PARTITIONS GRATUITES : CLARINETTE
- Eb Instrumental by Traditional

SKU: BR.EB-9440

ISBN 9790004189177. 9 x 12 inches.

The two sonatas of Johannes Brahms's op. 120 are widely hailed as crowning points of the repertoire for clarinet and piano. Moreover, in the version for viola and piano arranged by Brahms himself, they rank among the most frequently played viola works of the 19th century. They far surpass in compositional substance the relatively few original sonatas written for these instrumentations during the same period.Of the two fellow works, the Sonata No. 2 in E flat major is the more accessible. Diverging from the classical-romantic tradition, Brahms used the key of E flat major here not to express the heroic or monumental, but to obtain lyrical, chiefly restrained characterizations. The serenade-like beauty of the principal theme, which opens the sonata, has always been particularly admired. In his review of the world premiere, the renowned Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick, a friend of Brahms's, raves with the words it was as if it had fallen from the Heavens. The closing set of variations also follows with gentle gracefulness this lyrical character. However, the middle movement, with its tempestuous outer sections in E flat minor and the hymnic trio in B major provides a passionate and serious contrast, which allows the flanking idyll to unfold its beauties all the more insistently.

SKU: AP.1-ADV8415

UPC: 805095084153. English. Traditional.

In writing these arrangements for clarinet quartet, Frank Reinshagen has created little masterpieces, which broaden the rhythmical and harmonic context of the original tunes in an interesting manner without detracting from their archaic and melancholic character. These original tunes are---in a direct or wider sense---of Celtic origin. In other words, they have been borrowed from the Irish, Scottish, and Gaelic musical tradition. These through-composed arrangements are rather easy to perform from the rhythmical and technical point of view. Yet, they are quite demanding in respect of the key they are written in, their intonation, and especially, their interpretation. Their different instrumentations are fully compatible with each other and, due to their overall structure, they are also suitable to be played with multi-scored parts.

Annotation on Aignish on the Machair: The arrangement of Aignish on the Machair, Folksong from The Hebrides, illustrates, above all, the melancholic character inherent in the harmonies of the original tune. A short rubato passage is followed by several variations over the flowing melody in 3/4-time. The short triplet passages embedded in these variations are quite demanding from the technical point of view; considering the key they are written in, however, these passages are not too difficult to play.

SKU: AP.1-ADV8416

UPC: 805095084160. English. Traditional.

Writin g these arrangements, Frank Reinshagen has created little masterpieces, which broaden the rhythmical and harmonic context of the original tunes in an interesting manner without detracting from their archaic and melancholic character. These original tunes have been borrowed from the Irish, Scottish, and Gaelic musical tradition. These through-composed arrangements are rather easy to perform from the rhythmical and technical point of view, yet they are quite demanding in respect of the key they are written in, their intonation and, especially, their interpretation. Their different instrumentations are fully compatible with each other and, due to their overall structure, they are also suitable to be played with multi-scored parts. The interpretation of 'S mo lamh air a stiuir---the song of a helmsman living on the Isle of Skye---should be interpreted with the musicians paying careful attention to its dynamics and phrasing, which reflect the up-and-down motion of the stormy Arctic Ocean. For this arrangement, the key D minor, which is one whole tone lower than the original, has been chosen to make sure that the piece is playable, especially for a clarinet quartet.