Par SAINT-SAENS CAMILLE. Camille Saint-Saëns composed this Romance, Op. 51, in 1877, originally in the key of D major for cello and piano. The form of the piece is relatively simple, opening with a lyrical melody over a repetitive and somewhat rhythmic accompaniment. The middle section modulates to the key of the flattened 6th scale degree (B-flat major), using this to arrive at the dominant chord, in which there are some pseudo cadenza-like moments. Following this, a return to the opening melody with a slightly modified accompaniment, and subsequently a brief coda. To better accommodate the bass clarinet, the entire piece has been transposed up a half-step from the original version into a morecomfortable key of E-flat major. Additionally, for much of the piece, the solo part has been lowered by an octave, as to make the piece generally more accessible to students. Should there be a desire to hear the piece more in the range of the original version, one could simply play it on a standard B-flat clarinet to achieve this effect. Though only about four minutes in length, this relatively short vignette captures much of the true essence of Saint-Saëns, not only through the harmonic progressions and accompanimental figures used, but also demonstrating his gift of turning a 'simple' melody into something extraordinary. Camille Saint-Saëns composed this Romance, Op. 51, in 1877, originally in the key of D major for cello and piano. The form of the piece is relatively simple, opening with a lyrical melody over a repetitive and somewhat rhythmic accompaniment. The middle section modulates to the key of the flattened 6th scale degree (B-flat major), using this to arrive at the dominant chord, in which there are some pseudo cadenza-like moments. Following this, a return to the opening melody with a slightly modified accompaniment, and subsequently a brief coda. To better accommodate the bass clarinet, the entire piece has been transposed up a half-step from the original version into a morecomfortable key of E-flat major. Additionally, for much of the piece, the solo part has been lowered by an octave, as to make the piece generally more accessible to students. Should there be a desire to hear the piece more in the range of the original version, one could simply play it on a standard B-flat clarinet to achieve this effect. Though only about four minutes in length, this relatively short vignette captures much of the true essence of Saint-Saëns, not only through the harmonic progressions and accompanimental figures used, but also demonstrating his gift of turning a 'simple' melody into something extraordinary./ Répertoire / Clarinette Basse et Piano

Par WEBER ALAIN. La clarinette parcourt par phrases mélodiques successives l'étendue de l'instrument. Passant en son début du souffle au son, l'oeuvre s'anime par la suite à travers l'emploi de traits et de staccatos rapides. L'écriture pianistique procède par grappes d'agrégats, ne relevant d'aucun système d'écriture préétabli. C'est une improvisation continuelle dans la recherche de sonorités acoustiques. De niveau supérieur, l'oeuvre pourra être utilisée comme pièce de travail, de concours ou pour le concert. / Niveau : Assez Difficile / Contemporain / Date parution : 2009-05-25/ Répertoire / Clarinette Basse et Piano