Help me find some Bass Clarinet music?

KingTim

Hello again! Let me just start out by saying that if this isn't in the right sub-forum then please by all means move it. And on to my request:

I'm auditioning for my high school's senior concerto competition in the spring but there is only one issue... There aren't many bass clarinet concertos out there. So I decided I'd try posting here to see if anyone knows of any other concertos from bass clarinet. I have already played and purchased the Bass Clarinet transposition of Mozart's Bassoon Concerto so if there are any other ones other than that please let me know!

P.S. I don't know if this helps, but I can play between level 3 and level 6 music so anything is okay with me! Thanks again everybody!
 
The challenge is not finding a concerto that you can play, but one with orchestral parts that are not too advanced for a high school group. Good luck with your search. The Goodman Concerto is quite nice---especially the 2nd movement, but the orchestral parts may be too challenging for your high school orchestra.
 
I'll turn this around a bit.

KingTim, if you are looking for a unaccompanied solo in a competition, I refer you back to Gandalfe's comment. In the solo competitions and/or auditions I had back when I was in high school, I did play pieces that had accompaniment, but there was almost never a piano available and it was an unwritten understanding that an accompanist was neither required or requested.

As jbtsax mentions, if you are planning on playing a solo with an ensemble, the music will probably be a bit too challenging for a high school or lower group. Probably. Not definitely. If you're talking about a non-professional group, that might be something to discuss with the ensemble's director.

Riffing on Gandalfe's comment, if you're playing a solo for competition, you could transcribe a part that was for bassoon, for example, if you couldn't find a bass clarinet part you liked. However, the problem is that you may be limited by the competition organizers to play one of only a selected batch of music. That's something you should ask the competition committee (for lack of a better phrase) or your music director about.

FWIW, if you're playing in a competition -- regardless of scenario -- you should play a piece that's in the highest grade level that you can play musically. Just note that your grade 3 (for instance) A+ isn't going to supplant someone else's grade 6 B. However, if you're with an ensemble, you should play the piece that's of a decent grade level that you can ALL play the best. In other words, a grade 5 A may supplant a grade 6 B.
 
It is common for high schools with strong music programs to have a concerto night where the top senior players are spotlighted by giving them the opportunity to perform as a soloist with the school's top band or orchestra. The term "concerto" generally means to play a solo accompanied by an orchestra, however there are some very nice pieces being written today that feature an instrument accompanied by a band or wind ensemble. There are of course concerti that can be played with a piano reduction of the orchestral score. My master's recital featured the Glazounov, and Ibert Concerti performed with a piano accompaniment. The piano parts as it turned out were far more difficult than the saxophone parts.
 
jbtsax said:
It is common for high schools with strong music programs to have a concerto night where the top senior players are spotlighted by giving them the opportunity to perform as a soloist with the school's top band or orchestra. The term "concerto" generally means to play a solo accompanied by an orchestra, however there are some very nice pieces being written today that feature an instrument accompanied by a band or wind ensemble. There are of course concerti that can be played with a piano reduction of the orchestral score. My master's recital featured the Glazounov, and Ibert Concerti performed with a piano accompaniment. The piano parts as it turned out were far more difficult than the saxophone parts.
Click to expand...
^^^ This is exactly the thing I'd be auditioning for. The band I play with, we have a concerto competition at the end of the year each year for the seniors and I would like to be one of the first bass clarinets to win (if possible) so that is why I'm asking for music ideas.

jbtsax said:
The challenge is not finding a concerto that you can play, but one with orchestral parts that are not too advanced for a high school group. Good luck with your search. The Goodman Concerto is quite nice---especially the 2nd movement, but the orchestral parts may be too challenging for your high school orchestra.
Click to expand...

I absolutely LOVE the Goodman Concerto, I have it saved on my iPod and everything. But I saw that it only has an orchestra and piano accompaniment arrangement.. Our school doesn't have an orchestra, so is there a band arrangement at all anywhere out there do you think?
 
That is highly unlikely. It is a great piece. An experienced arranger could scan the orchestral score into Finale and write a transcription for Concert Band. Essentially the clarinets get the violin parts, the viola parts go to the alto saxophones, and the cello parts go to the tenor saxes and baritones. All the other parts are as is, except for cutting down the number of trumpets in certain passages. You might see if you could find a local university music student majoring in composition to take it on as an assignment for a reasonable price, or perhaps your band director might know somebody. The right person could also rewrite some of the more difficult passages to make them more accessible to a high school group.
 
It may be more realistic to set your sights on one of the first two pieces at this link: JW Pepper Features With Band The first with the cut down ensemble accompaniment would work well with bass clarinet (starts near the end).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom