The Clarinet - (Eastman Studies in Music) by Jane Ellsworth (Hardcover)

About the Book

Offers unique perspectives on the clarinet's historical role in various styles, genres, and ensembles, from jazz and ethnic traditions to classical chamber music, concertos, opera, and symphony orchestras.

Book Synopsis

Offers unique perspectives on the clarinet's historical role in various styles, genres, and ensembles, from jazz and ethnic traditions to classical chamber music, concertos, opera, and symphony orchestras.

With essays written by leading performer-scholars, The Clarinet offers unique perspectives on the clarinet's historical role in various styles, genres, and ensembles. Beginning with a chapter on clarinet iconography, the book continues with an overview of the instrument's early history, chapters on the clarinet in the opera orchestra and the traditional symphony orchestra, and examinations of important genres involving the clarinet (the concerto and the clarinet quintet). Also included are chapters on leading twentieth-century clarinetists, the instrument's use in the historically informed performance (HIP) movement, and an expansive look at the clarinet's use in ethnic traditions and early jazz. The emphasis on topics not covered elsewhere makes this book an important contribution to the clarinet literature. Written in an accessible style, this volume engages a wide range of readers, from professional musicians to clarinet aficionados and music lovers with less specialized knowledge.
Contributors to this volume include Jane Ellsworth, Eric Hoeprich, Albert R. Rice, Ingrid Pearson, Julian Rushton, David Schneider, Marie Sumner Lott, Colin Lawson, and S. Frederick Starr.

Review Quotes

This collection comprises compact essays on specific topics concerning clarinet performance, composition, and repertoire. . . . Also provided is insightful discussion of idiomatic use of the instrument as evidenced in certain major operatic and orchestral works. . . . Useful for persons looking for information about orchestral music that does not include solo keyboards or string instruments.--C. A. Kolczynski, Boston Public Library "CHOICE"

Through her network of star contributors we are given a broad image of the most up-to-date ideas concerning the clarinet universe. Ellsworth, as editor, has succeeded in keeping the tone of the chapters level; while being accurate, they are not eruditely cumbersome. The topics and writing style will engage clarinetists of all ages, and the footnotes, bibliographic in nature, point the motivated researcher further afield. This is a unique volume that is contemporary in tone and message while standing on the firmest of research foundations. [Starr's chapter is] mind-opening.--Gregory Barrett "The Clarinet"