide range.
Born in New York, Copland is one of the most outstanding American composers of the twentieth century. Copland composed his concerto for the great twentieth century clarinetist Benny Goodman. Against the backdrop of a colorful orchestration, the work naturally features virtuoso passages and cantabile, and is also tinged with jazz elements to suit Goodman-the master of swing jazz-resulting in truly American-sounding music. Incidentally, Goodman's playing attracted many composers, with Bartk's "Contrasts" and a Hindemith concerto being dedicated to him.
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