Bass Clarinet and Piano
SKU: IS.BCP7332EM
Composed by Camille
Saint-Saens. Arranged by
Matt Johnston. Woodwinds
- Bass Clarinet.
Metropolis Music
Publishers #BCP7332EM.
Published by Metropolis
Music Publishers
(IS.BCP7332EM).
ISBN
9790365073320.
Cami
lle 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
more comfortable 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.
Romance Op. 50
