THE CONCURRENCE OF TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY CHARACTERISTICS

IN SELECTED CLARINET MUSIC OF SHULAMIT RAN: A PERFORMER’S INVESTIGATION

by

KRISTEN ELIZABETH HOUSE

(Under the Direction of Kenneth Fischer)

ABSTRACT

Although research has been done on the music of composer Shulamit Ran, no significant

study has been done on her clarinet music as a genre. Ran has written many works for clarinet,

both chamber and solo, and she uses an interesting mixture of traditional and contemporary

techniques in this music. While devices such as traditional forms, legato, and lyrical clarinet

playing can be found in the music for this study, modern techniques such as extended techniques,

extreme dynamics, and extreme playing in the altissimo register of the clarinet are also present.

This combination of old and new styles, as well as the composer’s mastery of the clarinet, causes

this music to be of value for today’s clarinetist. This study examines selected clarinet works by

Shulamit Ran and provides a guide for clarinetists.

INDEX WORDS: Shulamit Ran, clarinet, performer’s guide, extended techniques, traditional

style, contemporary style

THE CONCURRENCE OF TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY CHARACTERISTICS

IN SELECTED CLARINET MUSIC OF SHULAMIT RAN: A PERFORMER’S INVESTIGATION

by

KRISTEN ELIZABETH HOUSE

B.M., Furman University, 1999

M.M., The University of Georgia, 2001

A Document Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of

The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment

of the

Requirements for the Degree

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

ATHENS, GEORGIA

2004

© 2004

Kristen Elizabeth House

All Rights Reserved

THE CONCURRENCE OF TRADTIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY CHARACTERISTICS IN SELECTED CLARINET MUSIC OF SHULAMIT RAN:

A PERFORMER’S INVESTIGATION

by

KRISTEN ELIZABETH HOUSE

Major Professor: Kenneth Fischer

Committee: Jolene Davis Dwight Manning D. Ray McClellan Stephen Valdez

Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2004

iv

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank Shulamit Ran, first, for her important and diverse contribution to the

clarinet repertoire and second, for her time and effort in helping me to provide accurate and

engaging information for this document. I would also like to thank my major professor, Dr.

Kenneth Fischer, for all his guidance as well as the other members of my committee: Dr. D. Ray

McClellan, Dr. Jolene Davis, Dr. Dwight Manning, and Dr. Stephen Valdez. Finally, I would

like to thank my parents and my fiancé, Michael. Without their assistance and support this

project would not have been possible.

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………..iv

LIST OF EXAMPLES………………………………………………………………..vi

CHAPTER

I ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE.…..1

II MUSIC FOR SOLO CLARINET…………………………………….16

III SMALL CHAMBER MUSIC FOR CLARINET…………………….52

IV LARGE CHAMBER MUSIC FOR CLARINET…………………….94

V AN INTERVIEW WITH SHULAMIT RAN……………………….144

VI CONCLUSIONS……………………………………………………153

BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………...158

APPENDICIES

A LIST OF ANNOTATED WORKS………………………………….159

B DISCOGRAPHY……………………………………………………160

vi

LIST OF EXAMPLES

CHAPTER II Page

For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet

Example 1. Ascending motion and calamity at the end of the exposition’ s first 19 unfolding Example 2. Beginning of descending motion at the end of the cadenza 20 Example 3. Culmination of the development’ s descent 21 Example 4. Final ascent in the recapitulation 22 Example 5. Homogenous rhythms within the development 23 Example 6. Timbre Trill used as a transitory device in the exposition 24 Example 7. Excerpt from leaping section in exposition that contrasts previous 25 motion Example 8. Final ascension before the cadenza 25 Example 9. Example of multiphonics in the piece 26 Example 10. Comparison of the two unfoldings of the exposition 28 Example 11. Final statement of opening section in the recapitulation 28 Three Scenes Example 12. Comparison of the “Lento” section’ s appearance in the exposition 34 and the recapitulation Example 13. Entr’ acte 35 Example 14. ‘B’ Section of movement three 36

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Example 15. Use of the grace note motive in movement one 37 Example 16. Use of the grace note motive in movement two 38 Example 17. Use of the grace note motive in the movement three 38 Example 18. Use of the dotted quarter eighth motive in movement one 40 Example 19. Use of the dotted quarter eighth motive in movement two 41 Example 20. Use of the dotted quarter eighth motive in the Entr’ acte and 42 Movement three Example 21. The metered ‘meno-moso’ of movement two adds balance to the 44

piece Example 22. Accelerandos in movement three 44 Example 23. Focal note c1 that acts as a reference point in movement one 48 Example 24. Grouping technical passages in groups of three for easier 50 performance Example 25. Glissando 50 CHAPTER III Private Game Example 1. Compared fragments of material presented after section 1 55 Example 2. Repeated clarinet figure from section 1 found in the Coda 57 Example 3. Repeated clarinet figure from section 2 found in the Coda 57 Example 4. Lyricism in section 2 59 Example 5. Leaping between the register, section 1 59 Example 6. Extreme altissimo register playing in section 3 60 Example 7. Timbre trills 61

viii

Example 8. Comparison of clarinet and cello relationship in sections 1 and 3 62 Example 9. Fragment of descending chromatic motion that establishes a false 64

tonic of c Example 10. Chromatic motion before the coda 65 Example 11. Descending chromatic motion that convincingly ends the piece 65 Example 12. Ascending motion in section 1 66 Example 13. Transition section seen throughout the piece 67 Apprehensions Example 14. (Chart) Form of the first movement 72 Example 15. (Chart) Form of the second movement 74 Example 16. (Chart) Form of the third movement 75 Example 17. (Chart) Form of the fourth movement 77 Example 18. Motive One Examples 79 Example 19. Motive Two Examples 80 Example 20. Clarinet Ostinato in Movement three 81 Example 21. Clarinet as an extension of the voice 82 Example 22. Fragment of movement two clarinet solo 83 Example 23. Expressionist devices: flutter tongue, score marking, and 84

extreme altissimo

Example 24. Ascending motion in the clarinet 87 Example 25. Descending motion in movement one, “The sun dissolves” 88 Example 26. Ascending motion in the clarinet solo of movement two 88 Example 27. Descending motion in the clarinet, movement two 89 Example 28. Descending motion in clarinet, movement three 90

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Example 29. Descending motion using the extreme altissimo register 90 Example 30. Static motion of the voice in movement four 91 Example 31. Descending motion with “birds,” in movement four 91 Example 32. Static and descending motion that concludes the work 92 CHAPTER IV Concerto da Camera II 1. Initial appearance of the Staggered Entrance Device 96 2. (Chart) Form of the first movement 97 3. (Chart) Form, or sections, of the second movement 99 4. (Chart) Form of the third movement 101 5. Staggered Effect Becomes a Unison 102 6. Excerpt of interconnected rhythms 103 7. First movement examples of motive one 105 8. Second movement examples of motive one 107 9. First movement examples of motive two 109 10. Developed third movement appearance of motive two in strings 111 11. Second movement appearances of motive three 111 12. Third movement appearances of motive three 112 13. Staggered Entrance Device uses throughout the piece 115 14. Immediate repetition used to create a staggered entrance effect among 117

motives

15. Extreme altissimo use of the clarinet in movement three 118

x

16. Chalumeau use of the clarinet in movement two 119 17. Octatonic Scale use in the first clarinet cadenza 120 18. The false sense of tonality created by repetition 120 A Prayer 19. (Chart) Form for A Prayer 124 20. Development of the opening horn solo in section three 124 21. Material from section five that is repeated in section six 126 22. Excerpt of the clarinet solo that ends the piece 127 23. Similarities in rhythm at the beginning and end of the piece 129 24. Phrases in the opening horn solo 130 25. Focal notes and deceleration within the bass clarinet/bassoon 131

duet

26. False melodic device used in a horn solo 132 27. Excerpt of the establishment of a false dominant/tonic 133

relationship in the timpani and bass clarinet 28. Motive One 134 29. Motive Two 135 30. Motive Three 136 31. Altissimo use in the clarinet cadenza 138

32. Leaping by the bass clarinet from a low to a high register 139 33. Legato use of the bass clarinet 140 34. Excerpt of legato clarinet use 141 35. Extreme dynamic changes in the piece 142

1

CHAPTER I

ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Introduction

The special affinity Shulamit Ran displays for the clarinet in her many works for the

instrument is revealed in the program notes to For an Actor: Monologue (1978), her first work

for clarinet alone. Ran explains that the piece “ owes its inspiration in large part to the intensely

personal ethos with which the clarinet is associated in my mind.” 1 Ran’ s distinctive relationship

with the clarinet has led to many substantial contributions to its repertoire. The composer

continues, “ To me the instrument in its contemporary usage suggests an incredible gamut of

gestures, dynamics, and emotions.” 2 Ran’ s characterization of “ contemporary usage” often

involves the unusual and simultaneous use of traditional and modern ideas. This specialized use

of the clarinet is explored in many different types of compositions including works for clarinet

solo, a woodwind quintet, a clarinet quintet with piano, and various other pieces for small

chamber ensemble in which the clarinet plays a significant role.

Shulamit Ran’ s compositions are complex and often exhibit a duality of old and new

musical concepts. While some scholars have attempted to classify her compositional output as

avant-garde, describing her music as “ freely atonal and the outgrowth of the stark and sometimes

harshly direct style of the Expressionists,” 3 others have compared her to much earlier composers,

1 Shulamit Ran, For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet (in A), (Bryn Mawr, Pa.: Theodore Presser, 1978). 2 Ran, For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet (in A). 3 Allan Kozin, “ Composer’ s Pulitzer Makes the Telephone Her New Instrument,” New York Times, 11 April 1991, C5.

2

describing her music as having “ the same sense of humanity found in Mozart’ s most profound

opera arias or Mahler’ s searching symphonies.” 4 C.B. White, in an article for the International

League of Women Composers Journal, writes, “ Ran’ s music, like any other composer’ s must be

heard to be grasped. The frequently applied labels ‘freely atonal’ and ‘expressionistic’ fail to

describe her music, which is lush and emotional. . . .” 5

The composer herself does not like to be classified as having one particular style of

writing. Following an interview with Ran, Rachel Yvonne Cruz wrote that “ Ran, influenced

throughout her life by various composers, ranging from Bach and Beethoven to Stravinsky and

Schoenberg, states that although she may have an idea for a particular form or archetype in her

music, she does not employ a particular compositional style.” 6 The composer herself has said,

“ I’ m not saying that there is no theoretical basis for my music, but I do not approach it that way.

I do very much believe in a sense of inner logic that happens. . . .” 7 The composer, not liking to

be confined to a particular style or technique, asserts that she is driven by “ the desire to create

drama and passion” 8 in her music.

The ‘incredible gamut’ of timbres, dynamics, expressions, and effects available on the

clarinet provides an endless palette from which to choose and allows the instrument to express

these differing types of music. The Expressionistic and modern characteristics used by Ran in

her clarinet writing include extended techniques, extreme altissimo register playing, and sharp

4 Charles Ward, “ Ran Salute Brings Out Best in Her Music,” The Houston Chronicle, 7 April 1994, 4. 5 C.B. White, “ Equilibria: Shulamit Ran Balances,” The International League of Women Composers (October 1994), 7. 6 Rachel Yvonne Cruz, “ An Investigation and Analysis of Shulamit Ran’ s ‘Apprehensions for Voice, Clarinet, and Piano” (DMA document, The University of Texas at Austin, 2000), 42. 7Cruz, 42-3. 8Cruz, 43.

3

contrasts of the various dynamic abilities of the instrument. Conventionality and traditional

aspects can be seen in her use of sonata and rondo forms, legato clarinet writing, and the use of

the vocal, or lyrical characteristics of the clarinet’ s sound.

Biography

Shulamit Ran, whose name describes someone with a “ determined and deliberate

nature,” 9 was born in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 21, 1949. She began her musical studies in

piano and composition, writing her first melodies, based on traditional Israeli nursery rhymes, at

age 8. During the first part of her life Ran’ s main musical interest, however, was her

development as a concert pianist, her piano teachers being Miriam Boskovich and Emma

Gorochov. She also studied composition in Israel with Alexander Uriah Boskovich and Paul

Ben Haim.

During the early 1960s Nadia Reisenberg, one of the principal teachers at the Mannes

College of Music in New York, frequently visited Israel to give master classes in piano

performance. At one such master class, a fourteen-year-old Shulamit Ran impressed Reisenberg

so much with her playing that the teacher arranged for a scholarship through the American Israel

Cultural Foundation to study piano in the United States. Reisenberg became her principal piano

teacher at this time and Ran also began her studies in composition with Norman Dello Joio.

This same year Ran won the New York Philharmonic’ s Young People’ s Competition,

performing her own composition with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of

Leonard Bernstein.

9 Website: www.info@kabalarian.com, Vancouver, B.C.

4

The composer’ s astonishing achievements continued four years later when she graduated from

high school one week before graduating from college by taking correspondence courses through

the American School in Chicago.

From the time Ran graduated in 1967 until 1973, her career as a touring concert pianist

limited her time for composition. In 1973 Ralph Shapey, Professor of Composition at the

University of Chicago and a large influence on Shulamit’ s compositions, heard a recording of a

work by Ran and offered her a position teaching composition. At this point, Ran’ s career as a

composer became the more important part of her life as a musician as she became Shapey’ s

colleague and his student.

In 1990 Ran was appointed as Composer-in-Residence for the Chicago Symphony

Orchestra, keeping the title for seven seasons and becoming the first woman to hold such a

position for this length of time with a major American orchestra. The following year Ran

became the second woman ever to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music for her composition entitled

Symphony.

Aside from these successes, Shulamit Ran has received awards, fellowships, and

commissions from such organizations as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Eastman

School of Music, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the

Chicago Symphony, and, most influential on her clarinet writing, the Da Capo Chamber Players,

a contemporary chamber ensemble based in New York City. Her compositional output includes

a symphony, a concerto for orchestra, an opera, various vocal and choral works, concertos for

violin and flute, and various other chamber works. Currently she is the William H. Colvin

professor at the University of Chicago.

5

Definition of Terms

1. Freely Atonal: This term describes atonal music that is not serial.10

2. Extended Techniques: Describes techniques which fall outside the realm of traditional

instrumental playing.11 In this study, multiphonics, flutter-tongue, timbre trills, and

glissandi are considered extended techniques.

3. Multiphonics: Two or more pitches sounded simultaneously on a single wind

instrument.12

4. Flutter tongue: An extended technique where the tongue is trilled or ‘fluttered’ against

the roof of the mouth or the performer makes a growling or ‘gargling’ sound with their

throat to create a trilled sound effect.13

5. Glissando: A continuous or sliding movement from one pitch to another.14

6. Timbre trills: A type of trill that changes the timbre, or sound quality, but not the

actual pitch by using alternate fingerings on the clarinet.15

7. Expressionism: An early 20th century German movement in the arts that was

characterized by avoiding the usual concepts about what is beautiful and embracing any

mode of expression to represent the inner urges of the composer.16

8. Chalumeau register: The lowest register of the clarinet that is generally considered to

extend from written e to f#1.

10 Stefan Kostka, Materials and Techniques of Twentieth-Century Music (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1999), 176. 11 John Stephen Bleuel, “ A Descriptive Catalog of the Solo and Chamber Saxophone Music of Lucie Robert” (DMA diss., University of Georgia, 1998), 5. 12 Don Randel, The New Harvard Dictionary of Music (Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1986), 811. 13 Randel, The New Harvard Dictionary of Music, 314. 14 Randel, The New Harvard Dictionary of Music, 402. 15 Ran, For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet (in A). 16 Philip D. Morehead, The New International Dictionary of Music (NY, NY: Penguin Books USA, inc., 1991), 150.

6

9. Throat tone register: The middle register of the clarinet that is generally considered to

extend from written g1 to b-flat1.

10. Clarino register: The register below the altissimo register of the clarinet. It is

generally considered to extend from written b1 to c3.

11. Altissimo register: Tones above written high c3 on the b-flat clarinet.17 Tones up to

high c4 will be discussed in this document.

12. Traditional forms: Forms of the Common Practice Period.

13. Contemporary: For the purposes of this document, this term is used to describe

aspects of music that can be found within the last fifty years.

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide a performer’ s guide to and raise awareness of

the clarinet writing of Shulamit Ran. Although Ran’ s works are described as freely atonal and

often incorporate many types of extended techniques, her use of traditional sonata and rondo

forms, as well as her use of legato and lyrical writing, produces music with a distinct mixture of

old and new practices. This two-fold approach employing Expressionistic intensity and

traditional beauty and restraint manifests itself well in music for clarinet. Ran’ s lyrical writing

for clarinet, as well as her utilization of the clarinet’ s likeness to the human voice is reminiscent

of Mozart’ s writing for the instrument, while her use of extended techniques and extreme

dynamic shifts demonstrates the modern possibilities for the clarinet. Of the many extended

techniques possible for the instrument, Ran includes flutter tongue, multiphonics, timbre trills,

pitch bending, and use of the clarinet’ s upper altissimo register.

17 Thomas Benjamin, Michael Horvit, and Robert Nelson, Techniques and Materials of Tonal Music (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1998), 3.

7

Need for the Study

Although some research has been done on the life and compositions of Shulamit Ran, no

significant study has been done on her music for the clarinet as a genre. Research is necessary to

increase the overall understanding and appreciation of these important works which need to be

exhibited as much as her larger orchestral works have been. Not only have her diverse stylistic

traits fostered new ideals for the contemporary clarinetist, she is also one of the few composers

in the last twenty years to write for such a diverse number of combinations for the clarinet both

traditional and modern. The traditional genres include woodwind quintet, clarinet quintet, and

clarinet alone, while the more inventive ensembles include clarinet and cello, and clarinet with

voice and piano. Teachers and performers of the instrument should be aware of this music

because, although her music looks ahead to new techniques and groundbreaking ideas, it also

looks backward to traditional beauty, lyricism, and form. The fact that Ran can simultaneously

encompass the traditional and contemporary attributes of the clarinet in a single composition is

unusual as it expands the definition of contemporary clarinet music. The author hopes this

document will expose this music to a larger audience.

Delimitations

At the writing of this document, Ran has composed eleven solo and chamber pieces for

clarinet. These works are: A Prayer (1981) for clarinet, bass clarinet, horn, bassoon, and

timpani, Concerto da Camera I (1985) for woodwind quintet, Concerto da Camera II (1987) for

clarinet, string quartet, and piano, Double Vision (1976) for woodwind quintet, brass quintet,

and piano, Mirage (1990) for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, Private Game (1979) for

clarinet and cello, For an Actor: Monologue (1978) for solo clarinet, Three Scenes (2000) for

8

solo clarinet, Adonai Malach (Psalm 93) (1985) for cantor, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, and horn,

Ensembles for 17 (1975) for soprano, flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone,

percussion, piano, violin, viola, and cello, and Apprehensions (1979) for voice, clarinet, and

piano.

In this document, the author discussed six of these eleven solo and chamber works for

clarinet: A Prayer, Concerto da Camera II, Apprehensions, Private Game, Three Scenes, and

For an Actor: Monologue. For an Actor: Monologue and Three Scenes were included because

they are works for clarinet solo. Private Game and Apprehensions were used because they are

small chamber works in which the clarinet is featured prominently. Likewise, A Prayer and

Concerto da Camera II are larger chamber works where the clarinet figures prominently.

Double Vision, Adonai Malach, and Ensembles for 17 were not used in this study because,

although they use the clarinet, the instrument is not used prominently or soloistically. Mirage

was not used in the study because this work features the flute as the solo instrument of the

ensemble. Concerto da Camera I was not used at the request of the composer, as at the writing

of this document, she is renotating it so that the piece may be conducted.

Methodology

This document is organized into six chapters. Chapter I is entitled “ Organizational Plan

and Review of Literature,” and Chapters II through IV contain descriptive entries for the

appropriate works. Chapter II is entitled “ Music for Solo Clarinet,” and contains entries and

research about For an Actor: Monologue and Three Scenes. Chapter III is entitled “ Small

Chamber Works for Clarinet,” and includes Apprehensions for Clarinet, Voice, and Piano and

Private Game. Chapter IV, entitled “ Larger Chamber Works for Clarinet,” includes the pieces A

9

Prayer and Concerto da Camera II. Chapter V, entitled “ An Interview With Shulamit Ran”

includes a transcription from an interview with the composer recorded on May 7, 2004. Chapter

VI, “ Conclusions,” contains a final summary of the document. Descriptive entries are arranged

with titles exactly as they appear on the score.

As the study is primarily a performer’ s guide, theoretical analysis was limited to

structural devices such as form, shape, and motives. Portions of Jan LaRue’ s analytical method

outlined in Guidelines For Style Analysis18 were used to keep analysis of each work as consistent

as possible. This method was used because it examines the main theoretical elements that I

wanted to study and allowed me to discuss the works theoretically without overshadowing the

study’ s use as a guide for performers. The main aspects of analysis that are utilized in Larue’ s

method are sound, harmony, melody, rhythm, growth, and, applicable only to Apprehensions,

text influence. LaRue’ s term ‘growth’ was substituted with the word ‘form’ in the study to avoid

confusion with the similar concepts of form and, another sublevel of LaRue’ s ‘growth,’ shape.

In this document the term ‘shape’ contains connotations of motion or movement to another area,

where the term ‘form’ could be said to represent a more concrete structure that is unyielding.

When discussing specific pitches within the pieces written, rather than concert pitches

were used in five of the works to avoid confusion with the actual score. As Apprehensions and

Private Game both contained transposed scores, the clarinet’ s concert pitches were given

initially with the written pitch following directly in parentheses. Octave designation can be

defined by c1 is equal to middle C.

18 Jan LaRue, Guidelines for Style Analysis (New York: W.W. Norton and Company Inc., 1970).

10

Each entry for the six works mentioned above will contain the following information:

1. Title

2. Year of composition

3. Instrumentation

4. Publisher

5. Year of publication

6. Dedicatee(s)

7. Location of premiere(s)

8. Recording(s)

9. Description of work

a. performance considerations such as articulation, phrasing, and use of extended

techniques (where applicable)

b. Guidelines For Style Analysis by Jan LaRue shall be used as a method to

analyze each work in a consistent manner

10. Specific performance considerations (what makes each work difficult and measures to

take to conquer these difficulties; flexibility, articulation, and phrasing)

11. How the traditional and contemporary examples of clarinet writing exhibit themselves

in this particular piece

For accuracy, all meetings with Ran pertaining to this document were recorded and

transcribed for use in Chapter V. Subjects discussed during this interview between the author

and composer included:

11

1. Direct questions pertaining to specific works

2. Compositional techniques including significant discussion on use of extended

techniques

3. Reasons for use of traditional forms

4. Performance suggestions

5. Discussion on the composer’ s personal reasons for choosing the clarinet for these works

Review of Literature

“ Equilibria: Shulamit Ran Balances” from The International League of Women

Composers Journal (October, 1994) by C.B. White contains a detailed biography about the

composer, as well as descriptions of her compositional characteristics. The article includes

commentary on Ran’ s desire not to be classified under one stylistic description as well as listings

of labels with which others have tried to identify her as a composer. In this piece, Ran also

discusses the mental and emotional processes she goes through when composing. The article

includes a partial list of works, recordings, and a bibliography.

“ A Talk With Composer Shulamit Ran” from Fanfare, 25:6, also contains an extensive

biography and CD review of several of Ran’ s works for violin, cello, and piano. The author,

Robert Kirzinger, includes a discussion of the attempts to categorize Ran’ s compositions, and

cites quotes from the composer herself which assert that not one of her works conforms to one

particular style. Kirzinger also suggests an early, or pre-1990 and late period for the composer.

Ran’ s relationships with such groups as the Da Capo Chamber Players, which commissioned

some of her works for clarinet, are discussed.

12

Adrian P. Childs has written a book review of “ A Basic Course in Music Composition”

Notes, 59:3, by Ralph Shapey. The review helps to describe in technical detail the melodic and

rhythmic techniques that Ran has learned from her former teacher and presents insight into her

compositional process.

The New York Times article, “ Composer’ s Pulitzer Makes the Telephone Her New

Instrument” (11 April 1991) by Allan Kozin, describes the excitement Ran felt immediately after

winning the Pulitzer Prize in Music.

Aside from a description of the composer’ s reaction to winning the award, there is a lengthy

discussion on her compositional characteristics, a comparison of her to other Pulitzer Prize

winners, and a biography.

“ The Melodic Energy and Textures of Shulamit Ran” from the New York Times (23

April 1992), concerns a Da Capo Chamber Players’ concert of Ran’ s music. The author, Edward

Rothstein, also talks about the similarities and differences of Ran and her former teacher Ralph

Shapey. The “ lyrical and Expressionist” 19 qualities of her music are also discussed followed by

observations on some of the composer’ s works including Private Game, Apprehensions, and

Concerto da Camera II. These comments describe Ran’ s music as “ mixed bravura exclamations

with lyrical reflections” and also describe her music as “ stirring and involving.” 20

“ Ran Salute Brings Out Best In Her Music” (7 April 1994) is an article written for the

Houston Chronicle by Charles Ward. The article is a concert review of a Da Capo Chamber

Players’ performance honoring the composer. Ran’ s writing characteristics and certain pieces

such as Concerto da Camera II, and Monologue: For an Actor are discussed. When discussing

Concerto da Camera II, Ran talks about the challenge of composing with several instruments

19 Edward Rothstein, “ The Melodic Energy and the Textures of Shulamit Ran” The New York Times, 23 April 1992, C15. 20 Rothstein, C15.

13

simultaneously. The author also describes Ran’ s music as “ gloriously human” 21 and discusses

her dislike of being labeled as simply a freely atonal composer.

An article from the Baltimore Sun entitled “ Composer Ran Has Always Been a Font of

Music” (15 March 1994) by Stephen Wigler gives biographical information about the composer

over the last twenty years.

The work also discusses her development of ideas and her appointment as the Randolph S.

Rothchild Visiting Professor of Composition at the Peabody Conservatory.

Shulamit Ran’ s publisher, The Theodore Presser Company, has a very detailed website

which provides a list of works with publication and premiere dates, instrumentation, and

commission information. Aside from these listings, an extensive biography and list of

performances of the composer’ s works is also included.

(www.netaxs.com/people/presser/ran.html)

Guidelines For Style Analysis is a book by Jan Larue that outlines a method I used to

keep analysis consistent with each piece in the study. Larue’ s method, also known as SHMRG,

examines sound, harmony, melody, rhythm, growth, and text influence. I used this method to

restrict theoretical analysis and keep my study primarily a guide for performers.

“ An Investigation and Analysis of Shulamit Ran’ s ‘Apprehensions for Voice, Clarinet,

and Piano” is a doctoral dissertation completed in 2000 by Rachel Yvonne Cruz at the

University of Texas at Austin. The dissertation is divided into six chapters including a detailed

biography, a discussion of the composer’ s compositional characteristics, and an analysis of the

piece. Cruz discusses in great detail the often contradictory labels used in reference to Ran’ s

music and how these descriptions are not conscious decisions made by the composer. Cruz

21 Charles Ward, “ Ran Salute Brings Out Best in Her Music,” New York Times, 7 April 1994, 4.

14

goes on to discuss Ran’ s use of opposing ‘traits’ such as traditional, programmatic elements

alongside “ unconventional instrumentation” 22 and atonality. An extensive analysis and

background information on Apprehensions is also given.

“ A Performer’ s Approach to New Demands in Selected Contemporary Clarinet

Compositions” is a doctoral dissertation completed in 1981 by Gary Steven Drach at the

University of Illinois at Urbania-Champaign. This work examines eight contemporary clarinet

works, including Ran’ s For an Actor: Monologue. Each work is put into such categories as

“ Clarinet and Electronic Tape” and “ Clarinet with Theatrical Aspects.” Monologue: For an

Actor is categorized as “ Clarinet Alone” and serves as a representative of the most

contemporary pieces of this genre. Drach asserts that although “ the subject of contemporary

‘extended techniques’ for the clarinet had been virtually exhausted, the whole problem of new

performance demands. . .has remained virtually untouched.” 23 Drach discusses these new

demands on performers including new aesthetic trends and a greater responsibility in

interpretation of works. An analysis of Monologue: For an Actor, background information on

the piece, and discussion of extended techniques used are all found in this dissertation.

“ A Descriptive Catalog of the Solo and Chamber Saxophone Music of Lucie Robert”

(1998) by John Bleuel, is a doctoral document from the University of Georgia that examines

twenty-one of Robert’ s works for saxophone. Bleuel divides the pieces into categories and

gives each work its own individual entry which includes information on the publisher,

duration, premieres, recordings, extended techniques, and a brief analysis of each work. This

study is helpful to my document in its method and form. “ A Descriptive Catalog of the Solo

22 Rachel Yvonne Cruz, “ An Investigation and Analysis of Shulamit Ran’ s Apprehensions for Voice, Clarinet, and Piano” (DMA diss., University of Texas at Austin, 2000), 85. 23 Gary Steven Drach, “ A Performer’ s Approach To New Demands in Selected Contemporary Clarinet Compositions” (DMA diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1981), 27.

15

and Chamber Works for the Saxophone by Jindrich Feld” (2000) by Jennifer Lynn Filer

Turpen, also from the University of Georgia, was a document similar in method and form to

Bleuel’ s and is also helpful to my study.

16

CHAPTER II

MUSIC FOR SOLO CLARINET

For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet (in A)

Introduction

For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet was written for clarinetist Laura Flax and

dedicated to her and her mother, Hazel Flax, in 1978. The piece was published by the Theodore

Presser Company in the same year. Laura Flax premiered the piece on May 10, 1978, at

Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City. At the writing of this document, there are two

available recordings, one with clarinetist Larry Combs on Mark Educational Recordings, and the

other with Laura Flax on Bridge Records.

The program notes listed at the beginning of For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet

describe Shulamit Ran’ s wish for the clarinetist to assume “ the role of a virtuoso actor who, by

purely musical means, goes through a kind of wordless ‘monodrama’ .” 1 The sharply contrasting

episodic sections present throughout the work are certainly dramatic and allow the clarinetist to

take on different emotional roles. Indeed, For an Actor: Monologue, Ran’ s first work for solo

clarinet, displays the Expressionist side of her music perhaps more than any work examined in

this document through its specific use of extended techniques, extreme dynamic changes, and

altissimo register use.

This work contains many of the traditional and contemporary devices mentioned by the

author in Chapter I. The use of the traditional sonata form, vocal-like and legato clarinet playing

1 Ran, Shulamit, For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet (in A), (Bryn Mawr, Pa.: Theodore Presser, 1978).

17

is interspersed with a plethora of extended techniques, as well as extreme altissimo register

playing and dynamic contrasts. The mixture of old and new procedures results in a piece that is

emotionally expressive, organized, and complex.

As the piece has no bar lines, the author will refer to page and line numbers instead of

measure numbers. For example, “ line four on page three” will be listed as [L4, P3]. Also, since

the title page and program/performance notes are listed as pages one and two, the piece itself

begins on page three of the published score.

Structural Devices: Form, Melodic Ascent/Descent, and Rhythm

The piece is generally considered to be in an approximate sonata form. Ran explains,

“ Though not literally in sonata form, the parts of MONOLOGUE nevertheless roughly parallel

that form, consisting of: exposition or unfolding in two stages; development-disintegration

including a cadenza; coda echoing the opening materials.” 2 This framework, though not an

exact representation of sonata form, is certainly unusual in such a contemporary work and helps

provide structure to the contrasting emotional episodes that exist throughout the piece.

The form of For an Actor: Monologue is the main structural component for the work.

This rather traditional use of form allows Ran’ s episodic use of contrasting emotions to be as free

as possible without having the piece lose its structural integrity. Each part of the piece’ s form

except for the coda/recapitulation consists of these contrasting emotional episodes.

Overall, the form of this piece is episodically laid out, with pauses or obvious changes

before each new section. As stated previously, the composer thinks of the exposition as

unfolding in two stages. She discusses this point further in a letter to Gary Steven Dranch:

2 Ran, For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet (in A).

18

The exposition in two stages works somewhat like certain slow introductions in Classical sonata-forms (solo, symphonic, ect.) where an idea is presented and elaborated upon, taken up to a point; the opening idea is then repeated—if in a slightly modified way—and developed again, this time implications set earlier taken much further.3

The first part of the exposition goes from the beginning of the piece to the end of line one on

page four. The exposition’ s second unfolding begins on line two of page four with an almost

exact repeat of the very beginning of the piece. This double exposition ends at the end of line

five on page five, and is immediately followed by a cadenza on line six of the same page.

The cadenza represents the next important structural section in the piece and ends on the

second line of page six where a caesura is marked. The development-disintegration Ran speaks

about begins immediately after this pause and continues through page eight, ending in the middle

of line four. The coda in many ways resembles a sonata-form recapitulation, as it brings back

material from the exposition. This section begins directly after the pause on the second line on

page six and concludes the piece.

The emotional episodes in the exposition and cadenza are governed not only by sonata

form, but by ascending melodic motion as well. The opening section of the exposition begins at

a piano dynamic in the lowest part of the chalumeau register. Words in the score such as

“ ethereal” [L2, P3] invite the performer to evoke a dream-like quality. By line four of page

three, however, this illusory atmosphere begins to escalate towards madness and calamity with

the use of rapidly ascending third and scalar passages on line six of page three. At this point the

episode explodes with the score’ s indication of let go, where the clarinetist quickly rises to a

shrieking a3 followed by aggressive marked staccato tonguing in the altissimo register.

3 Dranch, Gary Steven, “ A Performer’ s Approach To New Demands in Selected Contemporary Clarinet Compositions” (DMA diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1981), 27.

19

Example 1. Ascending motion and calamity at the end of the exposition’ s first unfolding [L6,

P3].

The last part of line seven on page three indicates in the score to calm down, a direction which is

followed almost immediately by one final, aggressive reminder of the previous hostility when an

intrusive b-flat is flutter-tongued at a forte dynamic [L1, P4].

This technique of tranquility ascending to chaos also occurs in the second unfolding of

the exposition [L2, P4], only in this section there is a shorter period of calm, and a much more

indecisive approach of the ascent to bedlam. By the end of line two on page five, there is a more

aggressive approach towards the peak of the second half of the exposition which ends at a triple

fortissimo on a high-b-flat3, a resolution which is more aggressive than in the section’ s initial

appearance.

The cadenza, aside from a gentle introduction, is very aggressive and contains the bulk of

the multi-phonics found in the work. In the same letter to Dranch, Ran writes of the cadenza:

How does one write a cadenza in a solo work that is quite loose and free and virtuosic to begin with? It was here that the traditional ‘fireworks’ which are characteristic of many a cadenza have been replaced by the multiphonics. At the same time I should clarify that I do not consider the multiphonics merely as a section for showing off; all too often I find that their use in pieces adds up to nothing more than a ‘bag of tricks,’ I have tried to integrate them

20

into the piece both dramatically and harmonically as otherwise I would consider their inclusion both superfluous and superficial. 4

Aside from the intensity and thick texture the multiphonics bring to this section, the end

of the cadenza features, for the first time in the piece, an aggressive descent to f [L2, P6], and

begins the development-disintegration Ran speaks of in the program notes.

Example 2. Beginning of descending motion at the end of the cadenza [L2, P6].

Although all sections of the piece are supported by form, unlike the exposition and

cadenza, the development/disintegration is governed by clearly descending and not ascending

melodic motion. This disintegration is, for the most part, aggressive and at a forte dynamic.

This area can roughly be divided into three sections with the last section being an aggressive

plethora of rapidly descending chromatic scales [L6 and L7, P7]. Ran discusses this section:

I have thought of this section in an explicitly dramatic sense as the section where our ‘actor’ breaks loose, literally conveying an image of working himself to a great frenzy (of course he needs to be perfectly in control for the sense of being out of control to work).5

The first section of the development is indicated to be at a mezzo piano dynamic, but is

rapid, anxious, and contains clipped articulation [L3, P6]. This short passage ebbs and flows 4 Dranch, “ A Performer’ s Approach To New Demands in Selected Contemporary Clarinet Compositions.” 5 Dranch. “ A Performer’ s Approach To New Demands in Selected Contemporary Clarinet Compositions.”

21

between calmness and intensity until a short descent to a rhythmic triplet section marked Back in

time, but slightly slower beat [L6, P6]. After a short rhythm with similar patterns of sixteenth

note triples and duples, there is a return of the anxious clipped section, marked draw back; for

last encounter [L8, P6]. A descent from shrill c4 to a multiphonic that includes c3 [L2, P7] ends

this section followed by the final and most obviously disintegrating descent marked Wild !!! [L6,

P7], which is characterized by rapidly descending chromatic scales to f. The

development/disintegration ends with a contrasting ghostly ascent, marked like harmonics [L4,

P8] at a pianissimo dynamic.

Example 3. Culmination of the development’ s descent [L6, P7].

The coda/recapitulation, which for the most part never rises above a mezzo forte dynamic,

contains melodic motion that both ascends and descends as a ghostly memory of the previous

intensity. The severe leaps heard within the exposition and development are softened by the use

of slurs, legato, [L9, P8] and quiet dynamic levels which provide a placid contrast to the

previous aggression. There is a final delicate ascent to f3, which is followed directly by a low f-

sharp which fades to silence.

22

Example 4. Final ascent in the recapitulation [L9, P8].

Aside from form and melodic motion, rhythm also serves as structural adhesive within

the piece. For the most part, the tempo of the piece is quite flexible. In the performance notes

Ran writes, “ It is suggested that the piece be initially learned by carefully observing all notation,

rhythmic and otherwise. Once learned, however, a considerable measure of freedom, temporal

and gestural, may be introduced.” 6 Although this temporal freedom is present, some repeated

rhythmic patterns in certain sections keep the piece’ s intensity and freedom from spiraling out of

control. This use of repetition also helps to unify the piece, as the patterns create a familiar

device that the listener remembers more than the intense, rubato sections.

Ran also increases intensity through rhythmic devices by allowing the performer to use

rubato to accelerate the tempo of certain figures, almost always following these accelerandos

with eighth, sixteenth, and thirty-second note triplet rhythms. These latter figures add balance

and symmetry to the overall rhythmic structure by being played in time, and keeping a somewhat

metered pulse going against the temporal spontaneity. On line five of page three the thirty-

second note triplet followed by the eighth-note triplet keeps the piece from losing command,

especially with the accelerated figure preceding it. Likewise, a triplet figure directly before the

6 Ran, For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet.

23

run up to high a3 on line six of page three gives the line balance before the unmetered group of

seven (See example one).

In the second part of the exposition, many metered triplets are used to balance the final

three lines of page four. Also in resolution again [L8, P4], repeated triplets and groups of

sextuplets keep the rhythm ordered and under control before the acceleration up to high g3 [L8,

P4] and in the following leaping section [L2 and L3, P5].

The back in time, but slightly slower beat [L6, P6] in the development section is one of

the more strictly metered sections in the piece. Line six on page six contains triple and duple

rhythms that are repeated and finally invert themselves in the second half of the line by placing

triples where duples previously were and vice versa. Since the following section is marked with

growing madness [L7, P6], this last homogenous rhythmic pattern causes the intensity of the mad

section to be that much more of a contrast.

Example 5. Homogenous rhythms within the development [L6, P6].

From this point to the recapitulation the piece contains many accelerando passages that

descend chromatically with increasing speed (See example 3). Ascending and descending

direction of melody along with overall emotional intensity seem to be the main focal point of the

piece at this point until the coda/recapitulation, where metered triplet rhythms and a slower

tempo once again guard against loss of control.

24

Use of Timbre and Shape

Many aspects of the clarinet’ s versatile timbre are explored in this piece. At the

beginning, the majority of the placid sections exhibit the darkness of the clarinet’ s chalumeau

register beginning on written g and slowly descends to end the first phrase on low e [L1, P3].

Very soon however, the brightness of the clarinet’ s altissimo, and, to some extent, upper clarion

register are exposed as rapidly ascending passages occur which climax on high written a3 and a-

flat3 [L6 and 7, P3]. Interestingly, Ran uses the hollow murkiness of the throat tones as a

transitory device to the shrill altissimo and upper clarion sections, particularly in the section

marked Move Forward [L4, P3] where an a1 and g-sharp1 are utilized in this manner.

In the second unfolding of the exposition, Ran uses similar contrasting devices to exploit

the instrument’ s timbre. An almost exact repetition of the dark beginning is followed by the

same hollow uncertainty, this time in a timbre trill at the top of the chalumeau register [L4, P4]

that mimics the hollow throat tones and ends the fragment on a high g3.

Example 6: Timbre trill used as a transitory device in the exposition [L4, P4].

What follows is an interesting, and much more intense, contrast of the bright and dark

timbres of the clarinet using rapidly alternating tones that carry large leaps from e to clarion a2,

and a3 down to low e again.

25

This disjunct motion sharply contrasts the chromatic activity found directly before in lines four

through eight on page four. At this point, another rapid ascension occurs finally ending the

exposition on high b-flat3.

Example 7: excerpt from leaping section in exposition that contrasts previous motion [L3, P5].

Example 8: final ascension before the cadenza [L5, P5].

The extended techniques used by Ran in this piece create very interesting displays of

timbre and texture for the listener. The flutter-tongue effect, which is generally seen in the low

register, is used to increase intensity in the piece and can be considered Expressionist in this

instance because of its distorted and grotesque sound qualities.

26

The first use of flutter tonguing occurs on a low e [L5, P3], and indicates with its

abruptness and heavy quality that the calm opening section has ended. A similar instance occurs

at the end of the first unfolding of the exposition [L1, P4].

The other way flutter tonguing is used in the piece is as a means to increase intensity in

ascending scalar passages (see example eight). This instance occurs immediately preceding the

cadenza and immediately after it begins in lines five through seven on page five.

Multiphonics give the cadenza a thick texture and demonstrate a very bright timbre of the

clarinet [L6, P5 and L1, P6]. As the multiphonics each contain three notes being sounded

simultaneously and are often trilled together, the resulting construction is thick, shrill, and

intense. There is, however, a contrasting sparse introduction, and a final descent after the

multiphonics which calmly ends the section.

Example 9: Example of multiphonics in the piece [L1, P6].

Aside from the different extended techniques and quick register changes, the dynamics of

For an Actor: Monologue frequently showcase extreme contrasts of the many timbres of the

clarinet. Ran uses the instrument’ s dynamic capabilities wisely, exploiting the loud dynamic

range, for the most part in the altissimo and chalumeau register, and making much use of the

quiet side of the clarinet’ s dynamic range in all the registers. Generally, crescendos and

27

decrescendos are used to lead each section or phrase to its next dynamic level as opposed to

terraced dynamics, which do not use transitions between different dynamic levels. In many

places, however, particularly where there are large leaps, subito dynamics such as forte piano

can be found that present strong contrasts to one another. These areas generally occur where the

melodic motion consists of large leaps. Lines one and five on page four are good examples of

this technique. Due to the leaps, the immediate dynamic contrast seems much more disjunct and

startling than this type of subito dynamic being used with scalar or more closely-knit motion.

The general shape of For an Actor: Monologue, which is created by melodic motion,

involves ascending motion to the end of the cadenza followed by a descending motion in the

development which eventually comes to a final ascension in the coda. The first half of the work

presents duplicated pitch patterns while the recapitulation retains a nostalgic mood that looks

back to previously heard material.

These repeated pitch patterns also contribute to the overall shape of For an Actor. The

piece begins with an opening pattern of four notes. (g, c1, d-flat1, and b-flat1). This pattern

seems to evolve slowly throughout the beginning, and upon other hearings one of these initial

tones, d-flat1 moves up a whole step to d-sharp1 [L1 and 3, P3], which begins the overall

ascension of line occurring throughout the exposition and cadenza.

In the second part of the exposition, the opening four note pattern mentioned above is the

same aside from a slight rhythmic change in the second statement. The final ritard statement [L2,

P4] at the end of the phrase, however, is altered.

In the first ritard statement [L1, P3], the final two notes of the phrase are g-sharp down to low e.

In the second statement, the final two notes are a-flat down to f, changing a major third to a

minor third and a-flat to its enharmonic equivalent, g-sharp.

28

Example 10: Comparison of the two unfoldings of the exposition.

a. [L1, P3]

b. [L2, P4]

Example 11: Final statement of opening section in the recapitulation (see example 9) [L4 and 5,

P8].

A three note statement marked ethereal (see example 11) also appears several times

throughout the piece. The first appearance is on line two of page one, while the second

statement appears directly following the second unfolding of the exposition, only this time it is

29

presented an octave higher. Both of these occurrences point to the general upward movement

occurring throughout the exposition and cadenza. The figure occurs a final time on line five of

page eight as it initially appeared on page one.

This ethereal figure’ s final appearance directly follows a statement that is very similar to

the four note pattern found in both unfoldings of the exposition (See example 11). Although the

last three pitches have been altered slightly, the identical rhythms, and similar intervals cause the

statement to be reminiscent of the original figure seen in the exposition. These repeated pitch

patterns and figures give shape to the piece by unifying the freely atonal material.

Performance Considerations

This work is very difficult for the clarinetist on a number of levels. It requires absolute

control over all the registers in every dynamic level. The piano and softer dynamic levels are

probably the most difficult to control in the altissimo and upper clarion registers, with the use of

A clarinet making the task that much more daunting due to this instrument’ s more present

overtones.

Although these overtones help make the multiphonics easier to obtain, when extremely

quiet playing is required, the overtones can present a problem. Some clarinetists have the

register tube inside the clarinet’ s top joint clipped to control the overtones produced by the A

clarinet. A less extreme option might be to work on the development of a looser embouchure for

these sections and forming the syllable “ ew” to retain a proper embouchure shape. The

performer should be especially careful in the second ethereal section on page 4. The d-flat2 is

likely to produce an overtone, as is the high b-flat2 near the beginning of the cadenza.

30

Many of the extended techniques in the piece can present a dilemma for the clarinetist.

Flutter tonguing seems to be either very easy or very difficult for clarinetists. If the clarinetist

has the ability to roll the letter ‘R’ or curl the sides of their tongue (roll their tongue) inward, than

generally flutter-tonguing can be achieved without much extra effort. For others who have

trouble with ‘R’ rolling or curling the tongue, flutter tonguing can be quite difficult. There is,

however, an alternative solution. If the clarinetist attempts to make a ‘gargling’ sound with their

throat and then sings a tone at the same time, this procedure can present an effect almost

identical to true flutter tonguing. Regrettably, this ‘gargling’ technique is most effective in the

chalumeau register, but for the clarinetist who has trouble with true flutter tonguing, it is an

option. Also, puffing out the cheeks when flutter tonguing to create an extremely loose

embouchure and blowing a lot of air as fast as possible can be helpful.

The ascending scales in the piece which use flutter tonguing are quite difficult. [L5 and

L7, P5]. Generally, if the clarinetist can flutter the first two or three notes (a1, c2, d-flat2) [L5,

P5], and the speed of the scale is quick enough, a good flutter tonguing effect can be achieved.

Another extended technique which can present complication is the multiphonic. Many

clarinetists have trouble with multiphonics, which are found in the piece’ s cadenza. Just as with

the quiet high tones, flexibility and looseness of embouchure is essential for this effect to be

achieved. One tip to achieving these multiphonics is to use the suggested fingerings Ran

includes in the score, and concentrate on producing the highest note in the group of three. The

lower two notes will generally come out more effectively if the top note is aimed for initially.

With practice, the correct loose embouchure position can be achieved effortlessly to produce the

multiphonics. The first multiphonic presented, (d1, f2, b2), is generally easier to produce than the

following two because of the specific acoustics of the A clarinet.

31

Phrasing for the piece is not as difficult as it might initially seem. Many of the ‘phrases’

can be thought of as emotional episodes with spaces in between, much as an actor would change

mental states during a monologue. Generally, throughout the piece each phrase is an obvious

ascent or descent to a particular tone, followed by a pause, and then the beginning of a new idea.

Although this piece displays many Modernist tendencies, there are traditional elements to

be found as well. The over-all sonata form keeps the piece’ s intensity from losing control while

allowing melodic material and movement to be as free as possible. The recapitulation ties the

piece together as a whole, while the development/disintegration section allows for the “ out of

control” feeling to reach its greatest intensity.

This piece does not exhibit lyricism and legato to the extent that many of Ran’ s other

clarinet works do, but these older techniques are still present in the opening statements where a

somewhat lyrical line is clearly moving to e [L1, P3]. This lyricism can be seen again in the

recapitulation where the “ ethereal” motive introduced at the beginning of the piece is developed

into smooth legato lines and melody, with the final line of the piece being marked legato.

32

Three Scenes

Introduction

Three Scenes for Clarinet was commissioned by the Yamaha Corporation Band and

Orchestral Division in 2000 and published by the Theodore Presser Company in 2004. The piece

was written for clarinetist Arthur Campbell who premiered the work on November 12, 2000, at

Loosemore Auditorium in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the writing of this document, there is one

recording available on Gasparo Records with Arthur Campbell as clarinetist.

This piece for solo clarinet is in three movements that form a “ single entity.” 7 Much as in

For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet, Ran pursues the dramatic possibilities for the clarinet by

using emotional episodes which sharply contrast one another in dynamic, timbre, and texture.

Lyricism and legato, however, play a much more substantial role in this piece than in For an

Actor, with Ran’ s use of melodic lines that showcase the vocal qualities of the clarinet’ s sound.

Although the work is “ Bold and Dramatic” as the title of the first movement suggests, the

composer’ s Modernist tendencies do not seem to be as involved in this work, and, rather are

replaced by lyricism and legato. As the piece has no bar lines, the author shall refer to moments

in Three Scenes for Clarinet with line and page numbers instead of measure numbers.

Many contemporary techniques are interspersed with traditional ideas in the work.

Somewhat traditional forms are used amid extreme dynamic contrasts and altissimo register

playing. Traditionally speaking, the more lyrical side of the clarinet, as well as legato playing,

are seen in Three Scenes to a much greater extent than in For an Actor: Monologue.

The titles of the three movements are Bold and Dramatic, Chameleon, and Song, with a

brief Entr’ acte occurring between the second and third movements. The first and third

7 Shulamit Ran, Introduction to liner notes for “ Three Scenes for Clarinet,” Premieres for Clarinet, Arthur Campbell (Peterborough, NH: Gasparo Records, 2001), compact disc.

33

movements both illustrate two contrasting sides of the clarinet, vocal-like smoothness and rapid,

shrieking frenzy. The second movement does not contain the dramatic contrasts the other

movements do, as the smooth, legato aspects of the clarinet is pushed aside to exhibit the intense

as well as dance-like personas of the instrument.

Structural Devices: Form, Motivic Development, Rhythm, and Shape

The first movement, though not a true sonata form, contains elements that are reminiscent

of one. Titled Bold and Dramatic, it can be thought of as being in three main sections, with the

first section containing a slow transition to section two. The first section opens quite

aggressively and has two unfoldings, much as in the exposition of For an Actor: Monologue.

This first section, or exposition, occurs in lines one through three of page one.

The slow transition, marked Lento [L4, P1] in the score, quickly leads to a contrasting

section back in the original quick tempo of the exposition. This second section [L5, P1] after the

transition can be considered developmental, as it generates several variations of a motive found

in section one. This development lasts until line four of page two. This development, or section

two, is the most rhythmically free area of the movement, with accelerandos notated on line five

of page one and lines one and three of page two. A shrill b-flat3 and a caesura [L4, P2] bring the

development to an end and are followed by a return of the slow transition [L4, P2], which ends

the movement.

Although the final appearance of this Lento section occurs on a and not e-flat2 as it did

originally, and the opening bold section does not return, the second appearance of Lento has the

same closure effect that a traditional recapitulation would, by reminding the listener of material

heard at the beginning of the piece.

34

Example 12: Comparison of the Lento section’ s appearance in the exposition and the

recapitulation.

a. [L4, P1]

b. [L4 and 5, P2]

The second movement, Chameleon, contains many elements synonymous with a

traditional rondo form. The main ‘A’ section, which contains two phrases, joie de vivre and

“ menacing, with maniacal precision,” [L1 and L2, P3] is repeated several times throughout the

movement. In ‘A’ s second appearance [L4, P3] it is transposed a half-step higher, but with

exactly the same rhythms and intervals. The ‘B’ section, meno mosso [L8, P3] is, in some ways,

very melodic and marked dance-like and sensuous [L8, P3]. Section ‘A’ returns a third time in

its original form and ends the piece with a glissando to g-sharp3.

‘Entr’ acte’ is defined in the American Heritage dictionary as “ the interval between two

acts of a theatrical performance or another performance (as of music or dance) provided between

35

two acts of a musical performance.” 8 With Ran’ s flair for the dramatic in her works for clarinet,

both definitions of the term could apply to this piece. In musical terms, the Entr’ acte [L1, P5]

acts as a transition between movements two and three as well as foretelling the slow, quiet

atmosphere the beginning of the third movement will bring.

Example 13: Entr’ acte [L1, P5].

The third movement, “ Song,” can be thought of as a rough binary form, as it contains

contrasting ‘A’ and ‘B’ sections. Within the movement the ‘A’ and ‘B’ sections are both

repeated, making the overall form of the movement AABB. Instead of the ‘A’ section

modulating, as would traditionally occur in a tonal work, this section is simply presented the

second time with exactly the same rhythms, only the pitches are written a perfect fourth higher.

The ‘B’ section, marked “ pure, innocent” [L5, P5] is yet another quiet theme, but unlike

‘A,’ builds to a frenzy and then dies away again on a fermata [L4, P6]. Interestingly, the ‘B’

section’ s beginning is an exact repeat of the transition to development in movement one [L2,

P1], only this final appearance is much more evolved.

Repetition of material throughout the movements is one of the more obvious ways that the

movements as a whole are linked to one another.

8 The American Heritage Dictionary (1994), s.v. “ Entr’ acte.”

36

Example 14: ‘B’ section of movement three (See example 12).

a. First appearance [L5, P5]

b. Second appearance [L5, P6]

A somewhat altered ‘B’ section returns again [L5, P6] at the end of the piece, more

disguised with its opening rhythms and transposition. By the appearance of b-flat in the middle

of example 14b, this transposition is, this time, a compound perfect fourth below the melody’ s

original appearance. This section is then followed by a coda-like lentissimo [L6, P6] that fades

to nothing.

Aside from form, Ran uses rhythmic and melodic motivic development in Three Scenes

as a way of giving structure to the piece. Unlike in For an Actor: Monologue, which uses

general ascending and descending motion as a means to govern structure, this piece uses the

development of the opening motive as a way to tie all three movements together.

37

Motive One

The opening tritone motive [L1, P1] is probably not the immediate focal point of the

opening ‘A’ section, but it is used and developed in all three movements of the piece. In the

second statement of ‘A’ [L3, P1], the motive is presented a whole-step lower than its original

appearance, which is followed by true evolution of the motive in the development section.

Example 15: Use of the grace note motive in movement one.

a. [L1, P1]

b. [L3, P1]

c. [L5, P1]

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In the second movement, the same grace note motive can be found again, in rhythm only.

It is often elaborated upon, or developed, with the addition of other grace notes. This instance

occurs in the joie de vivre section [L1, P3] as well as the meno mosso [L8, P3].

Example 16: Use of the grace note motive in the second movement [L1, P3].

This figure can also be found at the beginning of the third movement in the opening ‘A’

section [L2, P5], and again in the ‘pure, innocent’ ‘B’ section [L5, P5]. It is also found at the

end of ‘B’ [L4, P6] and in the final appearance of this section [L5, P6]. The motive’ s first

appearance is both melodically and rhythmically significant, as it contains the original interval of

a tritone. The subsequent arrivals of the figure appear much as they did in movement two.

Example 17: Use of the grace note motive in the third movement.

a. [L2, P5]

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b. [L5, P5]

Motive Two

An important rhythmic motive found throughout the piece involves the dotted quarter-

eighth in various forms. Although perhaps not as obvious to the listener as the grace-note

motive, this figure can be considered motivic as it is found and developed in all the movements

of the piece at important phrase points. The figure is first seen in the second line of the first

movement as a descending major third [L2, P1]. Its second appearance in the transition section

flessible [L4, P1], is an ascending perfect fifth this time and stands out as being a much more

important part of the phrase. Generally, the motive is not a fundamental part of the development

in movement one until the very end of the section when d2 ascends to b-flat3 [L4, P2] ending the

segment.

The motive appears many times throughout the coda and is very important as it appears

in the center of musical episodes and seems to balance the structure of each of these phrases by

being presented in the middle. The figure appears twice as a perfect fifth [L4 and 6, P2] and

once as a tritone [L5, P2].

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Example 18: Use of the dotted quarter eighth motive in movement one.

a. [L2, P1]

b. [L4, P1]

c. [L4, P2]

This motive is ironically disguised in the next movement, Chameleon, and first appears in

the ‘B’ ’ section, which could be interpreted as being in 6/8 time even though there is no written

meter. The dotted quarter in this instance is tied into a group of three other eighth notes, so its

original appearance is rather hidden.

41

There is some development of the motive on the second page of movement two, where the figure

is seen in diminution as a dotted-eighth sixteenth, instead of a dotted-quarter eighth. The end of

the ‘B’ section before the final appearance of ‘A’ contains a slightly altered version of the motive

with dotted-quarter to two sixteenths instead of one eighth [L6, P4].

Example 19: Use of the dotted quarter eighth motive in movement two.

a. [L8, P3]

b. [L3, P4] development of the motive

c. [L6, P4] more development

In the Entr’ acte, the motive balances the phrase again by appearing in the middle [L1,

P5]. It appears twice in section ‘A’ of movement three, once at the beginning [L2, P5] and again

at the end [L2 and 3, P5]. In the pure, innocent ‘B’ section, or the repeat of the transition from

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movement one [L5, P5], it appears in an inverted form. In the piu flessible section [L6, P5], the

motive appears once again in diminution. As the ‘B’ section builds, this faster version of the

motive seems to appear the most often, but the original dotted quarter eighth version finishes the

various sweeps of thirty-second notes as the section builds in intensity [L2, P6].

Example 20: Use of the dotted quarter eighth motive in the Entr’ acte and movement three.

b. [L2, P6]

Although rhythmic motives provide structure for Three Scenes, other temporal devices

are also used to aid the foundation of the work. Overall, the piece has a very metered feel, as the

rhythmic freedom given to the performer is not as prominent as in For an Actor: Monologue.

The opening and closing of many of the slower sections are often marked flessible (flexible), but

the many accelerandos in For an Actor: Monologue are not present.

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In the development section of the first movement [L5, P1], there is a somewhat slow rhythmic

build-up to a faster middle section which reaches a peak and then decelerates for a calm finish.

The slower sections generally are not as structured by rhythm, but for the most part they are in

time and don’ t contain significant amounts of rubato.

In movement one, groups of sextuplets give the phrases balance and symmetry, while

grace notes add intensity and drive to the rhythm. As energy builds in the development, there are

some accelerandos which cause the rhythm to become less metered, adding to the segment’ s

building fervor. In the slow recapitulation, Ran uses fermatas to indicate which notes she would

like emphasized or held, a device which allows some freedom of the tempo for these sections.

The second movement’ s opening phrase is rapid and metered, using mainly triple, as

opposed to duple, groupings to structure the meter. The joie de vivre section [L1, P3] sounds

more rhythmically free than it is in reality. The opening figure sounds like an accelerando when,

in reality, it is a metered quintuplet. Following two duple sixteenths with a triplet gives this

fragment an accelerated feel, as the asymmetrical quintuplet followed by rhythms which are

twice as fast gives a sense of ‘rushing’ to the listener. The grace notes which follow this figure

perpetuate a feeling of pressing urgency, as they are presented ahead of the beat (See example

16).

The meno mosso, or ‘B,’ sounds like it is in 6/8 time because of the way Ran has grouped

the pitches. Even though there is no written meter in the score, this section has a very metric

feel. There is one accelerando at the end of the ‘B’ section [L6, P4], marked dance-like, which

serves to add intensity as the section reaches its peak.

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Example 21: The metered meno mosso of movement two adds balance to the piece [L8, P3].

The last movement of the piece is the least metric of the three, although there is still a

feeling of metered tempo throughout the movement. As the majority of Song is either flessible

and slow or accelerating to intensity, a strict pulse is not necessary. There are accelerandos in

the fast second half of ‘B’ [L1 and L2, P6], and Ran again uses fermatas in the slow section to

communicate emphasis and phrasing.

Example 22: Accelerandos in movement three [L1, P6].

Aside from form, motivic development, and rhythm, the composer uses an overall shape

to create structure for the piece as a whole. Ran thinks of Three Scenes “ as a mental and

emotional journey where the traveler stays the same, yet goes through a process of

transformation at the same time.” 9 Aside from thinking of the piece as three cohesive units, she

also likes to view the work as cyclic, as material from movement one returns in the final

movement. Ran goes on to state, “ Slow music from the first scene returns and is transformed,

9 Ran, Introduction to liner notes for “ Three Scenes for Clarinet.”

45

recast and ultimately brought to a new sphere of consciousness.” 10 This new sphere is also

achieved through motivic development and timbre changes. Unlike For an Actor, whose shape

undulates with peaks and valleys, Three Scenes is more circular as material is recycled

throughout each movement of the work.

Timbre and Melodic Devices

Ran uses extreme dynamic contrasts in sections as well as sforzandos and subito

dynamics to add a variety of timbres to the piece. The opening sforzando swell to forte is a good

example of this technique. A sharp contrast is felt when the ‘Lento’ transition follows the

intense ‘A’ section in movement one with pianissimo. This section, marked other-worldly, is

reminiscent of the ‘ethereal’ fragment in For an Actor and contrasts distinctly with the intense

opening section. The development continues to exhibit sforzando and subito dynamics with lines

seven and eight on page one exhibiting these devices. The end of the development is marked by

swells into fortissimo dynamics followed immediately by the recapitulation at pianissimo [L4,

P2]. These intense dynamic contrasts add to the sense of drama and intensity.

Although the second movement exhibits a feeling of intensity throughout due to its quick

tempo, dynamic contrasts also add to this feeling of ardor. The opening ‘joie de vivre’ [L1, P3]

at a modest mezzo forte is significantly altered at the next tempo change, which drops to mezzo

piano and is menacing with maniacal precision [L2, P3]. The quiet dynamic actually adds

intensity to this very technical spot, as it makes the immediate crescendo to fortissimo seem that

much more extreme. The meno mosso ‘B’ section is marked throughout with subito forte

dynamics on single notes [L8, P3] and [L1, P4] at the end of phrases. These devices keep the

10 Ran, Introduction to liner notes for “ Three Scenes for Clarinet.”

46

‘dance-like’ section from feeling too light or comical, as well as keeping the sense of intensity

built in the first section.

For the most part, the dynamics in Song are not as extreme as in the other two

movements, as they tend to fall on the softer side of the clarinet, beginning at pianissimo and

soaring to forte briefly at the end of the ‘B’ section [L4, P6] which returns to pianissimo shortly.

In comparison to the rest of the piece, movement three’ s overall quiet and relatively small

dynamic range helps to give the work a feeling of peace and closure after the relatively raucous

first and second movements.

Aside from extreme dynamic contrasts providing different timbres throughout the piece,

Ran’ s expert use of the different registers of the clarinet also provides a variety of different

timbral colors. The opening of Bold and Dramatic hovers emphatically in the upper chalumeau

and lower throat tones giving the piece a full-bodied, but strident feel before the flessible

transition section. The transition explores the most vocal-like register, the clarion, which is clear

and full unlike the hollow throat tones and dark chalumeau. As the development grows in

intensity, so do the height of the pitches and registers with the section finally culminating on b-

flat3. The recapitulation contradicts this intensity and its original clarion appearance, by

exploring the darkness of the chalumeau and murkiness of the throat tones [L4-6, P2].

The ‘A’ section of the second movement, which returns twice, seems to fluctuate

between the chalumeau and clarion/altissimo registers of the clarinet, without much use of the

throat tones. The clear, penetrating sound of the clarinet is needed in this section, and, thus, the

hollow throat tones and lower clarion would not be as effective in producing the desired feeling

of intensity. There is, however, extended use of the altissimo register in the second, most

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intense, version of the ‘A’ section [L4-7, P3]. This register’ s shrill and strident sound helps to

increase the piece’ s growing extremity of emotion.

The dance-like meno mosso [L8, P3] uses the vocal-like and melodious clarion register

again, keeping this rhythmic theme present to the listener. The second appearance of the meno

mosso theme returns in the altissimo register [L1, P4], signaling another increase in excitement.

From this point, there is a sharp drop to the chalumeau register [L2, P4] which gradually rises

throughout the clarinet to end at the top of the clarion register. The final appearance of ‘A’

shows a larger rise to the top of the instrument, ending the movement triumphantly on g-sharp3.

The third movement, Song, displays the most vocal-like use of the clarinet in the piece.

The fast technical passages of movement two are replaced by smooth, legato lines, and,

subsequently, the upper clarion register is used frequently for its clear, melodious qualities. The

final appearance of the ‘B’ section [L5, P6] displays the dark chalumeau register, and is more

than an octave lower than its original appearance, causing the listener to experience a feeling of

closure as the piece dissolves to nothing.

The composer experiments with melody as well as timbre changes in Three Scenes.

Although this piece can be considered to be freely atonal, there are somewhat melodic devices

Ran uses to create the appearance of phrases. In the opening phrase, c1 acts as a repeated tonic

around which the whole phrase is elaborated. The pitch becomes a reference, or focal, point for

the listener as it is repeated so often, and, at the end of a phrase, gives the closure of a tonal

tonic, as well as a reference point that this traditional home pitch would give in a tonal work. In

the second appearance of this phrase [L3, P1], this repeated tonic note changes, becoming a

whole step lower as b-flat instead of c1 and lowers a step to a-flat at the end of the phrase.

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Example 23: Focal note c1 that acts as a reference point in movement one [L1, P1].

In the transition to the development [L4, P1], a is the obvious note of focus, which is

repeated several times and, thus convincingly ends the phrase as another false tonic. The overall

development seems to mainly be concerned with motivic development and rhythm, as there is no

feel of tonic or closure through melodic devices. The recapitulation, however, contains the

repeated pitch of d1, which serves as a different type of focal tone in the first phrase by ending

the piece convincingly on e, giving this focal d1 the feeling of a leading-tone of sorts to the final

pitch.

The ‘A’ section of the second movement is mainly controlled by precise metric rhythm,

but the emphasis on g2 is important, as it provides an aural reference point for the listener [L1,

P3]. ‘A’ s next appearance [L4, P3] features an emphasis on g-sharp2, a half-step higher than the

previous tonic by repetition.

The rhythmic meno mosso [L8, P3] is perhaps the most tonally melodic section of the

piece. Although the first phrase has a reference pitch of a-flat1 that occurs several times, the fact

that the pitches of the section are based on a partial octatonic scale in the first measure (c-sharp2,

d2, f2, g2, a-flat2) gives the theme a somewhat tonal sound (See example 21). As the melody

continues, it grows progressively more chromatic, but enough octatonic elements remain to keep

the sound of the scale throughout [L4, P4].

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In comparison to the first two movements, the third movement is fairly atonal sounding,

aside from the repeat of the movement one transition [L5, P5]. The phrases at the opening of the

movement seem to be governed more by rhythm and dynamic contrasts than by any melodic

device.

Performance Considerations

Although the extended techniques of For an Actor: Monologue are not present in this

work, except for a glissando at the end of the second movement, there are still many difficulties

to be conquered before performance. Control of all the registers and various dynamics extremes

is essential, as well as crisp staccato tonguing and technique. In the program notes Ran writes,

“ IMPORTANT: There should be no hesitation about applying the kind of tempo, dynamic and

expressive fluctuations considered acceptable in the performance of so-called traditional

repertoire to this music as well!” 11 This comment advises the performer to exercise control when

performing the piece and not to take too many liberties with written tempo and nuance.

The first movement requires both light and heavy articulations. Heavier articulation is

needed for the sforzandos that occur on nearly every line of page one, and light articulation is

needed for the thirty-second notes in the first line and in other passages with fast articulation.

The b-flat3 located at the end of the fast section will often be flat if embouchure adjustments are

not made.

These different types of articulation are necessary in the second movement as well. The

tempestuous section [L3, P3] can be thought of as eight groups of three, in order to make this

difficult technical passage smoother and more precise. Grouping difficult technique in groups of

11 Shulamit Ran, Three Scenes for Clarinet, (King of Prussia, Pa.: Theodore Presser, 2004).

50

three generally proves to be helpful throughout this movement as Ran has used many triple

divisions for the more technical passages.

Example 24: Grouping technical passages in groups of three for easier performance [L3, P3].

The glissando [L9, P4] is made easier by its presence in the altissimo register, whose

notes are easier to bend than those in the lower registers. Loosening the embouchure, using a

good amount of air, and sliding the fingers from note to note instead of picking them up off the

keys will generally create the desired smear effect of a glissando.

Example 25: Glissando [L9, P4].

Aside from difficult technique in the fast passage, the third movement requires quiet

dynamic control in all the registers, as well as smooth, legato playing. To achieve the large,

smooth leaps that appear in the third movement, as well as the first, the clarinetist can practice

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crescendoing slightly on the lower note of a large leap and loosening the embouchure as he or

she ascends to the second note by forming the syllable ‘ew’ for correct embouchure formation.

This technique helps to keep the player’ s air pressure constant and allows a smooth entrance of

the upper note. [L2,3, and 4, P5] are good examples of places to practice playing this type of

legato. Constant air pressure will also help the rapid technical passages by causing the notes to

respond more quickly and evenly.

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CHAPTER III

SMALL CHAMBER MUSIC FOR CLARINET

Private Game

Introduction

Private Game, for clarinet and cello, was written in 1979 and published by the Theodore

Presser Company in 1983. The work is dedicated to clarinetist Laura Flax and cellist Andre

Emelianoff of the Da Capo Chamber Players, the group who commissioned Private Game. The

dedicatees premiered the piece on March 23, 1980, at Alice Tully Hall in New York City. At the

writing of this document there are two available recordings, the first on New World Records, and

the second on Bridge records. In both recordings, Flax and Emelianoff are the performers.

When the Da Capo Chamber Players commissioned Ran to write a piece for their Tenth

Anniversary concert, they requested that the group’ s name be incorporated into the format of the

work. The name Da Capo suggests repetition, and the composer found the project to be “ an

interesting challenge.” 1 Ran speaks about this request in the program notes:

Repetition is the essence of comprehensibility. But— Da Capo today? While the initial temptation was to use the term loosely, I found myself intrigued by the idea of having strict repetition, without giving the appearance of arbitrary formalism.2 In this short work, Ran incorporates three Da Capo sections where material that was presented

previously in the piece returns in exactly the same way. Although these repeated fragments may

not be “ consciously perceived” 3 as repetitions on an initial listening, these re-entrances are

thought of by the composer as “ my private game. Enough said.” 4 1 Shulamit Ran, Private Game, (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania: Theodore Presser, 1983). 2 Shulamit Ran, Private Game.

53

The piece contains many contrasting traditional and contemporary attributes. The form

of the work demonstrates an older technique of contrasting sections returning in exactly the same

manner, while the standard use of ‘Da Capo’ is given a contemporary development, as these

repeated sections are actually written out instead of given the usual repeat signs and “ D.C.”

marking in the score. Originally, the term ‘Da Capo’ meant to return to the beginning of a piece,

but in Private Game, instead of simply returning to the material at only the beginning of the

piece, there are three separate sections which each return a second time.

Aside from form, Ran’ s use of the clarinet also exemplifies these coinciding ideas of the

past and modern world. The traditional legato use of the clarinet in the work is seen in the slow

and fast sections of the piece. This fast legato technique results in a sound of un-separated notes

that appear to bleed into one another and aims to imitate the cellist’ s long bows happening

underneath. This imitation demonstrates the composer’ s versatile use of the clarinet as a

chameleon of sorts that can blend in with whatever its surroundings happen to be. Lyrical, legato

playing, however, is sharply contrasted by the many contemporary devices used by the clarinet in

Private Game. Extended techniques, extreme altissimo register playing and dynamic contrast

give the work its ferocity and Modernist flavor.

As the piece, for the most part, does not contain significant bar lines or a time signature

of any kind, the author shall refer to letter, line, and page numbers when referencing musical

examples from the score. Also, because the score is transposed so that both performers can read

from it simultaneously, the author shall refer to the clarinet’ s concert pitch initially followed by

the written pitch seen in the score in parentheses.

3 Shulamit Ran, Private Game. 4 Shulamit Ran, Private Game.

54

Structural Devices: Form and Shape

The form of Private Game is fairly obviously laid out by the composer in the program

notes. There are three distinct Da capo sections, or themes, which are brought back throughout

the piece a second time. Upon this second hearing there is new, more rhapsodic, material

presented directly after the repeated ideas. The piece can be thought of in a “ 1-2-1-3-2-3

sequence” 5 with the numbers representing the three Da Capo sections and when they return in

the work. Aside from the three Da Capo sections discussed in the program notes, there are two

other structurally significant areas in the piece. The first device occurs three times and serves as

a short transition (See example 13) that leads to both appearances of section 2 and to the second

device, a coda-like section that ends the piece.

The first section of the piece, or 1, encompasses the beginning of the work on page one

until line four of the same page. This section, marked Impassioned, as though in a great rush, is

tense and has a thick texture due to the complex, out of sync rhythms played by the two

instruments (See example 8).

During the second half of line four on page one the first appearance of a short, chromatic

transition leads to section 2, which begins on line one of page two. Section two’ s calm, lilting

tempo and thin texture sharply contrasts with the intensity of section 1. Marked gentle,

Schubertian in the score, this lyrical segment extends until the beginning of line 3 on page two,

where an exact return of section 1 occurs.

This final return of section 1 is slightly different, as it features a variation of a figure that

follows the exact repetition of material during the first appearance of section 1. The music that is

repeated exactly during section 1’ s final appearance encompasses lines three and four of page

two, while the varied material that follows 1’ s exact repetition begins at letter B on line four of 5 Shulamit Ran, Private Game.

55

page two. Although some of the same pitches are used at letter B as were used in the first

appearance on page one, the two fragments are different enough in rhythm and pitch that any

similarity between the two would probably not be obvious to the listener.

Example 1: Compared fragments of material presented after section 1

a. Material that follows section 1’ s exact repeat: First appearance [L2, P1]:

b. Material that follows section 1’ s exact repeat: Second appearance [L4, P2]:

At this point, a new section, 3, begins with the two pick-up sixteenth notes on line two of

page three. The third section is similar in energy to section 1, but is faster and contains much

more homogenous, unison rhythms between the two instruments. This transitory, ornamental6

section includes the majority of the clarinet’ s extreme altissimo and extended techniques seen in

the piece. The third section continues until line three of page four, when a second appearance of

the transition originally found between sections 1 and 2 occurs, only this time presented a half-

6 Martha Feldman, Introduction to liner notes for “ Private Game,” Music of Shulamit Ran, The Da Capo Chamber Players (Bridge Records, 1995), compact disc.

56

step higher than it was originally. The fact that the actual pitches are altered in the second

appearance of the transition indicates that this material is independent from section 2 itself, while

the repeat of identical intervals and rhythms points to the fact that the device is structurally

significant by itself. This transition leads to a return of the lyrical section 2 at letter D on page

four. This time in the second section, after an exact repeat of the first phrase, the cello and

clarinet alternate the roles of soloist and accompanist during ornamental material that occurs

before the return of section 3 at the top of page six.

The final revisit of the intense third section ends on the first half of line two on page six.

The now familiar chromatic transition also makes its last appearance and can be found directly

after section 3. Here, the initial pitches of the transition contain the original rhythm altered from

quarter notes to dotted quarter notes, and instead of a simple held C, the cello displays a soloistic

moving line. The last section, which does not fit into the number sequence given by Ran in the

program notes, is coda-like, as it incorporates rhythms and pitches from sections 1 and 2. This

coda encompasses the final two lines of page six.

The repeated rhythmic fragments found in the coda remind the listener of previously

heard material and help to unify the work by incorporating substance from two of the three

previous sections into one final segment that ends the piece. Aside from the repeated transition,

one transposed clarinet fragment is reiterated that was first seen in section 1 on line two of page

one as e-flat2, e2, b-flat2 (f2, f-sharp1, c2). This initial appearance in the first section can be

found in the coda, only this time as a perfect fifth higher: b-flat2, b2, f2 (c2, c-sharp2, g2) on line

four of page six (See example 2). The opening dotted eighth-sixteenth-eighth clarinet rhythm

of section 2 is seen in the coda a whole-step lower as d-flat (e-flat) on line three of page six (See

example 3).

57

There is not any significant repeated material from the third section, most likely because this

portion of the work is regarded as ornamental and a transitory device between more important

structural sections.

Example 2: Repeated Clarinet figure found in the Coda:

a. Section 1 [L2, P1]

b. Coda [L4, P6]

Example 3: Repeated Clarinet Figure found in the Coda:

a. Section 2 [L1, P2]

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b. Coda [L3, P6]

As there is so much exact repetition throughout the brief piece, serious motivic

development is unnecessary. Fragments from the Da Capo sections 1 and 3 that are found again

in the coda are the only devices that could truly be considered motivically significant in the

piece. This return of material at the end of the work gives Private Game a cyclic shape.

Timbre and Texture

Many timbres of the clarinet are explored within this work. During the first section of the

piece, the clarinet has much technical work and leaps from the chalumeau to the upper clarion

for the majority of the segment. At the end of section 1, the clarinet reaches the altissimo pitch

of d3 (e3). Before and after this high note, Ran contrasts the bright timbre of the altissimo by

alternating this shrill register with the chalumeau. Before the appearance of this d3 (e3) on line

four of page one, the clarinet holds chalumeau e-flat (f) for a lengthy period on line three. This

leap from the lowest to highest register results in an effective contrast of timbres. After the

altissimo note, the clarinet performs the first appearance of the repeated transition fragment in

the lower chalumeau on f-sharp, g, a-flat1 (g-sharp, a, b-flat1).

59

During section 2, the clarinet expresses its lyrical, legato qualities by using the vocal-like,

upper clarion register. By the end of the section on line two of page two, the instrument quickly

moves into the altissimo once again, reiterating the d3 (e3), and leading into a repeat of section 1.

Example 4: Lyricism in section 2 [L1, P2]

After the exact repeated material in the second appearance of section 1, the clarinet

behaves much as it did at the beginning of this section, only in a more intense manner. There are

giant leaps from register to register, with the instrument reaching the peak of the section on

altissimo f3 (g3).

Example 5: Leaping between the registers, section 1 [L1, P3]

Section 3 features the clarinet in the upper chalumeau and throat tone range, as these

middle registers aid the clarinet in blending in with the cello in this unison rhythm section. This

portion represents a unification of the two instruments and sharply contrasts with the out of sync

rhythms seen in section 1. After its repeated material is presented, section 3 is further developed

60

at letter C on line four of page three with a solo in the clarinet, which features wide leaps from

the instrument’ s chalumeau to altissimo register. By the beginning of the next page, the clarinet

exhibits extreme altissimo register playing with a passage that incorporates many a-flat3’s (b-

flat3).

Example 6: Extreme altissimo register playing in section 3 [L1, P4]

After the repeated material in the second appearance of section 2, a cello solo is featured

where the clarinet is tacet except for sparse, quiet fragments played in the upper clarion register

as an echo effect. This segment is followed by another technical clarinet solo that encompasses

the same leaping from low to high registers seen earlier.

The coda, which resembles section 2 in its calm demeanor, features the clarinet playing in

its vocal clarion register once again, and is a sharp contrast from the previous leaping and

extreme altissimo register work in section 3. The clarinet ends the piece on a penultimate note of

d3 (e3) played, like an echo, at a very quiet dynamic in the altissimo register, with the cello

having the final pitch of C.

The dynamic contrasts of the piece, as well as the use of the dynamic capabilities of the

clarinet, contribute to different aspects of the work’ s texture by varying the amounts of smooth

fluidity and volatile fullness of the instrument. The opening two phrases of section 1 extend

from forte to fortissimo. During the development at the end of line two on page one, however,

the clarinet is instructed to play from subito piano to like an explosion with thirty-second notes

61

that land at mezzo forte. The gentle, Schubertian section 2 shows the clarinet in its quiet

dynamic of piano in all of the registers including the altissimo. This quiet altissimo playing

produces a thin, almost ethereal texture that is contrasted greatly in the next segment.

Although section three does not begin at a very loud dynamic, the rapid rhythmic patterns

create an intense feeling that builds to fortissimo by line three of page three. From this point, the

clarinet remains at fortissimo until the end of the section. The Expressionist side of the

instrument’ s timbre appears here with Ran’ s use of unfocused timbre trills and shrill altissimo

register playing. This interesting effect is used in a similar manner in For an Actor: Monologue,

the only other work in this study that uses this device. Timbre trills, which create the sound of a

trill smaller than a half-step by changing the timbre and not the pitch of a note, occur during the

cello’ s performance of a glissando. Glissando is the technique of sliding from one note to

another and also encompasses pitches smaller than a half-step.

Example 7: Timbre trills [L2, P4]

On line one of page four during this section, an Expressionistic device occurs, with the score

being marked mocking, gross. The coarse texture heard here is immediately contrasted with the

reappearance of the gentle section 2 is a great contrast to this intense portion of the work.

In both appearances of section 2, the clarinet never rises above a mezzo piano. Much as

the legato techniques seen in the clarinet imitate the long bows of a stringed instrument, the

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altissimo and upper clarion pitches performed at quiet dynamic levels are imitative of the

harmonics played on a stringed instrument. One example of this technique occurs during the

cello solo on line two of page five. During this cello solo the clarinet is instructed to play p like

an echo. This use of the quiet side of the instrument’ s versatile timbre is a sharp contrast from

the extended technique and extreme altissimo register playing seen in section 3.

Relationship Between the Clarinet and Cello

The clarinet and cello exhibit a complex relationship throughout the piece in terms of the

variety of roles they play. They are either duet partners, in competition with one another,

soloists, or accompanists for whoever is a soloist at the time. The competitive aspect of the two

instruments’ intricate connection is developed between sections 1 and 3, and involves the manner

in which the two instruments are used rhythmically.

Example 8: Comparison of clarinet and cello relationship in sections 1 and 3

a. Section 1: Out of sync rhythms [L1, P1]

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b. Section 3: Unison rhythms [L2, P3]

At the beginning of the first section, the clarinet and cello are not in accordance with one

another rhythmically, as the cello is syncopated while the clarinet plays on the beat, and the two

instruments are playing compound rhythms, such as five against four. This disorder creates an

effect of the instruments pursuing one another and is supported by the score marking,

impassioned, as though in a great rush. By the end of the first phrase in section one, the clarinet

and cello catch up to one another by playing unison rhythms at the end of each phrase, which are

separated by rare bar lines in the work. By section 3, however, this pursuit is replaced by both

instruments playing in unison rhythmically for the entire repeated section.

During section 2’ s first appearance, the clarinet and cello act as duet partners with

interconnected rhythms and equal lines. By the end of this section on line two of page two,

however, the clarinet briefly takes over as a soloist in its altissimo register. After the repeated

material in the return of section 1, the clarinet once again takes over as soloist and performs in its

altissimo register beginning on line four of page two.

Section 3 sees the instruments as duet partners once again as they are playing in similar

registers and have unison rhythms. The clarinet again breaks away at the end of the repeated

material as the soloist exhibiting timbre trills and high pitches. The cellist finally has a solo

during the non-repeated material of the second appearance of section 2 on line one of page five,

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with minimal clarinet accompaniment. During the coda, the clarinet and cello behave as duet

partners, much as they did during section 2.

Melodic Devices using Descending and Ascending Motion

Ran uses descending and ascending motion, often chromatically, as a replacement for

traditional tonal devices in Private Game. A false tonal relationship is created at the end of

section 1 by the use of four pitches descending chromatically throughout this segment to an

artificial tonic. After the bar line on line two of page one, the clarinet reiterates e-flat (f) twice

before moving to d (e). The cello continues this descent with c-sharp on line four and concludes

on c-natural before the first transition. This line creates a descending chromatic motion of e-

flat-d-c-sharp-c, which begins the establishment of c as a false tonic for the section.

Example 9: Fragment of descending chromatic motion that establishes a false tonic of c [L4, P1]

A smaller instance of this chromatic device occurs at the end of section 2. The clarinet

finishes this section reiterating d3 (e3) and begins the return of section one a half-step lower with

c-sharp2 (e-flat2). A similar instance occurs before the coda on line two of page six. This same

motion from d, c-sharp can be seen in the clarinet and cello.

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Example 10: Chromatic motion before the coda [L2, P6]

The next appearance of a structurally significant chromatic relationship creates a convincing end

to the work. The clarinet once again establishes the pitch d, this time two octaves higher as d3

(e3), on line four of page six. On this same line, the cello successfully concludes this motion

with the appearance of D-flat, originally seen as c-sharp, and ends the work persuasively with

C.

Example 11: Descending chromatic motion that convincingly ends the piece [L4, P6]

There are also less structurally significant chromatic relationships within the work. In the

opening two statements of section one, the same section is repeated a half step higher in the

clarinet part only. The first statement, which encompasses the opening until the bar line on line

one, begins on d-flat1 (e-flat1), while the second statement, which begins after the bar line on

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line one, begins on d1 (e1) with each successive pitch until the e2 (f2) on the second line occurring

a half-step higher than it did previously. The unison rhythm notes at the end of each phrase in

section 1 are also in sync a half-step higher in both the cello and clarinet.

Example 12: Ascending motion in section 1

a. First appearance [clarinet, L1, P1]

b. Second appearance [clarinet, L1-2, P1]

The transition that follows this section also exhibits chromatic ascending motion in its

first and subsequent appearances. In the transition’ s first emergence on line four of page one, the

notes shown are f-sharp, g, a-flat1 (g-sharp, a, b-flat1). In the second appearance on line three

of page four, the notes are presented a half step higher as g, a-flat, a-natural1 (a, b-flat1, b-

natural1). In the transition’ s final appearance before the coda, the same pitches of the first

appearance, this time presented an octave higher, are shown, but the initial rhythm has changed

from quarter notes to dotted quarter notes.

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Example 13: Transition section throughout the piece

a. First appearance [L4, P1]:

b. Second appearance [L3, P4]:

c. Final appearance [L2, P6]:

Performance Considerations

Private Game contains complex rhythms, explosive technique, and exploration of many

of the ranges and timbres associated with the clarinet. Ran uses the legato capabilities of the

instrument unexpectedly in the fast sections as well as the slow sections. Care should be taken to

give proper length to these legato notes in the fast section so that they do not seem staccato.

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Each note should bleed into the next, so that the pitches seem to end where the next begins and

vice versa. To achieve the quiet dynamic levels in the altissimo register, the clarinetist must

keep a loose embouchure to prevent squeaks during these delicate sections. Forming the syllable

‘ew’ during embouchure formation and playing with a steady air stream should help the

performance of this technique.

Unlike For an Actor: Monologue, there are no suggested fingerings for the timbre trills

found in the program notes. Either the low written E or b2 keys should be adequate for the

success of this effect.

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Apprehensions

Introduction

Apprehensions, for voice, clarinet, and piano, was written in 1979 and published by the

Israel Music Institute in 1980. The piece uses the text of Sylvia Plath’ s poem of the same name,

located in her Winter Trees collection of poetry.1 The work was commissioned by and premiered

on WFMT, Chicago’ s Fine Arts Radio Station, for a series examining the 20th century art song.

The performers premiering the work on June 20, 1979 were Judith Nicosia, soprano, Laura Flax,

clarinet, and Alan Feint, piano. At the writing of this document there is one recording available

on New World Records with the performers listed above.

The overall structure of this piece is similar to many of the other works examined in this

document, especially in the way contrasting movements are threaded together by one theme, in

this case, loss of sanity, or chaos, which is revisited throughout the work. Plath’ s corresponding

poem consists of four contrasting stanzas, each of which is used for a specific movement of

Ran’ s piece. Thus, Apprehensions consists of four contrasting movements with the final

movement serving as an epilogue of the piece. Ran states in the program notes, “ the poem’ s

format hinted at the possibility of great contrast between movements, held together and propelled

forward by one central idea.” 2

The poem details “ the metamorphosis of a state of mind” 3 by using the colors white,

grey, red, and black, respectively for each stanza. These colors reflect the different stages of the

poem’ s central idea, which is loss of sanity. Hope and the color white are exhibited in

movement one, Desperation and grey in movement two, Terror and red in movement three, and

finally, Resigned Despair and black in the Epilogue, or movement four.

1 Sylvia Plath, Winter Trees, (London: Faber and Faber, 1971). 2 Shulamit Ran, Apprehensions, (Tel Aviv, Israel: Israel Music Institute, 1980). 3 Ran, Apprehensions.

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The work uses many traditional and contemporary aspects simultaneously. The lyrical

and vocal qualities of the clarinet are seen very readily in the piece, as Ran writes “ I added a

clarinet (to me an instrument which can be closely linked to the human voice), as a kind of ‘alter

ego,’ to the more conventional pairing of voice and piano.” 4

The addition of the clarinet provides a contemporary dimension to this “ conventional

pairing” of voice and piano. In the same way that the ensemble of Concerto da Camera II uses

the traditional clarinet quintet expanded by the addition of piano, Apprehensions develops the

traditional genre of voice and piano art song by adding the clarinet as an extension of the voice.

This relationship between the clarinet and voice in Apprehensions is quite unusual, as the

two instruments compensate for one another’ s differences, and often act as continuations of each

other. Where the clarinet cannot verbally express the words of the poem, the voice does not have

the range of low to high, or the ability to express the type of extended techniques possible on the

clarinet.

Aside from the display of its vocal characteristics, however, the use of the clarinet in

Apprehensions is quite contemporary. For an Actor: Monologue is probably the only other

piece examined in this study whose Expressionist qualities can compare to those seen in

Apprehensions. Rachel Yvonne Cruz has written about Ran’ s choice of poem, “ The composer

chose to set this poem, believing that its topic was that of a nightmarish action, Plath’ s suicide, a

topic often chosen by Expressionistic composers.” 5 The emotional intensity of the often

grotesque poem is partially expressed by Ran’ s use of extreme altissimo register playing and

dynamic contrast in the clarinet. Extended techniques such as a grotesque sounding flutter

tongue also add to the Expressionist aspects of the work.

4 Ran, Apprehensions. 5 Rachel Yvonne Cruz, “ An Investigation and Analysis of Shulamit Ran’ s ‘Apprehensions for Voice, Clarinet, and Piano” (DMA document, The University of Texas at Austin, 2000), 11.

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As the piece does not contain a time signature, the resulting space between the few bar

lines present is often lengthy. Many significant moments in the work occur around letters

marked in the score. When referring to musical examples, the author shall refer to page

numbers, line numbers, and letters in the full score, as numbering traditional measures based on

the few bar lines present in the work is virtually impossible. The piece itself begins on page three

of the full score. As the full score is transposed, the clarinet in A’ s concert pitches will be given

initially, with the written pitches presented directly afterward in parentheses.

Structural Devices: Form, Shape, and Melodic Motives

As mentioned previously, the piece consists of four movements that correspond to the

four stanzas of the poem, “ Apprehensions.” As there is only one stanza used per movement, Ran

often repeats lines, parts of lines, and words of the poem, which often have corresponding

musical material that is also repeated. The different sections within the movements are either

determined by the text itself, or the manner in which the voice and clarinet are being used at the

time.

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Example 14: Form of the first movement of Apprehensions Section Description Text 1.Beginning-D, page 7 Two sub-sections There is this white wall, above which the sky creates itself Infinite, green, utterly untouchable Sub-section 1: Beginning-letter C Clarinet and voice Extension of one another

Sub-section 2: Letter C-Letter D Voice and piano duet 2.D-letter O, page 13 Three sub-sections Angels swim in it, and the stars, in indifference also They are my medium Sub-section 1: Letter D-Letter F Voice/Clarinet Unison Duet Sub-section 2: Letter F-Letter L Voice/Clarinet/Piano independent Sub-section 3: Letter L-Letter O Clarinet and Voice Extension of one another 3.O-end Coda-like The sun dissolves on this wall, bleeding its lights. Clarinet and Voice in unison

The first movement indicates in the score that the music is to be performed, very slow,

dream-like, free,6 The overall mood of the movement is slow and peaceful, but there is a sense of

foreboding and dread kept present throughout the movement by low, dissonant, piano chords.

The movement can be thought of in three large sections, with the first two statements each using

two lines of the poem’ s first five-line stanza. The final section exclusively uses the last line of

the stanza and concludes the movement.

6 Ran, Apprehensions.

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The first statement of movement one, which uses the text “ there is this white wall, above

which the sky creates itself/ Infinite, green, utterly untouchable,” 7 begins the piece and ends at

letter D on page seven. As the lines of text are repeated twice, the first section can be broken

into two sub-sections determined by the presence and absence of the clarinet. This first sub-

section occurs the initial time these two lines of text are uttered and encompasses the beginning

of the piece until letter C on page six.

During this first sub-section, the clarinet vacillates between being an extension of the

voice and a soloist. While the voice is performing the poem’ s text, the clarinet is usually holding

a tone underneath; but when the voice is using these sustained tones, the clarinet has the moving

line and is much more the soloist of the two instruments.

The second sub-section that uses these first two lines of the stanza begins at letter C on

page six, and involves only the voice and piano while the clarinet remains tacet. At this point,

the voice is using the Expressionist device of Sprechtstimme, or speech-song, which would be

virtually impossible for the clarinet to accomplish.

The second section of movement one encompasses the next two lines of the stanza,

“ Angels swim in it, and the stars, in indifference also/ They are my medium.” This segment

begins at letter D on page 7 and continues until letter O on page thirteen. Section two is the most

lengthy and developed in movement one and can be thought of as having three smaller sub-

sections of its own.

The first sub-section within this second section (letter D, page seven-letter F page nine)

uses the voice and clarinet in a duet of unison rhythms on different pitches. The second sub-

section begins with letter F on page nine and continues the previous voice and clarinet duet, but

adds the piano with an independent part of its own. By the third sub-section, which begins with 7 Ran, Apprehensions.

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letter L on page twelve, the clarinet displays similar characteristics to ones it utilized at the

beginning of the movement, as it alternates the two roles of soloist and extension of the voice.

The third and final section of movement one is very coda-like and begins at letter O on

page thirteen. The last line of the first stanza, “ The sun dissolves on this wall, bleeding its

lights” is used in this calm section, which contrasts with the built-up intensity of the previous

section.

Example 15: Form of the second movement of Apprehensions

Section Description Text 1. Page 14-D, page 18 Clarinet solo with None Piano accompaniment 2. D-K, page 22 Voice solo with Piano accompaniment A grey wall now, clawed and bloody Is there no way out of the mind? Steps at my back, spiral into a well 3. K-end Coda-like There are no trees or birds in this world Voice/Clarinet duet Only a sourness.

The second movement can be divided into three large sections. This movement begins

with a declamatory clarinet solo, which the piano joins by the end of the second line on page

fourteen. On line three of page sixteen, the clarinet repeats the opening solo line, which is now

more developed by the presence of the piano. The second section begins at letter D on page

eighteen and contains only the voice and piano, which present the first three lines of the poem’ s

second stanza. This section demonstrates great intensity due to the voice’ s wide leaps and

Sprechstimme. Section two ends at letter K on page twenty-two.

The third and final section of this movement begins with letter K on page twenty-two,

and is very coda-like in its contrasting, cool texture and mood. This coda contains only the voice

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and clarinet which perform serene, independent lines that occasionally come together, but often

move away from one another in contrary motion.

Example 16: Form of the third movement of Apprehensions Section Description Text 1. Beginning-line 2, page 33 Three sub-sections This red wall winces continually A red fist, opening and closing Sub-section 1: Beginning-C, page 25 Voice/Clarinet in unison Independent Piano Sub-section 2: C-F, page 28 Clarinet and Piano Ostinatos beneath Voice solo Sub-section 3: F-line 2, page 33 Voice/Clarinet/Piano Independent 2. Line 2, page 33-end, Two sub-sections Two grey papery bags page 40 This is what I am made of, this, and a terror Of being wheeled off under crosses and a rain of pieties. Sub-section 1: Line 2, page 33-P Voice/Clarinet duet Piano accompaniment Sub-section 2: P, page 37-end, page 40 Voice/Clarinet in unison Ostinato pattern returns Piano solo-line 1, page 40

The third movement is the longest and most intense of the four movements and can be

divided into two significant sections, the first of which uses the beginning two lines of the third

stanza: “ This red wall winces continually/ A red fist opening and closing” while the second

large section of the movement uses the last three lines “ Two grey papery bags/ This is what I am

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made of, this, and a terror/ Of being wheeled off under crosses and a rain of pieties.” There are

several restatements of these lines throughout the movement.

This first major section extends from the beginning of the movement on page twenty-

three until line two on page thirty-three, and contains three smaller sub-sections. The first sub-

section extends from the movement’ s beginning until letter C on page twenty-five. During this

first sub-section, the piano opens with an explosive solo and is joined on line two with the

clarinet and voice playing in unison rhythms in their respective high registers.

In the second sub-section within the first section, the clarinet and piano have an intense

duet beginning on letter C of page twenty-five and ending at letter F on page twenty-five. This

duet consists of the two instruments playing separate ostinato patterns, which the voice joins

with a pattern of its own at letter D on page twenty-eight.

The final sub-section of section one begins at letter F on page twenty-eight and ends on

line two of page thirty-three. At this point, the ostinato pattern between the clarinet and piano

ceases, and the clarinet once again begins to mimic, and act as an extension of, the voice.

The second large section of the third movement consists of the last three lines of the

stanza, which start on line two of page thirty-three, and can be divided into two smaller sub-

sections. The first sub-section extends from line two of page thirty-three until letter P of page

thirty-seven.

Here the voice and clarinet once again play a unison duet against an independent piano

line. Letter P on page thirty-seven begins the final sub-section of section two and sees the

clarinet and voice in unison again.

The text “ Two grey papery bags” from the beginning of the section is repeated using a

slightly developed version of the clarinet’ s ostinato pattern first seen in section one. On line one

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of page forty, a piano solo ends the movement intensely with a chord cluster and the instructions,

add left forearm (play at edge of black keys to obtain a cluster of black and white notes.8

Example 17: Form in the fourth movement Epilogue of Apprehensions

Sections Description Text 1. Beginning-D, page 44 Clarinet/Voice On a black wall unidentifiable birds Extensions of one another Swivel their heads and cry Piano accompaniment 2. D-G, page 45 Clarinet/Voice There is no talk of immortality among these Unison duet with Piano accompaniment 3. G-end, page 46 Clarinet/Voice Cold blanks approach us Extensions of one another They move in a hurry. Piano accompaniment

The fourth movement, or Epilogue, which leaves behind the intensity of the second and

third movements, can be divided into three sections. Although material from the first movement

returns, the hopeful feelings reflected in these elements during their initial appearance have

transformed into feelings of despair.

The first section uses the first two lines of the poem’ s last stanza, “ On a black wall

unidentifiable birds/ Swivel their heads and cry” and encompasses the beginning of the

movement until letter D on page forty-four. This section begins with a piano solo that the voice

joins in a duet on line two, and further develops into a voice and clarinet pairing by line two of

page forty-two.

The second section begins with letter D on page forty-four and extends to letter G on

page forty-five. Here, the clarinet and voice play in unison once again and encompass only one

line of text, “ There is no talk of immortality among these.” The third and final section of the

8 Ran, Apprehensions.

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movement begins with letter G on page forty-five and sees a return of the opening texture of the

piece where the clarinet acts as an extension of the voice and uses the final two lines of the

poem, “ Cold blanks approach us/ They move in a hurry.”

Ran speaks about the shape of Apprehensions in the program notes: “ The overall shape

of a gradual ascent to a horrific climax culminating in a steep fall was one I found myself drawn

to enormously.” 9 This aspect of the piece’ s contour is similar to the shape of For an Actor:

Monologue, which also exhibits this ascending and descending motion as an important structural

component. A gradual rise and steep plummet, however, are not the sole aspects of the

architecture of Apprehensions, whose shape can, in some ways, be considered cyclic, as material

from the beginning returns at the end.

This returning material is often in the form of melodic motives. Unlike many of Ran’ s

other works that use rhythmic motives as a major structural component, Apprehensions relies on

melodic motives to unify the piece and give the listener a sense of continuity. As the piece has

no time signature, and uses a relatively slower moving instrument like the human voice, and text

that is repeated several times, Ran chooses melodic motives over rhythmic motives to aid in

unifying the work.

Motive One

The opening three note motive found in the voice on line one of page three, d1, f1, b is

heard many times throughout the piece. These intervals of an ascending minor third

to a descending tritone are prevalent in the listener’ s mind because of the dissonance and dark

sound created by these particular intervals when they are heard consecutively. In the second

movement this motive can be found in the clarinet part on the first line of K on page twenty-two.

Here, the initial appearance of the motive has been inverted to g, e, a-sharp (b, flat, g, c-sharp). 9 Ran, Apprehensions.

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The original effect of the dissonance, however, can still be felt, especially since the tritone is

played against a consonant major third (a, c-sharp1) in the voice.

Example 18: Motive One Examples

a. Movement 1 [L1, P3]

b. Movement 2 [L1, P22]

c. Movement 4 [L1, P41]

d. Movement 4 [L2, P44]

At the beginning of the last movement (Letter A on page forty-one), the motive can be

found inverted in the voice part on exactly the same pitches of its original appearance (f1, b, d1).

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Although the motive is presented in a different order from its first arrival, the dissonant interval

of the tritone causes the original essence of the motive to still be present in the listener’ s mind.

At a later point in the last movement, the motive is presented a final time at letter E in the voice

in this altered order as (e-flat2, a1, f-sharp1). Although this example has modulated and is

different from its original appearance in the first movement, the prevalent tritone at the

beginning causes the motive still to be effective.

Motive Two

Another important melodic motive used in the work is found exclusively in the clarinet,

and repeated in almost exactly the same way in subsequent appearances. The figure is initially

found on the third line of page four in the first movement. For the most part, this line is a

chromatically descending passage in the chalumeau register that ends with a trill. The next

appearance occurs on line one of page six.

The motive is not seen again until the last movement, but makes several appearances

during this Epilogue. On the second line of page forty-five, the figure begins its first of three

consecutive appearances that end the piece.

In the last four measures the clarinet simply repeats the trill on f seen at the end of the

motive. This figure is an important unification device in the work, as it is seen during the

interpretation of the first line of the poem, and during the final appearance of the last line of the

poem.

Example 19: Motive Two Examples a. Movement 1 [L3, P4]

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b. Movement 4 [L2, P45]

Although not a motive in the sense of the previous two devices, one interesting result of

the direct repetition used throughout the piece involves an ostinato pattern created in the clarinet

in movement three. This repeated pattern begins on letter C of page twenty-five and includes (g-

flat, a, f, e-flat1, g-flat). The pattern is seen again during letter P of the third movement, when

the voice and clarinet perform this ostinato, which has been developed with the addition of

another note, together. The original sound of the ostinato is still obvious to the listener because

of the degree of its repetition in the earlier section. The developed pattern is presented in the

clarinet part two octaves away from its original appearance with e-flat, f-sharp, d2, f2, c3 (g-

flat2, a2, f2, a-flat2, e-flat3). This added a-flat creates an octatonic statement, seen in order as c3,

d, e-flat2, f2, f-sharp2 (e-flat3, f, g-flat2, a-flat2, a2).

Example 20: Clarinet Ostinato in Movement Three

a. [L2, P25]

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b. [L2, P37]

Timbre and Texture

Every register of the clarinet is explored and utilized throughout Apprehensions. In the

first movement the clarinet, for the most part, uses either its chalumeau or clarion register when

it is played simultaneously with the voice. When the clarinet acts as an extension of the voice, it

can generally be found leaping from clarion to chalumeau in more technical passages that would

not be possible for the soprano. An example of this compensation made by the clarinet involves

the chromatic motive two. The clarinet takes over where the voice leaves off, moving into the

depths of its chalumeau register and causing the voice and clarinet to behave as one instrument.

Example 21: Clarinet as an extension of the Voice (Movement 1: L3, P4]

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By the end of movement one, the clarinet has begun to end phrases with altissimo register

pitches above the voice. This use of the altissimo register can initially be seen on line two of

page eleven when the clarinet ends the phrase with d-sharp3 (f-sharp3). c2 (e-flat3) can be

found ending the next phrase. As the first movement grows more intense, the clarinet begins to

explore the more Modernist side of its timbre by using the distorted sounds of extended

techniques such as flutter tongue on line two of page twelve. The growing intensity of the first

movement is reflected in the clarinet’ s rise from the placid chalumeau register to the altissimo

register and use of extended techniques.

These Modernist tendencies are further developed by the clarinet in the second

movement. The instrument begins the movement alone with an aggressive solo consisting of

patterns that leap from chalumeau to altissimo register, and reach c3 (e-flat3) and d3 (f3). This

explosive section also exhibits very staccato articulation that contrasts with the legato imitation

of the voice seen in the first movement.

Example 22: Fragment of movement two clarinet solo [L1, P14]

On the third line of page seventeen, the Expressionist side of the clarinet’ s timbre reaches

a high point when the instrument flutter tongues an f-sharp at fortissimo. The clarinet and voice

do not perform in this movement together until the final section on page twenty-two, when the

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calm character of the first movement returns. At this point, the clarinet almost exclusively uses

the chalumeau register.

Example 23: Expressionist devices: flutter tongue, score marking, and extreme altissimo a. Movement 2 [L3, P17]

b. Movement 3 [L2, P25]

c. Movement 3 [L1, P31]

The third movement uses the various timbres of the clarinet in the most intense,

Expressionistic manner found in the work. At the beginning of this movement, the clarinet and

voice play wide, intense leaps from low to high registers. By letter C on page twenty-five,

however, the clarinet begins its ostinato pattern in the chalumeau register which, keeping the

Expressionist tendencies of the work in mind, is marked gross! in the score.

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Section I on page thirty-one contains the most extensive altissimo register playing of the

clarinet in the piece. Beginning on a g3 (b-flat3) at fortissimo, the clarinet leaps between the

extreme altissimo and the chalumeau in a very striking and intense way. When the voice returns

in the next section, line two of page thirty-three, the clarinet, in duet with the voice, stays mainly

in the throat tones and clarion register. At the end of this section, the clarinet leaps to the

altissimo register once again.

In section P on page thirty-seven, Ran instructs the clarinetist to play raucous, con

vibrato, ‘cheap.’ This is another example of an Expressionist device that causes the clarinet to

sharply contrast its expected vocal characteristics in order to make sounds that some listeners

might find grotesque, but that add to the feeling of growing intensity in the piece. The

movement ends with the same leaps seen at the beginning, and the clarinet and voice end on the

same pitch. The final movement uses the clarinet’ s chalumeau in the same manner seen at the

beginning of the first movement.

Aside from timbre, there are many extreme dynamic changes that utilize the entire

spectrum of the clarinet’ s dynamic capabilities, and effect the texture of the piece by controlling

which sections are fluid and which are rough. On the second line of the opening page, the

clarinet is instructed to enter imperceptibly at pianissimo. This unique ability of the clarinet to

enter at the quietest of dynamic levels is used throughout the work. At the end of the second

movement, the clarinet is instructed to play on page twenty-two pianissimo at subtone. In the

last movement, on page forty-three, the clarinet plays pianissimo with (echo) marked in the score

These soft dynamic capabilities of the clarinet are generally used as a way to make the clarinet’ s

role as an extension of the voice more seamless, or to appear as an echo of the voice.

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The other dynamic capabilities of the clarinet are also utilized, mainly for their

Expressionist tendencies. Both times the flutter tongue technique is used, the clarinet is at

fortissimo, and throughout the clarinet’ s solo in movement two, this dynamic and triple

fortissimo are used. When the clarinet plays gross and con vibrato in the third movement, it is

also at these loud dynamic levels. Ran typically utilizes the clarinet’ s fortissimo dynamic

abilities to contrast the vocal characteristics of the instrument’ s sound, and further act as a more

intense ‘alter-ego’ of the voice.

Ascending and Descending Melodic Motion

As the piece is freely atonal, Ran uses various devices to replace the unity created by

traditional tonality. Repetition of melodic motives is one tool employed by Ran for unification.

Another such device involves ascending and descending melodic motion that, in many ways,

reflects the text of the poem.

The first movement and its accompanying first stanza reflect ascending melodic motion:

There is this white wall, above which the sky creates itself Infinite, green, utterly untouchable

Angels swim in it, and the stars, in indifference also They are my medium The sun dissolves on this wall, bleeding its lights10

Several of the lines in the first stanza reflect the overall ascending melodic motion that

occurs in movement one. “ Above which the sky creates itself,” “ Angels,” and “ Stars” all bring

about connotations of objects that are overhead, or in a high position. After the opening pitches

in the voice, the second vocal fragment begins on b-flat1 on the first line and ends on the higher

pitch of c-sharp2 on line two. The first soloistic statement by the clarinet on the first line of page

four, begins on g (b-flat) and ends on g-sharp2 (b2) of the same line. The next clarinet entrance 10 Sylvia Plath, “ Apprehensions,” (London: Faber and Faber, 1971).

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at A uses the same device: it begins on f-sharp (a) and ends at f-sharp2 (a2) on line one of page

five. When the voice and clarinet are performing around the word “ Angels” at letter E (P8, L2],

the clarinet begins on e (g) and ends on f1 (a-flat1). Virtually all of the motion in the clarinet and

voice during the first half of movement one is ascending.

Example 24: Ascending motion in clarinet, movement one a. [L1, P4]

b. “ Angels” [L2, P8]

Descending melodic motion, which occurs at letter O on page thirteen, also reflects

downward connotations in the text. The words “ The sun dissolves” are accompanied by the

voice descending from g2, f-sharp2 on line two of page thirteen and finally ending on e-flat2 in

the last line of the movement. The second appearance of the text “ the sun dissolves” is

whispered and not sung by the voice, with a mark to indicate descension written in the score.

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Example 25: Descending motion in movement one, “ The sun dissolves” [L3, P13]

The frenzied ascending melodic motion of the second movement mirrors the text of the

poem’ s second stanza where the subject is desperately attempting to move upward:

A grey wall, now clawed and bloody Is there no way out of the mind? Steps at my back, spiral into a well There are no trees or birds in this world Only a sourness.11

Words such as “ clawed and bloody” suggest a frenzied attempt at climbing, or ascension.

“ Is there no way out of the mind?” suggests fear and desperate desire to not fall or descend into

the spiraling “ well” that could only lead to an unhappy place filled with “ sourness.”

The beginning of the second movement contains ascending melodic motion. The clarinet

solo begins on c-sharp2 (e2) and ends after much leaping a whole-step higher on d-sharp (f-

sharp). Although range-wise the clarinet ends on a lower pitch, the leaping mirrors the

desperation expressed in the poem of chaos and a world turned upside-down.

Example 26: Ascending motion in the clarinet solo of movement two [L1, P14]

11 Plath, “ Apprehensions.”

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When the voice comes in at letter D, this intensity is further increased by the use of

Sprechstimme which instructs for the voice to rise and fall creating bell-shaped phrases. “ Spiral

into a well” contains connotations of descending motion, which is exhibited in the music when

this text is presented. When the clarinet enters with the voice at letter K, there is a slow

descension beginning in the clarinet part on the third line of page twenty-two that starts with g

(b-flat) which spirals downward in thirds d-sharp, f-sharp, d, f (f-sharp, a, f-natural, g-sharp,

e) to the end of the movement.

Example 27: Descending motion in the clarinet, movement two [L4, P22]

The third movement mirrors the terror and the inevitable fall into insanity expressed in

the third stanza by use of descending motion.

This red wall winces continually A red fist, opening and closing Two grey papery bags This is what I am made of, this, and a terror Of being wheeled off under crosses, and a rain of pieties.12 Until letter C, the motion reflected in the piece is desperate melodic ascension mirrored by the

giant leaps made in the voice and clarinet. At letter B, however, there is an unnotated descent in

the clarinet part that mimics a fall.

12 Plath, “ Apprehensions.”

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Example 28: Descending motion in clarinet, movement three [L1, P24]

At this point, the ominous clarinet and piano ostinatos begin at letter C and the voice, now lost to

insanity, hovers on one pitch per word creating a stuttering effect and a last desperate attempt at

ascension. The word “ red” is first seen on a g-sharp2 on line two of letter D, and finally a g2 at

letter F that has descended a half-step.

At letter I, the clarinet’ s extreme altissimo passage reveals subtle descending motion g3,

f-sharp, e-flat2, d, c2 (b-flat3, a, g-flat2, f, e-flat2). This passage contains some octatonic ideas

(e-flat, f, g-flat), but is not a pure version of this type of scale.

Example 29: Descending motion using the extreme altissimo register [L1, P31]

Beginning at letter J, there is another altissimo descending device. The clarinet’ s e3 that ends

line one of page thirty-two is followed by an f-sharp3 then in the next measure an f-natural3,

then an e3, a d3 and finally a c-sharp1 at letter L. At letter P the voice and clarinet perform the

previous clarinet ostinato pattern of letter C, where there is neither ascension or descension, as

the same pitch patterns are used to repeat the same words.

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This static motion continues in the Epilogue, as the poem’ s subject has resigned itself to a

fate of descension.

On a black wall unidentifiable birds Swivel their heads and cry There is no talk of immortality among these Cold blanks approach us They move in a hurry.13 The voice repeats the same pitch a-flat during almost all of the first line of the poem “ On a black

wall” throughout letters A and B. When the voice utters “ unidentifiable birds” there is ascending

motion in the form of a minor ninth. During the next fragment of line two on page forty-two,

however, “ birds” is spoken with a descending line mark and the indication mournful, resigned.

Example 30: Static motion of the voice in movement four [L2, P41]

Example 31: Descending motion with “ birds,” movement four [L2, P42]

The next line during letter D of page forty-four says “ There is no talk of immortality.” This line

descends from b-flat1 to a-flat1. The same static, resigned use of a-flat is found at G with the

13 Plath, “ Apprehensions.”

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line “ cold blanks approach us” as the voice succumbs to its fate, which is mirrored by the

descending chromatic motive in the clarinet, which lands on g (b-flat), a step below the static a-

flat. The voice continues to repeat the a-flat until the end of the piece, while the clarinet

reiterates the descending chromatic motive, which finally lands on f (a-flat) at letter I, and

finishes the work.

Example 32: Static and Descending motion that concludes the work [L1, P46]

Performance Considerations

The clarinetist performing this work must have a wide dynamic range and a controlled

sound in all registers of the instrument. In the first movement, much communication is needed

between the voice and clarinet. As the two instruments act as extensions of one another

throughout this movement, they must often take cues from each other to make this effect as

seamless as possible. The third line of page four is an example of this effect. The clarinetist

must blend in such a way as not to be heard as a separate instrument, but rather a continuation of

the voice.

The flutter tonguing in the work can be approached in the same manner mentioned in For

an Actor: Monologue, where the clarinetist can either trill the tongue or make the gargling sound

with the throat for a false production of this extended technique. Flutter tongue is not quite as

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prevalent in Apprehensions as it is in For an Actor: Monologue, and all of the fluttered notes in

Apprehensions are in the chalumeau register, which is the least difficult register in which to

demonstrate this procedure.

In the movement two clarinet solo, the instrument must use loud dynamics, crisp

articulation and play very aggressively. Section K at the end of this movement should directly

contrast this aggression, as it is marked sub-tone. This hollow sound can be accomplished with

the correct amount of air pressure and an embouchure that is not too constricted. The clarinetist

can practice this technique of imperceptible entrance by blowing air into the instrument before

producing a sound. Over time, the clarinetist will be able to determine the correct amount of air

pressure needed to produce this soft sound in order to sneak, and not jump, in during

performance.

In the third movement, aggressive playing, crisp staccato, and coordination with the voice

are all needed once again. Fast air pressure and a tighter embouchure will help produce the

descending altissimo tones found at letter I.

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CHAPTER IV

LARGE CHAMBER MUSIC FOR CLARINET

Concerto da Camera II

Introduction

Concerto da Camera II was written in 1987 and published by the Theodore Presser

Company in 1989. This work, for clarinet, string quartet, and piano, was commissioned and

premiered by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on a ten city tour in 1987. There are

two recordings available at the writing of this document, the first with Edward Gilmore as

clarinetist on Composers Recordings Incorporated, and the second with clarinetist Laura Flax on

Bridge Records.

The traditional elements within this piece begin with the instrumentation. The clarinet

quintet, which involves clarinet and string quartet only, is a fairly traditional ensemble that

composers such as Mozart, C.M. von Weber, and Brahms made recognizable during their

lifetimes. There are sections within Concerto da Camera II that only use string quartet and

clarinet, whose timbre blends in much more successfully with the string quartet than the piano’ s.

Indeed, at times in the piece, the piano seems to be disconnected from what is happening among

the other instruments, much like the narrator of a story is disconnected from the characters within

the work they are discussing. This aspect allows moments of the more traditional clarinet quintet

ensemble to shine through.

Other than this somewhat traditional form, however, Ran’ s use of extensive altissimo

register playing in the clarinet during movement three is very different from what the three

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composers mentioned above would write, and can be considered a modern addition to a

somewhat traditional form. The majority of the extended altissimo playing occurs in the third

movement of the work, a section which contains the most tutti passages of any of the three

movements. The full ensemble texture requires the clarinet to perform in this bright register so

that it may be heard over the strings and piano, which, for the most part, are playing at a forte

dynamic.

The piece is comprised of three contrasting movements. Although each movement is

different from one another, there are elements about each that tie the three together as a whole.

Ran has described the instrumentation, which was chosen by its commissioning organization, as

“ the work’ s first challenge;” 1 as the instruments are so different from one another in timbre and

mechanics that the task of combining them in one piece is daunting. Ran solves this dilemma by

often using solos and different combinations of the instruments in lieu of many lengthy tutti

passages.

Although the clarinet and piano appear to be the most independent of the six instruments,

the two are often overshadowed by the string quartet, causing the piece to be a perpetual struggle

of which instrument has the dominant, or solo, voice. A unifying element used by the whole

ensemble involves a ripple effect created by staggered entrances of the instruments seen in the

first measure and many other times throughout the piece.

1 Shulamit Ran, Introduction to liner notes for “ Concerto da Camera II,” Music of Shulamit Ran, The Da Capo Chamber Players (Bridge Records, 1995), compact disc.

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Example 1: Initial Appearance of the Staggered Entrance Device (Movement one, measure one)

This effect involves a new pitch introduced by a different member of the ensemble on each

eighth note beat of the measure. By the third movement of the work, this staggered entrance

develops into unison playing of the entire ensemble, as the instruments enter simultaneously.

An intensity is created throughout the piece because of these staggered entrances which

creates the appearance of the instruments chasing one another. This chase results in an intense

struggle to be the soloist in the first movement, with each instrument finding its own solo voice

in the second movement, and finally becoming a unified group, or one voice, in the third

movement.

Structural Devices: Form, Motivic Development, and Shape

Form in the three movements of Concerto da Camera II is, for the most part, determined

by what instrument or groups of instruments are being used at the time. The clarinet, along with

the piano and cello, is used both soloistically and as a chamber instrument in the work. Whether

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used in a cadenza, as a fifth member of the string quartet, or in a duet or trio with the other

instruments, the clarinet has a very prominent position in every movement of the piece.

An obvious form in the first movement of the piece is not as easily identifiable as in some

of Ran’ s other works. There is a feeling of continuous flow because different sections are not

episodic and often bleed over into one another. Although previously heard material returns at the

end of the movement, and the piece has a coda-like ending, this first movement, along with the

other two, does not have the traditional forms found in Ran’ s solo clarinet pieces.

The first movement can be divided into five sections that, in many ways, revolve around

the composer’ s various uses of the clarinet. The first section includes mm1-18, which Ran has

titled con spirito, marcato. In this first section, the clarinet is used as a soloist. The instrument’ s

first entrance in measure 6 is marked fanfare-like and interrupts the repeated staggered entrance

pattern of the string quartet and piano discussed earlier.

Example 2: Form of the first movement of Concerto da Camera II. Section Measures Use of the Clarinet 1 1-18 Clarinet as soloist 2 19-32 Chamber use of the clarinet 3 33-44 Clarinet and piano as soloists 4 45-55 All six competing to be the soloist 5 56-64 Coda: Clarinet is tacet

The next section includes mm19-32 and exhibits a slight increase in tempo. This section

features the clarinet as a chamber instrument which is, at times, subordinate to the strings. Ran

uses the clarinet’ s chalumeau register in this section, as opposed to the clarion and altissimo use

in the solo passages, so the instrument can more successfully blend in with the strings. The

passage also includes the first of many cello solos while the clarinet plays off of the upper three

strings or is tacet.

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A descending clarinet run in measure 32 leads to the next section marked Piu Mosso.

The Piu Mosso extends through measure 44 and features the clarinet and piano fighting to be the

dominant instrument. At this point in the piece, the intensity level has started to increase as the

instruments begin to battle for the primary solo voice. The only member of the string quartet that

fights to be a soloist is the cello; however, from this section and throughout the piece the entire

string quartet fights as one instrument to be the dominant force. The instrumentation is thicker

than in the clarinet’ s first section as a soloist, but the use of the instrument’ s upper registers and

virtuosic technical passages cause the clarinet’ s solo voice to come out over the other textures.

The next, and most intense, section of the piece begins in measure 45 and features the

clarinet, piano, and full string quartet competing for dominance. The first measure of this section

is eerily reminiscent of the opening staggered entrances of the movement, but this time the

technique is presented at double speed because of the increased intensity and tempo marking.

The string quartet at this point plays unison rhythms and pitches while the piano and clarinet

exhibit their own independent lines above and below the quartet. The section ends with another

descending clarinet run in mm54-55, and from this point until the end of the movement the

clarinet is silent.

The last section of the movement is a calm, coda-like Meno mosso that encompasses

mm56-64. The piano and string quartet pass material back and forth for five measures, with the

second violin bringing back a melody heard in the second section (mm31-32). In measure 60,

the piano becomes and remains a solo instrument until the end of the piece.

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Example 3: Form, or sections, of the second movement of Concerto da Camera II Section Measures Type of Ensemble 1 1-6 Piano solo 2 7-17 Entire ensemble 3 18-21 Clarinet cadenza 4 22-23 Piano solo 5 24-29 Violins, viola trio 6 30-32 Cello cadenza 7 32-35 Violins duet 8 36 Clarinet and piano cadenza 9 37 Cello cadenza 10 38-41 String quartet only 11 42 Short cello cadenza 12 43-51 Clarinet, Violins, and viola 13 52-60 Piano and string quartet

Although the texture changes are much more stark and obvious in the second movement

than in the first, these transitions are so frequent that dividing the piece into larger sections is

almost impossible. The slow, often dissonant, chords of the piano solo that opens the movement

are seen again at the end; but other than this and a somewhat developed cello solo that is seen

twice, there is little repeated material in the movement. The overall feel of the movement is free

and fantasia-like with only the clarinet, cello, and piano receiving their own cadenzas. Aside

from these cadenzas, there are assorted duets and trios of various combinations of the other

instruments.

The slow chords of a piano solo mentioned above begin the movement and act as an

introduction until measure 6. The next section involves mm7-17 and is the only section in the

entire movement where the whole six member ensemble is used simultaneously. Measure 7 is

reminiscent of the opening measure of the first movement, as the same staggered entrance effect

is created among the instruments. Although the clarinet is not used as a true soloist in this

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section, its line, along with the piano’ s, is much more rhythmically active than the string

quartet’ s and causes the instrument to be present on the surface of the ensemble.

The cadenzas of the second movement are marked “ senza misura,” and, consequently,

Ran does not use measure numbers in these somewhat lengthy passages which often take up two

or three lines of music. The clarinet’ s first of two cadenzas in the movement begins the next

section of measure 18. Although the piano and strings return by measure 19, the clarinet is used

as a soloist until measure 22 which begins the next section.

From mm22-35 there are various short segments where the members of the ensemble

other than clarinet are used in varying solo and small groups. These combinations include a

short piano solo, a string trio involving the two violins and viola, a cello cadenza, and a duet

between the two violins. Each of these entrances is very brief as the combinations flit from one

to another in a fantasy-like manner.

The clarinet returns for its second cadenza in measure 36, which is once again marked

“ senza misura.” Although the clarinet is playing a cadenza with no tempo restraints, the piano

joins in with a competing cadenza of its own. At this point, Ran has marked in the score *exact

coordination not required. Play freely but piano must finish passage by **2 This cadenza duet

is followed by a short cello solo which is a variation upon the cello’ s first cadenza, as previously

heard material appears again and is developed.

Measures 38-42 feature brief appearances of groups and include the string quartet alone,

and a final cello solo in measure 42. From this point until measure 51, however, there is an

interesting ensemble of the clarinet and the string quartet minus the cello. The clarinet’ s

chalumeau register is used in an attempt to blend in with the three strings, and perhaps mimic the

qualities of the missing cello. Measures 51-60, or the end of the piece, sees the return of the

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opening piano chords which are now accompanied by string harmonics above the piano’ s line.

This final section, in which the clarinet is tacet, ends the movement quietly.

The third and final movement of Concerto da Camera II has a structure that contains

formal elements used in both of the previous movements. The movement contains the larger

sections of different character that the first movement did, as well as the shorter, fantasy-like

fragments of the second movement. This third movement is a culmination of the staggered effect

seen throughout the first two movements that finally comes together by the end of the piece,

resulting in much unison playing by the ensemble.

Example 4: Form of the third movement of Concerto da Camera II

Section Measures Type of Ensemble 1 1-7 Piano solo 2 8-19 Clarinet and string quartet 3 20-23 Piano solo 4 24-51 Molto Energico(Large Section) Quartet alone 3 52-65 Piu Moderato (Large Section) Tutti 6 66-67 Piano and Violin I solos 7 68-91 Molto Energico (Large Section) Quartet/Piano 8 92-93 Piano solo 9 94-111 Eccentric (Large Section) Clarinet, Strings/Piano 10 112-113 Piano cadenza 11 114-131 (Large Section) Clarinet/Piano duet quartet

Mm1-23 represents the first section of the movement, but could be said to encompass

three smaller fragments. A bombastic piano solo opens the piece and continues until measure 8

when a section begins that alternates the use of the string quartet and soloistic clarinet. The

staggered entrance seen at the beginning of the first movement and in the second movement

2 Shulamit Ran, Concerto da Camera II, (Bryn Mawr, Pa.: Theodore Presser, 1989).

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returns again in a different manner, as the ripple becomes a unison by the end of each phrase. A

return of part of the previous piano solo appears in measure 20 and extends through measure 23.

Example 5: Staggered Effect Becomes a Unison (Movement three, mm 8-9).

The first large section that returns at a later point first appears in mm24-51. This section,

titled molto energico, uses only the string quartet. During the first part of this section the quartet

is divided into a duet, as the two violins play unison material against the viola and cello, which

play different unison material of their own. By measure 38 of this section, the piano has joined

the string quartet, which is now playing as one unit, as all four parts are playing identical

rhythms and pitches. The clarinet joins this unison behavior in measure 48 playing pitches and

rhythms identical to the quartet’ s.

The final two measures of the molto energico section seem to act as a transition to the

next large section as they thin out in texture by dropping the clarinet and piano. This next large

segment, titled Piu moderato uses mm52-65 and makes use of the entire ensemble. Piu

Moderato contains many homogenous rhythms that cause the ensemble to sound as if all the

instruments are interconnected and not fighting for independence. The texture is not as thick as

it could be, as all six instruments are never playing simultaneously.

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Example 6: Excerpt of interconnected rhythms (Movement three, mm58-59).

The molto energico section returns once again in mm68-91, and differs from its other

appearance in that the piano is present, playing a completely independent line to the formerly

lone string quartet. A short, two measure piano solo leads to the next large section where the

clarinet is used as a soloist once again. Marked Eccentric, this section encompasses mm94-111.

Although the section is not a clarinet cadenza, the instrument is obviously used as a soloist due to

its blistering technical passages and active rhythms set against a slow, accompanimental

background of strings.

There is a lengthy piano cadenza following this section which extends until measure 114.

This section at measure 114, marked stately, majestic, extends through measure 131 and uses the

clarinet soloistically and at its most intense level. The clarinet at this point is also competing

with the piano as the dominant voice, but Ran’ s extended use of the extreme altissimo register

causes the clarinet to shriek above all the other instruments. The clarinet soars to a-sharp3 in

measure 118 before letting the piano and strings envelop the rest of the section.

The final section of the movement acts as a coda that succinctly brings back material

heard in the first and the beginning of the third movement. This section uses mm132-135 and

begins with the now familiar staggered effect similar to the first measure of movement one,

followed by a measure of the opening piano solo at the beginning of the third movement. The

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final two measures of the work see the clarinet entering one eighth note after the strings in a

somewhat staggered manner followed by a unison ending by all six instruments in the piece’ s

final measure.

Aside from form, another important unifying element in Concerto da Camera II involves

Ran’ s use of rhythmic motive development throughout the piece. These figures give the listener

a sense of connection between the movements of the piece and act as a unifying agent. For the

most part, only instruments being used as soloists at the time are initially given these motives

and the opportunity for motivic development.

Motive One

An important motive used throughout the piece is first seen in the clarinet in measure 6.

The figure has a staggered appearance in measure 10 between the clarinet and first violin. This

‘ripple’ or immediate repetition of a motive by another instrument is a common technique that

Ran uses throughout the work. The motive appears again in measure 24, which begins an

important cello solo, and yet again in an augmented form in the clarinet as two sixteenths and a

quarter note.

Example 7: First Movement Examples of Motive One.

a. Clarinet (measure 6):

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b. Staggered appearance in the clarinet and first violin (measure 10):

c. Beginning of cello solo (measure 24):

During the clarinet’ s solo battle with the piano in section three, there are three

consecutive appearances of the motive in measure 38. The strings, at this point competing to be

soloists as well, exhibit the figure as a unison in measure 42. The motive is also the final rhythm

heard before the coda meno-mosso section, and is played by the cello. After an augmented

statement of motive one by the viola in measure 59, the piano has the last word, displaying the

same augmented form of the figure in measure 64.

d. Clarinet consecutive appearances (measure 38):

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e. Piano and last appearance of the motive in movement one (measure 64):

This motive is also used in the second movement. However, instead of using two thirty-

second notes as she did in movement one, Ran often uses two grace notes to replace the thirty

second notes in this movement, which, to the listener, sounds exactly the same. The first

appearance of this motive in movement two is found in the first violin and occurs simultaneously

with the clarinet’ s first entrance. It is seen again in the second violin’ s part in measure 17, but it

is not until the first clarinet cadenza in measure 18 that the motive is truly developed in this

movement.

Example 8: Second Movement Examples of Motive One.

a. First violin (measure 8):

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b. Clarinet cadenza (measure 18):

The motive begins the clarinet cadenza with a huge leap of a minor ninth. The addition

of a third grace note to the motive can be considered another development, as was foreshadowed

in the piano part two measures earlier. The appearance of the motive in retrograde as two thirty-

second notes and a dotted eighth appears in the next section of the clarinet solo in measure 20.

The viola interrupts the clarinet solo using only this motive, which supports the idea of the figure

being an important part of the work.

c. Viola interruption of Clarinet solo (measure 20):

d. Cello cadenza (measure 30):

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e. Clarinet cadenza (measure 36):

A staggered appearance of the motive, very similar to its appearance between the clarinet

and first violin in the first movement, occurs in measure 24 between the first violin and viola.

The next important appearance occurs during the cello’ s cadenza, where the motive appears as it

did in the first clarinet solo as two grace notes.

During the dueling cadenzas of the piano and clarinet, the motive appears at the

beginning of the clarinet line in measure 36. Its final appearances occur in measure 39 in the

first violin and finally in the same instrument in measure 45.

Motive Two

Another motive seen in the first and third movements of the piece occurs for the first time

in movement one during the clarinet solo of measure 11. This motive is not only rhythmic, but is

also significant melodically, as the four thirty-second notes are almost always followed by a

chromatic half-step. This intervallic consistency does not appear in motive one. The figure is

seen again in the clarinet’ s measure 26. The cello displays an underdeveloped version of the

motive in rhythm only in measure 35.

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Example 9: First Movement Appearances of Motive Two.

a. Clarinet (measure 11):

b. Clarinet (measure 26):

c. Cello (measure 35):

d. Strings (measure 47):

When the string quartet as a whole is competing for the solo voice in movement one, the

motive is seen in the three upper strings playing as a unison in measure 47. Although it is not in

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the same pitches as the initial clarinet appearance, the half-step motion is still present. The

strings continue to display this figure in mm48-51.

Despite the lack of an original appearance of the motive in the third movement, a

developed version containing a fifth thirty-second note is seen in the whole string quartet at the

end of the third movement. Though the rhythm is slightly different than in its subsequent

appearances, the sound remains similar enough to be reminiscent of the original motive. In

mm130-1, the entire string quartet displays a thirty-second note quintuplet that begins as a minor

third and consecutively rises to a major third, and finally, a tritone.

Example 10: Developed Third Movement Appearance of Motive Two in Strings (mm130-131).

Motive Three

The third motive to be discussed occurs in the second and third movements. The motive

initially appears in the first clarinet cadenza of movement two in the form of a double-dotted

eighth thirty-second note. Although it is presented slightly differently, the motive’ s next

appearance in the cello cadenza of measure 30 is audibly similar to the listener, even though it is

presented as a simple dotted-eighth sixteenth. The cello displays the motive in its original form

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in measure 31, which is followed by an appearance in the first violin part in measure 40. The

motive is exhibited again in the clarinet in mm48-9.

Example 11: Second Movement Appearances of Motive Three.

a. Clarinet Cadenza (measure 18):

b. Cello Cadenza (measure 31):

c. Clarinet and First Violin Staggered Effect (measure 48-49):

The presence of this figure continues in the third movement, appearing in the first

measure of the piano solo in a quicker version of a dotted sixteenth-thirty-second note. When

the piano begins its unison section in measure 4, the original version of the motive is found,

made very present to the listener by the stark, single line of material.

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Example 12: Third Movement Appearances of Motive Three.

a. Piano solo (measure 1):

b. Piano solo (measure 4):

In the next section, the strings further develop the figure by adding an extra sixteenth note

to the end. As the strings are playing the motive in unison and not in a staggered manner, the

extra note gives this unison quality added intensity and meaning. Aside from slight references to

motive two in the piano under the clarinet’ s soaring solo, the next important appearance of the

figure does not happen until the molto energico section in measure 38. The motive is presented

in its modified dotted-eighth sixteenth form; but as it occurs at the point in the piece where the

strings begin to play as one four member unit, the importance of the motive is that more noted

and exposed. This figure is all but absent in the rhythmic piu moderato section, but appears

directly afterward in the first violin part of measure 62.

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c. Molto Energico string section (measure 45):

d. Eccentric clarinet solo (measure 95):

The motive’ s next important appearance occurs during the clarinet solo in Eccentric or

measure 95, where the stark texture and focus on one pitch in the clarinet part makes the figure

that much more obvious to the listener. After this point there is another ripple effect of the

motive seen in measure 101 between the first violin and piano. This staggered motion spurs the

clarinet soloist to repeat the motive, disguised with a mordent figure throughout mm104-7.

From this point until the coda, the piano is the only instrument to use the motive, which it ends

its solo with in measure 128. The figure is seen for the last time in the piano’ s solo in measure

133.

e. Clarinet disguises motive with mordent figure (measure 104):

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Form and motives help to determine the piece’ s shape which is its overlying structural

component. Although previously heard material returns at the end of the third movement, the

main overlying idea that gives the work its shape involves the idea of staggered, or rippled

entrances of all of the instruments which eventually become one unified instrument, a feat which

is accomplished by the end of the piece. The original staggered entrance seen in measure 1 (see

Example 1) is never repeated using exactly the same pitches, but this staggered rhythmic effect is

seen twice in each movement and serves as a reference point of previous material for the listener

throughout the work.

After the first appearance of the staggered effect in measure one, the second appearance

occurs in measure 45. In the second movement, the first measure after the opening piano solo,

which is measure 7, contains this device. The effect occurs for the final time in the second

movement three measures before the first clarinet cadenza in measure 15. The third movement

again sees this staggered motion, with the initial appearance again being directly after the

opening piano solo, in measure 8. The last appearance of this technique occurs at the end of the

movement in measure 132. This final appearance most closely resembles the opening statement

in ways which shall be discussed in the melodic devices section.

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Example 13: Staggered Entrance Device Uses Throughout the Piece.

a. First Movement (measure 1 and measure 45):

b. Second Movement (measure 7 and measure 15):

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c. Third Movement (measure 8 and measure 132):

The goal of achieving one voice, or unison playing, after this staggered ‘chasing’ effect is

accomplished by the middle of the third movement. The molto energico section of the third

movement (measure 24) is very important to the piece structurally, as it is the culmination of not

only the repeated staggered entrances, but also the competition among the instruments for being

the solo voice.

The staggered entrances that occur twice in each movement are not the only ripple effects

used throughout the piece. As mentioned previously, Ran uses the technique of immediate

repetition of motive entrances so that no one instrument is playing the motive in unison. In

movement one, an example of this device occurs in measure 10 when the first violin plays

motive one, which the clarinet echoes one beat later.

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Example 14: Immediate repetition used to create a staggered entrance effect among motives

(First movement, measure 10).

In measure 34, motive one is heard again in the clarinet and almost directly echoed by the cello

on the first beat of the next measure. A similar instance occurs in measure 48 of the same

movement. In the second movement, motive one is echoed in measure 24 between the first

violin and viola. Motive two is echoed once more in mm48-9 in the clarinet and then the first

violin part. This effect is, for the most part, not seen in the third movement, as this movement

contains mostly unison material, and not many staggered entrances.

Texture, Timbre, and Melodic Devices

Of the six instruments, the clarinet and piano have the most distinctly different timbres of

the six instruments. The clarinet, however, is the most versatile of the two being able to switch

between being a soloist and a chamber player and having a more flexible timbre. Also, much

like the strings, the clarinet has the ability to sustain tones and change the qualities of sustained

tones, in a way that the piano cannot.

When the clarinet is used as a soloist and other instruments are played at the same time,

as it is in the first part of movement one and the third movement, the upper clarion and altissimo

registers are used so that the clarinet’ s timbre remains separate from the other instruments.

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As the third movement is a culmination of intensity built up throughout the first two

movements, and because the clarinet must compete as a soloist against all five members of the

ensemble, Ran chooses to use the instrument’ s altissimo register extensively in this movement.

The stately, majestic section beginning in measure 116 is the best example of this altissimo use

of the clarinet, as the section ends with the instrument on a-sharp3.

Example 15: Extreme altissimo use of the clarinet in movement three (mm117-119).

The clarinet is handled differently in the second movement when it is used as a soloist.

In the first cadenza, where the clarinet plays alone, Ran employs the instrument’ s chalumeau

register in a soloistic way, as the clarinet here is not competing with any other instruments. With

no other instrument to cover this low range on the clarinet, the instrument is free to express itself

in registers that otherwise might not project as well if another instrument was present.

Example 16: Chalumeau use of the clarinet in movement two (Movement two, measure 18).

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When the clarinet has to compete with the piano in its second cadenza in the movement, it

utilizes the upper clarion register. Ran most likely did not use the clarinet’ s extreme altissimo

register until the final movement to make sure this shrill register made the most intense impact

possible.

Although Concerto da Camera II is, for the most part, freely atonal, Ran uses some

melodic devices, such as whole tone and octatonic scales that create a reference point for the

listener. In the first measure of movement one, the tones used in the six instruments create a

whole-tone sonority (g, a, b, c-sharp, d-sharp). The second appearance of this ripple effect in

the first movement in m45 exhibits some whole-tone properties, but cannot truly be considered a

whole-tone scale because of the half-steps between the last three pitches (a, b, c-sharp, d, d-

sharp). In the second movement, the first ripple appearance in measure 7 contains a partial

octatonic scale (c-sharp, d, e, f, g, g-sharp), while the effect’ s second appearance in measure 15

does not seem to hold any melodic consequence. In the third movement, the staggered effect’ s

first appearance in measure 8 does not seem to be very significant melodically, but the final

appearance in measure 132 also contains another partial octatonic scale (b, c-sharp, d, e, f).

Another use of the octatonic scale can be seen in the first clarinet cadenza in movement

two. (d, e-flat, f, f-sharp, g-sharp, a) can be found in the first statement by the clarinet in

measure 18. The next statement on the same line also contains octatonic elements (c, d, e-flat, f,

g-flat, a-flat, b). Although this second statement is not as purely octatonic as the first, the effect

is still a melodic reference point for the listener.

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Example 17: Octatonic Scale Use in the First Clarinet Cadenza (Movement two, measure 18).

Aside from these melodic devices, Ran also uses repetition of notes in a phrase, or

repetition of atonal phrases themselves, to act as false tonics or melodies to which the listener

can make reference. In the opening clarinet solo of measure 6 the reference note of written f-

sharp2 sounds like a tonic by the end of the section.

Example 18: The False Sense of Tonality Created by Repetition.

a. Clarinet solo (movement one, measure 6):

b. Clarinet solo (movement three, mm 11 and 18):

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A phrase played by the second violin in mm30-1, that sounds deceptively melodic

because of its lyricism and focal tone f2, is repeated exactly in mm57-8 before the coda-like

meno mosso ends the movement.

In the second movement, the cello cadenza beginning in measure 30, is slightly modified,

but repeated in measure 37. Even though this melody contains whole-tone and octatonic

elements, it is freely atonal; but because it is lyrical and spans the entire range of the cello, it is

remembered by the listener and serves as a point of reference. A similar figure in the clarinet

occurs in the third movement. The statement, which covers the entire range of the instrument, is

heard first in measure 11 and repeated with thirty-second notes in measure 18 (See example 18).

Although the figure is not melodic, it is remembered by the listener because of its stark contrast

to the material heard directly before this figure, because it spans the entire range of the

instrument, and because the statement is repeated.

Performance Considerations

A high level of mastery in all registers as well as rhythmic sophistication is necessary for

the clarinetist to perform this piece. The clarinetist must be able to balance rhythmic precision

with being a true soloist, as many of the passages are cadenza-like. If the player is too

rhythmically precise in the rubato cadenza sections, the effect will be artificial. Likewise, if the

clarinetist is not exact enough in the sections with complex ensemble rhythms, the result will be

chaotic. Also, effective short articulation is needed throughout the piece which is, for the most

part, not legato.

The soloistic passages of the second movement require extreme flexibility as Ran often

includes leaps from one register to another. Another difficult technical passage occurs in the first

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cadenza of m18 and is typically performed with rubato, although this mark is not written in the

score.

Precise intonation is essential in the last movement, as, many times, the clarinet is in

unison with one or more of the strings. One especially difficult passage occurs in measure 30

where the clarinet must leap from the chalumeau to the altissimo register in unison with the

strings. Fortunately, most of these passages do not utilize the throat tone register, which is the

most difficult register on the clarinet to tune with other instruments. Aside from the example

given above, the clarion register is most often utilized in these unison sections.

When interpreting the piece, the clarinetist should be aware of the different roles that are

required of the instrument within the work. The clarinetist must be able to blend in, but not be

overshadowed by, other instruments in the sections where it is required to perform as a chamber

instrument. Conversely the clarinetist must also be able to soar above the ensemble both

dynamically and musically when performing the solo and cadenza sections.

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A Prayer

Introduction

A Prayer, for horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and timpani, was written in 1981 for

composer Paul Fromm on his 75th birthday. The work was published by the Theodore Presser

Company in 1984 and revised for performance with an optional conductor in 1992. A Prayer

was premiered on January 22, 1982 at the University of Chicago. There are no published

recordings at the writing of this document.

This brief work presents many contemporary and traditional elements simultaneously.

The choice of instrumentation could be considered modern, because this particular combination

of instruments is somewhat unusual to be used as a chamber ensemble. As in Concerto da

Camera II, Ran does not fight against the many differences among the instruments, but rather

uses each one’ s strengths in ways that integrate the ensemble as a whole. She achieves this unity

by combining instruments whose timbres complement one another into smaller groups, and

makes wise choices regarding the use of different registers during tutti sections.

Specifically, both clarinet and bass clarinet exhibit traditional legato and vocal-like

playing amid the more modern characteristics of extreme dynamic changes and extended

altissimo register playing. The resulting work is an episodic and fantasy-like exploration of the

similar and dissimilar personalities of the five instruments.

Structural Devices: Form, Shape, and Motives

The form of this single movement work is, in some ways, similar to the structures

exhibited in the second and third movements of Concerto da Camera II. Although there are

obvious episodic sections that are separated by caesuras or drastic changes in instrumentation,

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there are also larger sections which are repeated and developed in later parts of the work. The

piece can be divided into six significant areas that are separated by a transition after the third

section.

Example 19: Form of A Prayer Section Measures Description 1 1-9 Horn solo with Clarinet/Bass clarinet accompaniment 2 10-20 Bass Clarinet and Bassoon duet 3 21-30 Horn and Clarinet duet with Bass Clarinet/Bassoon accompaniment (Developed repeat of Section 1) 31-34 Transition (Full Ensemble) 4 35-42 Solo for Horn alone 5 43-64 Full ensemble section that ends with a clarinet cadenza 6 65-81 Full ensemble section (Developed repeat of Section 5)

The first section utilizes mm1-9 and involves a horn solo with clarinet and bass clarinet

accompaniment. There is an abrupt texture change after a fermata in measure 9 that begins the

next section in measure 10. This second portion, which encompasses mm10-20, involves a

lively bass clarinet and bassoon duet which sharply contrasts the placid horn solo heard

previously. There is a developed return of the opening horn solo section which comprises the

third segment, mm21-30, and contains previously heard material.

Example 20: Development of the opening horn solo in section three.

a. Section 1-Original Appearance (mm1-2):

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b. Section Three-Second Appearance (measure 21):

This third section involves the horn and clarinet in a quasi-duet with both instruments

fighting to be the soloist. The repeated material is presented at a somewhat faster tempo than the

original appearance in mm1-9, and the texture is further thickened by the continuing presence of

the bassoon and bass clarinet duet below the dialogue occurring between the two upper

instruments.

Measures 31-34 act as a short transition to the next section that is a solo for horn alone.

This transition is different from the previous full textured section which used all the instruments

equally, in that the horn foreshadows its upcoming solo by being the most present instrument in

the texture with three accompanying instruments (clarinet, bass clarinet, and bassoon) appearing

below. This four measure transition leads to measures that encompass the fourth section, 35-42,

where the three subservient instruments drop away, resulting in an unaccompanied horn solo.

The final three sections of the work are different from their predecessors in that they

present new material while continuing to bring back old material from the opening sections of

the piece. This use of previously heard material will be discussed later. The fifth segment,

mm43-64, shows all the instruments having fairly equal parts with no one acting as the soloist.

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At the end of section five, which contains much unison rhythmic playing by the whole

ensemble, the clarinet breaks away from this thick texture, becoming the soloist and “ a free spirit

above the ensemble.” 1 The technique of unison rhythmic playing allows the clarinet more

convincingly to break away from the ensemble as the solo voice with a completely independent

part. It accomplishes this feat by the end of the section through its use in a cadenza.

The final section of the work, mm 65-81, is complex, as many events occur

simultaneously. The segment appears to be a development of the preceding section five as,

much like section three, which brought back elements from section one, material is re-presented

at the beginning of the sixth section in almost exactly the same way in rhythm, and exactly the

same way in pitch that it was originally seen in section five.

Example 21: Material from section five that is repeated in section six.

a. Section five (mm43-44):

1 Shulamit Ran, interview by author, tape recording, Sycamore, Ill., 7 May 2004.

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b. Section six (mm65-66):

For most of this final segment, the entire ensemble is either playing unison rhythms or the

four instruments above the timpani are split into two groups of two duets: bass clarinet and

bassoon against clarinet and horn. In the final few measures of the piece, the clarinet

emancipates itself from the rest of the group into an extreme altissimo passage that rises above

the entire ensemble and finishes the piece.

Example 22: Excerpt of clarinet solo that ends the piece (mm77-79).

Like form, the shape of this piece is an integral part of its overall structure. Shape in this

sense contains connotations of motion or movement, as it does in all the other works examined in

this document, that form does not. While the form of this piece could be described as the

concrete sections created by the use of the different instruments, the shape of A Prayer can be

considered the cyclic manner in which material from the beginning returns at the end. This

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cycling, or returning, suggests movement. The shape, however, cannot simply be labeled

circular, as material that returns is constantly being developed and pushed into new areas. For

example, a variation of the opening horn solo section in mm1-9 returns after a short period in

mm21-30 (See example 20). During this second appearance, the tempo is slightly faster as the

original dotted quarter notes have been replaced with simple quarter notes that play the same

opening three pitches in measure 21 that were played in measure 1. In this second appearance

the horn is not the lone soloist and must share the spotlight with the bass clarinet and bassoon

duet that was begun in the second section. As a result of this device, the listener is reminded of

previously heard material while simultaneously being introduced to new musical developments

through the fragment’ s use of variation.

The next large segment that is later repeated in a developed variation is the penultimate

section that begins with measure 43 (See example 21). In the final section, which uses mm65-6,

there is a noticeable variation of the previous one using identical pitches and almost identical

rhythms. The last two measures of the piece exhibit a motive found in the opening horn solo

with an added final rhythm of a thirty-second note double dotted eighth. By evolving and

bringing back previously heard material in unexpected places in the piece, Ran creates a work

that is simultaneously cyclic and developmental.

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Example 23: Similarities in rhythm at the beginning and end of the piece.

a. Measure 2:

b. Measure 81:

Much like in For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet, melodic motion is an important

shaping device used by the clarinet in this piece. Unlike For an Actor, which sees ascending and

descending melodic motion in the clarinet part, this piece employs primarily ascending melodic

motion, which fits Ran’ s statement about the clarinet being a free spirit of the ensemble that rises

above the other instruments. The continuous upward movement from low to high registers

demonstrates this ascending motion. Aside from the horn, the clarinet is the only instrument in

the ensemble to explore its extreme registers to a large extent, as the bass clarinet and bassoon

stay primarily in their low and middle registers.

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Another device that aids in shaping the work is Ran’ s use of repeated material that, in

many ways, replaces traditional melodic devices. As the piece is freely atonal, Ran uses repeated

focal notes that act as false tonics within phrases, repeated rhythmic and pitch motives, and

decelerating rhythms at the ends of phrases and fragments to give the listener a sense of unity

and closure. In the opening horn solo section, the grace note b-flat to e-flat1 seen initially in

measure 3 is repeated at the beginning of a new phrase in measure 5. The two statements in

these opening measures sound like separate phrases to the listener because of this repeat and

because of the deceleration of rhythm at the end of each fragment. A variation of this phrase

occurs in measure 28, where the figure is heard a third time and followed by different material.

Example 24: Phrases in the opening horn solo (mm3-5).

In the bass clarinet and bassoon duet of mm10-20, the focal tone of E-flat and e-flat1 two

octaves away can be seen throughout the first two statements in the bass clarinet. e-flat1, which

is a high pitch for the bass clarinet, stands out to the listener as it is the only note repeated a

second time in the two identical rhythm statements of the phrases, and because it is in such an

extreme range for the instrument. The deceleration of these two instruments’ rhythms in mm20-

21 for the bassoon and mm22-23 for the bass clarinet also makes the listener aware that these

two statements are ending and moving ahead to new material. As mentioned earlier, the three

note re-statement of the opening horn pitches returns in measure 21, allowing the listener to

grasp previously heard material once again.

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Example 25: Focal notes and deceleration within the bass clarinet/bassoon duet.

a. mm 10-11:

b. mm 20-21:

c. mm 22-23:

During an interview with the composer, the author gained insight into why Ran considers

repetition of previous material such an important part of her composition process. The composer

explains, “ Repetition or recurrence at both low and high levels is important in my composition.

In terms of information, there have to be things that reflect back on one another’ s similarities and

differences. With nothing to tie the material together, this gray matter becomes ‘just a bunch of

things’ .” 2 In such a freely atonal piece as A Prayer, repetition becomes a device that replaces

2 Shulamit Ran, interview by author, tape recording, Sycamore, Ill., 7 May 2004.

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many traditional melodic ideas in giving the listener an idea of the overall shape of the piece and

what the music is attempting to say.

From measure 31 until the end of the work, Ran uses unison rhythms played either by the

entire group or by all the instruments except one to establish a sense of continuity. In this Tempo

Guisto section, the clarinet, bass clarinet and bassoon all repeat the same rhythm on different

pitches while the horn soloist goes back and forth from c1 to f1, which, in turn, causes a false

dominant to tonic relationship among the two pitches that brings a sense of closure to this section

of the work.

Example 26: False melodic device used in a horn solo (mm 31-32).

In the penultimate section, the horn joins the other instruments for a brief moment in the

unison rhythms before each instrument in the ensemble begins its own independent line.

Another unison rhythm section arrives in measure 49, further establishing a sense of continuity

for the listener. The section ends with a clarinet cadenza that includes decelerated rhythms at the

end to suggest to the listener that new material is about to be presented.

The beginning of the final section displays the same pitches and similar rhythms to those

in the previous section in measure 43. This device is followed by a section that uses the same

unison rhythms heard in the previous section five.

By measure 76, the timpani has begun to repeatedly establish B-flat, which is heard

several times, and becomes a bass focal point and an effective false tonic by the final measure.

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The bass clarinet’ s establishment of written f1 beginning in measure 78 further seals another false

tonic to dominant relationship that effectively ends the piece with the same motive used initially

in the first phrase of the work.

Example 27: Excerpt of the establishment of a false dominant/tonic relationship in the timpani

and bass clarinet (mm79-81).

While form and shape make up the larger structural components of A Prayer, motivic

development as a smaller scale device is also integral to the work’ s overall structure. Ran often

uses longer motives that encompass a measure or more to identify returning material by rhythm

and pitch; but she also uses more fragmentary motives consisting of one or two beats that

identify returning material in rhythm only.

Motive One

The opening three horn notes in measure 1 are repeated exactly in pitch in mm21-22.

Although the rhythms are not exactly identical, and the rest of the second section serves as a

well-disguised variation of this opening horn solo, the motive still serves as a repeated figure that

contributes to the unity of the piece and is recognizable to the listener when it returns. The

motive is seen in a more developed form in measure 23, as the original figure is extended up a

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whole step to e1. The appearance of this new pitch, however, does not obscure the motive to the

point that it is not recognizable to the listener.

Example 28: Motive One.

a. Measures 1-2:

b. Measure 21:

c. Measure 23:

Motive Two

In the bass clarinet and bassoon duet that follows the first section, a repeated motive of an

eighth note plus five thirty-second notes in the bass clarinet is seen again a half-step higher in

measure 11 after its initial appearance in measure 10. This figure is seen again in measure 24

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exactly as it was presented in its first appearance in measure 10. The same motive can be found

in the final two sections of the piece, once in measure 45 and finally in measure 67.

These final two appearances are presented in a slightly developed form as the quintuplet

has become a sextuplet. Aside from this change, however, the motive is identical in rhythm and

pitch, which causes the new tone not to obscure the motive’ s identity.

Example 29: Motive Two.

a. Measure 10:

b. Measure 12:

c. Measure 24:

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d. Measure 67:

Motive Three

In measure 19, a motive is first seen in the bassoon that is found later in the piece

throughout mm49-55. This figure is heard in the horn solo in measure 37 and again in measure

48 in the bassoon and timpani. It is not until mm49-55, however, that the motive becomes an

obvious repeated device to the listener. Beginning in measure 49, motive three is repeated

several times by the entire ensemble, which, at this point, is in unison with one another. This

unison rhythmic playing continues into the final section of the piece where the figure is seen in

the bassoon and bass clarinet in mm65 and 68 and in unison rhythm only in mm70, 71 and 73.

The final area of the piece is a culmination of many of these previous section’ s contributions of

motivic material. It contains motive two in measure 67 and motive three in all instruments but

the timpani to the end of the piece.

Example 30: Motive Three.

a. Measure 19 (Bassoon):

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b. Measure 37 (Horn):

c. Measure 52 (Ensemble):

Timbre and Texture

A different timbre of the clarinet is presented in each new section of A Prayer. In the

opening horn solo section, the chalumeau and throat tone registers are used by the clarinet, which

never goes above e1. The darkness of the chalumeau register and the hollow quality of the throat

tones keep the instrument subordinate but present amidst the mezzo forte horn solo. The next

section in which the clarinet appears, however, features the instrument’ s clarion and upper throat

tone registers that causes the clarinet to be a more competitive force, or presence, in this full

ensemble section. These registers are seen in mm21-30. Ran saves the clarinet’ s highest

registers until the last part of the piece,

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much as in Concerto da Camera II, so that the intensity of the clarinet’ s highest register can have

its fullest impact upon the listener.

The transition to the horn solo in the middle of the work features the clarinet returning to

its chalumeau and lower throat tone registers, with the main focus being on the bass clarinet and

an overall descending motion into the horn solo. When the clarinet returns in measure 43, its

altissimo register is seen for the first time in measure 44 with e3. Within this section, there is a

sharp drop back to the chalumeau register in measure 55, in order to make the final rise to the

extreme altissimo register that much more intense and noticeable. After a cadenza spent mainly

in the altissimo register, the clarinet ends this penultimate section on g3.

Example 31: Altissimo use in the clarinet cadenza (mm63-64).

The bass clarinet is used differently from the soprano clarinet in this piece as far as

timbre is concerned. In the first section, the bass clarinet and clarinet work together to create a

deep, murky sound below the horn solo. In this instance, the bass clarinet adds to the sense of

darkness and depth, using its lowest, most controllable, register.

In the next section, the bass clarinet is involved in a duet with the bassoon. The dark,

woody timbres of these two relatively low instruments complement each other and blend

together well. At the beginning of the duet in measure 10, the bass clarinet leaps from its lowest

to highest register so that it does not sound subservient to the bassoon. Of the two instruments,

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the bass clarinet develops from this duet into much more soloistic, lyrical lines, while the

bassoon seems to take on an accompanimental role to the bass clarinet around mm12-16.

Example 32: Leaping by the bass clarinet from a low to a high register (measure 12).

As the bass clarinet’ s upper clarion and altissimo registers are the most unstable registers

on the instrument in terms of control and projection, one effective way Ran utilizes these higher

pitches is by writing passages for the instrument that leap or move quickly from a low register to

a high register. The sharp contrast between the registers is effective when used this way, and the

bass clarinet does not have to remain in the unstable upper register for long periods of time. This

effect can be seen at the beginning of the duet in measures 10-12.

In mm12-16 when the bass clarinet becomes more of the soloist, its dark, lower register

is used soloistically as there is not much competition from the bassoon for the solo voice at this

point. Many times, the bass clarinet is best heard in this register, which, unlike the clarinet’ s

chalumeau register, projects more effectively. The bass clarinet rises to the clarion portion of its

register in measure 16 when the bassoon becomes less accompanimental and a duet partner once

again.

By the time the next section is reached in measure 21, the bass clarinet and bassoon have

sunk into the depths of their registers and are definite accompanimental figures to the horn and

clarinet duet that begin the next section. The transition to the solo for horn alone sees the bass

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clarinet coming out as a soloist in measure 32, which is marked mysterioso and descends to the

very depths of the instrument’ s range. The penultimate section sees the full ensemble working

together, as there are many unison rhythms not on the same pitch, and the bass clarinet remains,

for the most part, in its throat tone register.

Aside from devices involving timbre, the legato and lyrical side of the clarinet and bass

clarinet are utilized in this work, and add to the overall texture by determining smoothness and

providing a sharp contrast to the coarse, articulated passages. The duet section of mm10-20

particularly employs the bass clarinet’ s legato and lyrical capabilities. This section, marked

molto espressivo, uses sweeping, fluid statements to encompass the majority of the instrument’ s

range.

Example 33: Legato use of the bass clarinet (mm 13-14).

Although the clarinet’ s lyrical and legato qualities are not highlighted to the extent of

those of the bass clarinet, they do exist in this piece. After a few bird-like soloistic fragments

that exist in the third section, the soaring, lyrical qualities of the clarinet’ s upper register are

displayed in a legato fashion in the section after the solo for horn alone. From mm43-48, the

clarinet’ s clarion, or most vocal-like register, and lower altissimo are used in sweeping low to

high statements, similar to the bass clarinet’ s in section two, which contrast the technical,

articulated fragments played previously by the instrument.

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Example 34: Excerpt of legato clarinet use (mm46-48).

Measures 49-54 feature the contrasting staccato aspects of the clarinet as it plays in

unison with the rest of the ensemble. By measure 55, however, the lyrical qualities of the

instrument return again, this time in the instrument’ s chalumeau register. These fragments

complement the bass clarinet and bassoon, which all form a low, fluid trio before the end of the

section when the clarinet explodes upward into a cadenza in the upper clarion and altissimo

register.

The final section sees a return of the legato section originally heard in measure 43. The

short, articulated unison segment heard before also returns, followed by a final, legato solo in the

clarinet that encompasses the instrument’ s altissimo register, causing the line to rise above the

entire ensemble and arrive at g3.

