Master of Music / Department of Music / Kelvin T. Kerstetter / This study provides a stylistic and structural analysis of Brahms's Trio for Piano, Clarinet, and Cello Op. 114, Francaix's Tema con Variazioni (1974), Muczynski's Time Pieces (1984), Carter's Gra, for solo clarinet (1993), and Hiyoku, for two clarinets (2001). One chapter is devoted to each piece. The composer's biographical information is presented, in addition to harmonic and structural analyses of each piece. Performance considerations and a stylistic guide are documented to aid in the performance of these works. Other vital information such as date of completion, premiere, dedication or commission information, and publication information are presented.

Jacques-Jules Bouffil was a prominent nineteenth-century French clarinetist and composer. Much of the existing biographical information for Bouffil is in French, it is often in obscure locations, and the sources available often contain discrepancies. This document provides the most comprehensive and accurate biography to date of clarinetist and composer Jacques-Jules Bouffil through examination of his studies at the Paris Conservatoire, as well as his performance career with the Paris Opéra-Comique orchestra, the Reicha Wind Quintet, and other organizations. The compositional contributions of Bouffil include a number of chamber music pieces, most notably, six trios for three B-flat clarinets, op. 7 nos. 1-3 and op. 8 nos. 1-3. These six trios comprise some of the most substantial works composed for the medium. They deserve to be better known because of their unusual concertant style writing and compositional rigor. This study offers a new performance edition with rehearsal score of Bouffil’s Trio no. 2, op. 7, a work that is not readily available to modern performers.

abstract: ABSTRACT This project features five new pieces for clarinet commissioned from three different composers including: 1. Rasa by Jeffrey Ouper 2. Faerie Tale Dances by Jeffrey Ouper 3. Amalgamated Widget by Tavia Sullens 4. Faerie Suite by Theresa Martin 5. Time Lapse by Theresa Martin Faerie Suite and Amalgamated Widget are for unaccompanied clarinet; Time Lapse is a trio for clarinet, bass clarinet, and piano; Faerie Tale Dances is a trio for E-flat clarinet, sopranino recorder, and toy piano; and Rasa is a quartet for E-flat clarinet, two A clarinets, and bass clarinet. These pieces challenge the performer in various ways, including complex rhythm, use of extended techniques such as glissando, flutter tongue, and circular breathing, and synthetic and non-traditional scales. The composers were given guidelines prior to the compositional process to create works with a thematic connection to mythology, folklore, or fairy tales, and inspired by dance and non-western or traditional harmonies and idioms. This document offers background information about the composers and the works, and a performance guide is included for each. This guide provides recommendations and suggestions for each piece. Also included are interviews with each of the composers. Accompanying this document are recordings of each of the five pieces, performed by the author. / Dissertation/Thesis / Rasa Audio / Amalgamated Widget Audio / Faerie Tale Dances- I. The Stroke of Midnight Audio / Faerie Tale Dances- II. Mirror, Mirror Audio / Faerie Tale Dances- III. Pixie Dust Audio / Faerie Suite- I. Titania Audio / Faerie Suite- II. Eurydice Audio / Faerie Suite- III. Lorelei / Faeie Suite- IV. Lugh's Dance / Time Lapse / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2018

abstract: This project uses fourteen transcriptions of Pete Fountain’s solos as examples to demonstrate traditional jazz clarinet techniques and language in terms of motives, patterns, and a variety of articulations. This project also includes guidelines on how to practice jazz improvisation as well as how to apply Fountain’s techniques and jazz language to one’s own improvisation. Though there are countless musicians who have made remarkable contributions to the development of the jazz language, Pete Fountain’s unique style is particularly worthy of study due to his massive media presence, effortless playing techniques, unique tone quality, and showmanship throughout his career. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2019

Throughout the history of the clarinet, there have been performers who have inspired composers to write pieces specifically for them. These contributions to clarinet literature have been significant, frequently resulting in an overall shift in the expectations of performers’ abilities, and expanding the range of possibilities for composers. This document first describes the relationships of the following composers and clarinetists, and their resulting impact on clarinet literature: Karl Stamitz and Joseph Beer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Anton Stadler, Louis Spohr and Simon Hermstedt, Carl Maria von Weber and Heinrich Baermann, Johannes Brahms and Richard Mühlfeld, and the numerous commissions of Benny Goodman by some of the most highly-regarded composers of his time. The main purpose of this document is to examine a contemporary clarinetist who has contributed considerably to the repertoire of the clarinet both through his virtuosic performances and his own commissions, Robert Spring. Dr. Spring’s playing, particularly on the release of Dragon’s Tongue (1994), astonished listeners and composers alike, most notably with his mastery of extended techniques such as circular breathing and double tonguing. Within this document is a biography of Dr. Spring, focusing on his early life, his musical training and education, and his work. Additionally, a list of works that he has commissioned with annotations where applicable is included, along with detailed comments on the partnership with Dr. Spring and the resulting creations from composers Stacy Garrop, Eric Mandat, Theresa Martin, Scott McAllister, Whitney Prince, Rodney Rogers, Peter Schickele, and William O. Smith. It is my belief that future scholars will be able to place him within the long line of composer-clarinetist partnerships that have advanced not only the clarinet’s solo and chamber literature, but also the scope of performance techniques required of clarinetists.

Chamber music is a major area of neglect in the study of the double bass, and the instrument has also suffered from a scarcity of chamber music literature written by major composers. As bassists focus predominantly on solo and orchestral repertoire, the purpose of this study is to enrich the double bass literature and increase awareness of chamber music as a tool for bassists to develop as artists by providing a transcription of Johannes Brahms’s Trio in A minor, Op.114 for double bass, clarinet, and piano. The transcription adds to the literature for double bass from the Romantic era, giving players the chance to work on their technical and musical skills in a chamber music setting. In addition, performance of this transcription will enhance double bassists’ understanding of the style of one of the most important nineteenth-century composers.

Francisco Mignone was born in São Paulo on September 3, 1897 and died on February 19, 1986. A representative of Brazilian Nationalism and one of the most influential national composers, Mignone was active and prolific through his entire life. Few works of Francisco Mignone's late period are known and performed; nevertheless the interest in Mignone's work has been growing. Since many of his works are not published, efforts to discuss and prepare performance editions of his scores are of great importance. The Concertino para clarineta e fagote is representative of Francisco Mignone's last compositional period that, although written using a universal way of treating dissonances, intervals, or different pitch hierarchies, it is very Brazilian in its essence. The present performance edition highlights the human aspect of Mignone's character through an overview of the composer's last compositional period and compositional techniques. This essay contextualizes the Concertino within the composer's career and presents a performance analysis of the piece. It also contains a list of Mignone's works for the bassoon and a list of prizes awarded to the Brazilian composer.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in printed format.

Hearing Vvices is a four-movement instrumental work for clarinet, violin, cello and piano. The title is a reference to both the formal structure and surface features of the music. Structurally, the piece resembles a rhetorical struggle between two distinct musical personalities: the serious and the light. In each movement and across movements, this juxtaposition is evident through sudden changes in tempo, mood, and musical character. In terms of surface features, the trajectory of the piece is best described as the eventual emergence of melody from a dense web of counterpoint and rhythm where, over the course of the movements, small melodic fragments are presented and quickly swallowed up by the surrounding texture. This changes in the final movement, where three of the four instruments join in a soaring melody over a troubled accompaniment, thus illustrating the apotheosis of the preceding musical struggle. / text

A study of intonation problems in the clarinet.