Extreme dynamics and dynamic changes also play an important role in the texture of the

piece, by varying the fullness or hollow qualities of sound within the ensemble. After the

opening accompanied horn solo, which fades away to nothing, there is an immediate change to

mezzo forte with the expressive bass clarinet and bassoon duet. Within the course of two beats in

measure 10, there is a change from forte to mezzo forte to piano. There are many dramatic

swells throughout this section as well as many subito dynamics that range from pianissimo in the

bass clarinet part to forte in the bassoon.

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Example 35: Extreme dynamic changes in the piece.

a. Measure 10:

b. Measures 48-49:

The next section that witnesses dramatic dynamic contrasts occurs after the horn solo in

measure 43 where the score instructs the bass clarinet and bassoon to play as fortissimo as

possible in the score. Quite suddenly in measure 48, the entire ensemble is instructed to play at a

contrasting piano dynamic, and in the very next measure to be back at fortissimo. These extreme

dynamic differences add a sense of drama, intensity, and thick texture.

Performance Considerations

Much as in Ran’ s other chamber works, it is important for the performers to realize what

role they are playing amid the other instruments. In this work, both clarinetist and bass

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clarinetist play the roles of soloist, accompanist, and duet partner. The clarinetist especially

needs to be able to project over a potentially overpowering instrument such as the horn, while the

bass clarinetist must be able to propel its sound forward, for short periods, in the difficult high

range of the instrument. In addition, both players must be able act, at times, as accompanists to

the other instruments without being too overbearing or too quiet amid the ensemble

Precise rhythmic ability is also crucial for both players. There are many compound

rhythms such as the three against five motive first seen in measure 10 in the bass clarinet and

bassoon, and a less complex, but still difficult, three against two rhythm found in measure 19

using the same instruments (See example 25). Expressivity, however, and not precision, is

warranted in the clarinet cadenza section, so the cadenza will sound musical, and not restrained

and artificial.

Extreme control and flexibility is needed by both the clarinetist and bass clarinetist to

make the legato and lyrical passages of each instrument fluid and present, as well as being

certain the sudden dynamic changes mentioned occur. As the clarinet’ s bright qualities more

closely match the horn than any other instrument in this piece, precise intonation with this

instrument is crucial, while the intonation between the bass clarinet and bassoon are especially

important, as the two instruments are often partners within a duet.

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CHAPTER V

AN INTERVIEW WITH SHULAMIT RAN

Interview: May 7, 2004. Shulamit Ran’ s home. Sycamore, Illinois. General Questions:

Ms. House: In the program notes to For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet you mention an

“ intensely personal ethos with which the clarinet is associated in my mind.” Could you elaborate

upon this statement?

Professor Ran: The clarinet is simply an instrument I’ ve always felt a deep sense of

identification with. I have always been drawn to its many possibilities. In the most

straightforward sense, its wide range from low to high pitches as well as its emotional range

makes it an instrument I feel comfortable speaking through. I am also attracted to its closeness

to the human voice. To me the clarinet is the most limitless of all the wind instruments.

Ms. House: When you are composing for clarinet, as a solo or chamber instrument, are there

any previous composers for the instrument that you draw inspiration from, or is it a purely

internal process?

Professor Ran: There are various wonderful excerpts from the clarinet’ s literature that have

spoken to me. Tchaikovsky’ s orchestral works, and Alban Berg’ s piece for clarinet and piano are

examples, but previous works are not a major aspect of my inspiration. Relatively speaking, the

clarinet has a somewhat limited repetoire as far as size is concerned. There is the Mozart

concerto and Brahms’ two sonatas, but there is not a large gamut of material from which to draw

a detailed influence, as there would be with an instrument such as the piano.

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An internal process of composing began for me at a young age; I began composing by

singing at the piano, it was really a natural form of self-expression. My first piece for wind

instruments was a sonatina for two flutes, followed by a trio for flute, clarinet, and bassoon. At

the time, I had read an orchestration book, but other than that, I didn’ t have much experience

writing for clarinet. When it came time to rehearse this trio, I was astounded at the possibilities

of the clarinet. I loved the low range of the instrument as well as the piercing and soaring

possibilities of the upper ranges. I was also amazed at how fluidly and beautifully everything

could be produced on the instrument. So, instead of merely gaining inspiration from previous

composers, each step in my learning process pushed the next step in learning about the clarinet.

Ms. House: Laura Flax and Arthur Campbell are clarinetists whom you have written works for.

Were there specifics about their playing that inspired you to write pieces for them?

Professor Ran: Laura had written me a letter telling me her mother, Hazel Flax, had been

involved with the American Israel Cultural Foundation which had awarded me a scholarship to

study in New York many years ago, and she wanted to commission a piece in memory of Hazel,

who had recently passed away. This piece evolved into For an Actor: Monologue and is

dedicated to Laura and her mother.

At this point in time I was interested in the use of extended techniques and told Laura

about my desire to use them in this piece if they could be musically meaningful. I brought a tape

recorder and asked her to prepare multiphonics that most fine clarinetists would be able to

master, so I could record them. I told her I might not use the devices if they ended up not fitting

into the scheme of the piece, but I wanted to investigate them further. I also recorded her playing

other sounds during this meeting, including timbre trills and flutter tongue. Certainly in

recording her at this point I got a sense of what a great player she was, as her multi-layered,

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unique sound was very inspiring. There was a clarinetist when I was growing up in Israel who

was principal of the Israel Philharmonic and a real star of the orchestra. There is definitely a

correlation, in my mind, between this player’ s and Laura’ s sound.

Arthur Campbell is another great clarinetist who I wrote the piece Three Scenes for. We

also got together and discussed music. I really enjoy and am inspired by thinking about the

player I am composing for. Most of the works I’ ve written over the past thirty years have been

commissions, and whether it is a soloist or an orchestra, I try to make it my business to know

about the person or people I’ m writing for. I believe it is good for the performer as well, to have

that internal connection with the composer. But, yes, I do very often use certain performers as a

source for my inspiration.

Ms. House: Aside from performers, have any of your former teachers been particularly

inspirational in your writing for clarinet?

Professor Ran: I wouldn’ t say any former teachers have particular connections with my writing

for clarinet. Each teacher has meant certain things to me in different stages of my development.

For example, one aspect I really enjoyed about Paul Ben-Haim in Israel and Norman Dello Joio

in New York, was that both of these teachers gave me a great deal of freedom and a sense of

being able to spread my wings. I had a unique relationship with my teacher Ralph Shapey, as I

was his colleague before I was his student. Ralph, like myself, had a strong connection with

many instruments. I could easily talk about my relationships with flute, cello, or violin as well.

Still, I feel I have a particularly special relationship with the clarinet.

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Ms. House: You have explored many combinations of instruments using the clarinet, both

traditional and new. When you are in the beginning stages of composing a piece do you have

these specific genres or combinations in mind first, or are they secondary in the evolution of a

new piece?

Professor Ran: Both. From the beginning, the two most important things I know before

starting a piece are instrumentation and what I like to call ‘size of canvas.’ Size has a lot to do

with it. For example, a seven minute piece versus a twenty-five minute piece would both need

very different approaches. As the piece develops it begins to tell me different things. I’ m sure

this process is much like what a writer experiences, as the characters, or in my case instruments

or voices, take on a life of their own and tell me what needs to happen in the piece. For the

process to work, I need to listen very carefully as the piece takes shape and evolves.

Ms. House: Are your decisions about the form of the piece conceived in the same way?

Professor Ran: I know there are many people that start out with a very clear form in mind.

Most of the time I start out with a vague idea of the form I’ m planning. I think you should have

some idea of what you are going after, but the door should be left open, so to speak. To me form

and musical content in the piece are very closely related. I get to know my materials well, and

the evolution of the actual form is only part of the process in the overall evolution of the piece.

Works for Solo Clarinet:

Ms. House: Could we discuss further the purpose of specific extended techniques in For an

Actor: Monologue for Clarinet?

Professor Ran: On the most basic level, multiphonics are worked into the piece harmonically,

as chords. Each group of notes is worked into a specific combination to complement what came

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before, pitch-wise. Of course, the technique’ s unusual layered sound in the context of a one line

piece also has an impact that is structurally significant to the work. As for the flutter tonguing

and timbre trills, these items simply present a certain quality of sound. In a way, timbre trills

help to bridge the gap between a unison quality to a whole-step trill, but the most important

aspect is the quality of sound that these techniques produce.

Ms. House: Going back to form, For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet has been described as

being in a rough sonata form. Could you discuss how this form came to be in the piece?

Professor Ran: To me the idea of a sonata form in a piece is something that is no less relevant

today than during the times of Mozart or Schubert. Presenting a musical idea or group of

musical ideas, moving away to development material, and the return again of previous material is

an idea that has always been special to me. This return in time is never really a return, even if

the exact same notes are presented. These same notes that have returned won’ t be the same

because of the intervening life in between that transforms the meaning of the return. I feel very

drawn to these ideas and don’ t consider them ‘traditional’ but more as ideas that transcend time.

In my own thinking as a composer, I don’ t think of things as ‘traditional’ and ‘non-traditional.’

I’ m less concerned with analytical placement of things and use all the musical materials given to

me equally, which allows me to express what I’ m after in a piece of music.

Ms. House: Did writing For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet influence the writing of your

other work for solo clarinet, Three Scenes?

Professor Ran: Of course. Even if it is subconscious there is some connection. Rather than

doing one statement as in For an Actor, I chose three statements for Three Scenes.

Ms. House: Was there a reason you decided to use virtually no extended techniques in Three

Scenes?

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Professor Ran: I can’ t say there is a particular reason. In For an Actor, the majority of the

special sounds occur late in the piece; a certain momentum has a chance to build up that

culminates with these sounds. The shortness of the movements of Three Scenes prevents this

building momentum. It can happen- in Three Scenes the ideas didn’ t need development that

involved extended techniques. I consider extended techniques to be merely a part of my arsenal

of sound, with my biggest interest being making music. I don’ t consider these sounds as the

most important thing in expressing myself in clarinet language.

Small Chamber Works:

Ms. House: In the program notes to Private Game for clarinet and cello you state that

“ repetition is the essence of comprehensibility.” Could you elaborate upon this statement?

Professor Ran: I believe constantly bringing in new musical information can be a mistake.

With nothing to tie the material together, this gray matter becomes ‘just a bunch of things.’

Repetition or recurrence at both low and high levels is important in my composition. In terms of

information, there have to be things that reflect back on one another’ s similarities and

differences.

Repetition is a very broad term. Repetition in the strictest sense, which is exhibited in

Private Game, is very limited. This occurs when material recurs in exactly the same way. There

is also, however, more varied repetition in this piece. Sometimes material returns a half-step

higher, or, in a sense, modulates. Immediate repetition presented between the two instruments

demonstrates a development and range of timbre. This range of handling repetition allows the

piece to not be superficial.

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Ms. House: Private Game is dedicated to Laura Flax and Andre Emelianoff, both members of

the Da Capo Chamber Players. Were there other reasons you had a clarinet/cello duet in mind?

Professor Ran: The two instruments simply complement one another very well; the cello can go

very low, the clarinet very high and both meet in the middle very nicely. As I was working with

Laura, I met Andre and, in a way, the piece was a gift to them. On the other hand, clarinet and

cello invited themselves as an attractive combination to write for.

Ms. House: In Apprehensions, for voice, clarinet, and piano, you have spoken of the clarinet as

being a sort of ‘alter-ego’ to the voice and piano. Could you elaborate upon this idea?

Professor Ran: I started the piece out with the idea of writing a vocal cycle, but right from the

start I thought the vocal line would make a good clarinet line as well. In a sense, it was a duality

of the clarinet and voice that first attracted me towards using the clarinet. I like contrapuntal and

multi-layered thinking in my compositions. The voice is so very different from the piano whose

sounds begins to die immediately after they are struck, I needed something that would negotiate

the distance between the piano and voice and especially complement the voice. The clarinet was

the immediate problem solver. The flexibility of the clarinet is attractive, as the gymnastics of

the second movement would have been impossible for the voice. Also, the similarities between

the clarinet and voice in terms of sound caused me to choose the instrument.

Large Chamber Works:

Ms. House: You have described the instrumentation of Concerto da Camera II for clarinet,

string quartet, and piano as being the work’ s ‘first challenge.’ Could you elaborate on this

statement?

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Professor Ran: Yes. I like to think of the six instruments as three entities: clarinet, string

quartet, and the piano. Combining all these different ‘animals’ was a challenge because of their

differences, but it also made the piece fun to write. There were so many different possibilities

for combinations and layers. At one point there is a piano solo, another time the clarinet and

cello have a duet, and other times all six instruments play together. There were many different

options.

Ms. House: Did writing Private Game influence your writing of this piece and are there special

considerations you take when writing for clarinet and strings?

Professor Ran: Not in any specific way. I am always attracted to the many possibilities of

using strings and clarinet together.

Ms. House: Let’ s talk about your use of bass clarinet in A Prayer.

Professor Ran: Yes. When I wrote this piece I was interested in a low range sounding piece.

The bass clarinet really complements the bassoon and these two instruments work together as a

unit throughout much of the piece. I would consider the clarinet to be quite separate from the

bass clarinet in this piece as a ‘free spirit’ that soars above the French horn and eventually

becomes the most important voice in the piece.

Ms. House: What are your thoughts about writing for clarinet and other winds?

Professor Ran: In a sense I think there is less versatility when writing for all winds as opposed

to writing for clarinet and strings. Clarinet and strings, to me, invites a lot more possibilities for

timbral and developmental qualities. I do enjoy writing for winds. When I was writing Concerto

da Camera I for woodwind quintet, one of the challenges was writing for so many different

‘characters’ or instruments. To me, each has a ‘soul’ that the composer needs to explore in order

to write for the instrument. Although the bassoon and cello have similar ranges, both

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instruments have very different ‘souls,’ or timbre and direction, and need to be written for

accordingly. This could partially explain why I am more attracted to writing for clarinet and

strings.

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CHAPTER VI

CONCLUSIONS

Composer Shulamit Ran has made many valuable contributions to the clarinet’ s

repertoire. Her writing showcases a complex plethora of both modern and traditional elements

which were exhibited by each work researched for this document. The main traditional elements

involved the legato and lyrical, or vocal, capabilities of the clarinet, as well as Ran’ s use of form.

The contemporary aspects seen in these works for clarinet were various extended techniques,

extreme altissimo register playing, and extreme dynamic contrasts and use.

Although some of the works examined in this document exhibited a more obvious form

than others, Ran always chooses to bring back material from previous sections as a unifying

device for the piece. The more traditional forms belonged to pieces such as For an Actor:

Monologue, Three Scenes, and Private Game. Both forms of For an Actor and Private Game

contain discussion of this aspect of the piece in their program notes. Ran states in these

introductions to the works that For an Actor contains a rough sonata form, while Private Game

consists of several Da Capo sections that return in exactly the same manner. Although the form

of Three Scenes is not discussed in the program notes, many sections are repeated in a way

consistent with rough binary and rondo forms.

The forms of Apprehensions, Concerto da Camera II, and A Prayer were not as

obviously laid out as the three previous works mentioned, but all of these pieces exhibited

material that returned at a later point in the work. Another factor that determined the less

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obvious form of these works was the way in which the clarinet was used at certain periods.

Many times, different sections could be determined by the use of the clarinet as a soloist, duet or

small ensemble partner, or as a member of the entire ensemble in tutti sections.

Shape of the pieces examined in this document was another important structural factor

akin to form. An overall cyclic shape was evident in almost all of the works examined, as

material presented at or near the beginning of the piece often returned at the end. This technique

could be found in the form of returning themes or motives in For an Actor: Monologue, Three

Scenes, and A Prayer. Pieces such as Private Game and Apprehensions saw a more subtle return

of rhythmic or melodic motives at their conclusions. Concerto da Camera II, although it only

exhibited strict recurring material from the last movement at the work’ s end, saw a return of an

opening staggered entrance effect seen in the first movement which was repeated at the end of

the final movement. A similar effect of staggered, disjunct entrances that develop into unison

playing could also be found in Private Game.

Aside from large structural components such as shape and form, the other traditional

musical aspect studied in this document was Ran’ s use of the legato, lyrical aspects of the

clarinet. The pieces that exhibited these vocal-like techniques the most apparently were Three

Scenes and Apprehensions. Three Scenes, which in many ways was quite different from the

often Expressionistic For an Actor: Monologue, showcased lyrical melodies in its first and third

movements which greatly contrasted the staccato techniques demonstrated in movement two.

During this piece, and many of the others studied, Ran uses the clarinet’ s clarion, or most vocal-

like, register to display these lengthy, legato phrases. In Apprehensions, Ran uses the clarinet as

an extension, or alter-ego, of the voice, and displays many fluid musical lines in a way that

mimics the slower instrument of the human voice.

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In A Prayer and Concerto da Camera II there are legato aspects present throughout the

work, as the clarinet’ s versatile timbre interacts with the strings or other winds of the pieces.

Private Game contained the most unusual use of legato in all the pieces examined, as Ran used

this technique in the faster sections of the work as well as the slower, as an imitation, or

extension, of the sound produced by the cello’ s long bows. This use of the clarinet as a

chameleon of sorts is not only the title of the third movement of Three Scenes, but a capability of

the instrument seen in all of the chamber works examined.

Aside from the traditional aspects discovered within the pieces, many contemporary

devices were presented as well. An Expressionist flavor could be found in many of the works,

but was most noticeable in For an Actor: Monologue, and Apprehensions. Both of these works

demonstrated the most intense and Expressionistic use of extended techniques, extreme altissimo

register use, and dynamic contrast through their grotesque, unfocused, or shocking sound

qualities. These maximum uses of the registers and dynamic levels of the instrument help to

exhibit its many timbres. The dark chalumeau, hollow throat tones, vocal clarion, and bright

altissimo are all explored in works used for this study.

In For an Actor, Ran displays the varying emotions of the clarinetist, or actor, with the

use of a variety of extended techniques such as flutter tongue, multiphonics, and timbre trills.

The use of these aesthetically unusual devices gives the work an increased intensity and drive.

Although timbre trills and flutter tongue are the only extended techniques seen in Apprehensions,

these devices serve the same purpose in this work as they did in For an Actor, as well as further

establishing the clarinet as an extension of the voice.

The most extreme dynamic contrasts and altissimo register playing is also utilized in

these pieces. Although the quietest dynamic range of the clarinet is utilized in most of the pieces

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looked at, these two works also display the loudest dynamic possibilities of the instrument, most

often in the extreme altissimo register. While Apprehensions reaches written b3, For an Actor:

Monologue reaches the highest pitch of any work in the document with written c4.

Other than For an Actor: Monologue and Apprehensions, the other pieces also exhibited

contemporary attributes aside from free atonality. Extreme altissimo use and dynamic contrast

occur in the large chamber works Concerto da Camera II and A Prayer, most often when the

clarinet is being used as a soloist while the rest of the ensemble is performing. In Private Game

and Three Scenes the same extreme devices can be found, and are used to build intensity within

the pieces. These two works use limited extended techniques, but there is a glissando in Three

Scenes and timbre trills are used in Private Game.

As all of the works examined can be considered freely atonal, Ran uses other devices to

replace traditional aspects of tonality. Repeated rhythmic motives are used in all of the pieces

examined but Apprehensions, which uses limited pitch motives. These repeated rhythmic

motives are often seen throughout the pieces, and are many times developed with added notes, or

seen in augmentation and diminution. The pitch motives seen in Apprehensions are also

developed by changing the order of the pitches, or presenting these cells with different rhythms.

The other pitch related device used by Ran in these works includes fragments are whole

presentations of the octatonic, and to a lesser extent, whole-tone scales.

The final device used by Ran to replace traditional tonal devices involves her use of

ascending and descending motion. This technique is most prevalent in For an Actor:

Monologue and Apprehensions. For an Actor speaks of a “ development-disintegration” in which

much descending melodic motion is present. Before this section, there is much ascending

motion. A similar aspect is actually discussed in the program notes of Apprehensions, as “ a

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gradual ascent to a horrific climax culminating in a steep fall.” Although this technique is far

removed from traditional dominant-tonic relationships, its overall presence gives the works a

feeling of tension and release that was originally supplied by these older devices.

The works studied in this document exhibit the extreme versatility of the clarinet in a

variety of ways. While there is an obvious attempt to develop the instrument in a contemporary

manner, older ideas of the vocal and legato qualities of the instrument expressed by traditional

forms provide an inviting and unusual template for the modern clarinetist. It is the author’ s wish

that this document will lead to further study and performance of Shulamit Ran’ s works for the

clarinet.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bleuel, John. “ A Descriptive Catalog of the Solo and Chamber Saxophone Music of Lucie

Robert.” DMA diss., The University of Georgia, 1998. Childs, Adrian P. “ A Basic Course in Music Composition.” Notes 59:3 (2003): 653-4. Cruz, Rachel Yvonne. “ An Investigation and Analysis of Shulamit Ran’ s ‘Apprehensions for

voice, clarinet, and piano.’ ” DMA diss., University of Texas at Austin, 2000. Drach, Gary Steven. “ A Performer’ s Approach to New Demands in Selected Contemporary Clarinet Compositions.” DMA diss., University of Illinois at Urbania-Champaign, 1981. Kirzinger, Robert. “ A Talk With Composer Shulamit Ran.” Fanfare 25:6 (2002): 10-14. Kozin, Allen. “ Composer’ s Pulitzer Makes the Telephone Her New Instrument.” The New York Times. 11 April 1991, C15. Larue, Jan. Guidelines For Style Analysis. New York: W.W. Norton and Company Inc., 1970. Plath, Sylvia. Winter Trees. London: Faber and Faber, 1971.

Rothstein, Edward. “ The Melodic Energy and Textures of Shulamit Ran.” The New York Times. 23 April 1992, C15. Turpen, Jennifer Lynn Filer. “ A Descriptive Catalog of the Solo and Chamber Works for the Saxophone by Jindrich Feld.” DMA diss., The University of Georgia, 2000. Ward, Charles. “ Ran Salute Brings Out Best In Her Music.” Houston Chronicle. 7 April 1994, P4. White, C.B. “ Equilibria: Shulamit Ran Balances.” International League of Women Composers Journal October 1994, 1-7. Wigler, Stephen. “ Composer Ran Has Always Been a Font of Music.” Baltimore Sun. 15 March 1994, C4.

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APPENDIX A

LIST OF ANNOTATED WORKS

Apprehensions for Voice, Clarinet, and Piano. Tel Aviv, Israel: Israel Music Institute,

1980, p. 69.

A Prayer. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania: Theodore Presser, 1984), p. 123.

Concerto da Camera II. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania: Theodore Presser, 1989), p. 94.

For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet (in A). Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania: Theodore Presser, 1978, p. 16.

Private Game. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania: Theodore Presser, 1983, p. 52.

Three Scenes for Clarinet. King of Prussia, Pennsylvania: Theodore Presser,

2004, p. 32.

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APPENDIX B

DISCOGRAPHY

Ran, Shulamit. Premieres for Clarinet. Arthur Campbell. (Petersborough, NH: Gasparo Records, 2001), compact disc GSCD-341. Ran, Shulamit. Music by Shulamit Ran. The Da Capo Chamber Players. (New York, NY: Bridge Records, 1995), compact disc BCD 9052. Ran, Shulamit. Shulamit Ran. American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters:

Composer’ s Award Recording. (Composers Recordings Incorporated, 1991), compact disc 609.