{"id":7492,"date":"2021-09-08T10:36:39","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T10:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orchestrationonline.com\/?p=7492"},"modified":"2021-09-08T10:36:41","modified_gmt":"2021-09-08T10:36:41","slug":"orchestration-tip-clarinet-textural-melodic-blending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orchestrationonline.com\/orchestration-tip-clarinet-textural-melodic-blending\/","title":{"rendered":"Orchestration Tip: Clarinet Textural & Melodic Blending"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The clarinet is an excellent resource for supporting and colouring harmonic and melodic texture.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Tip no. 18 from 100 Orchestration Tips, 2nd Edition)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unique resonance of the clarinet\u2019s registers are sometimes misconstrued as too\u00a0individual to\u00a0blend harmonically or melodically with other instruments. But a little score-reading\u00a0will immediately\u00a0reveal the clarinet as the perfect mixer at a party, with the ability to combine\u00a0constructively with nearly\u00a0every other type of timbre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with the chalumeau register. The woodiness of its tone means that it can bond almost\u00a0imperceptibly to the cellos or violas. Of course, it\u2019s important to point out that for a perfect blend,\u00a0the\u00a0clarinet may need marking down by one dynamic degree. But generally speaking, clarinets\u00a0double very\u00a0well with strings, especially violas who may need strengthening in some passages.\u00a0Be aware that\u00a0clarinets tend to add a hollower sheen when blending, which might suck a little\u00a0bit of characteristic\u00a0warmth out of some passages, but work just perfectly in others. The overall\u00a0effect is a string line or\u00a0harmony that feels fuller without being too thick \u2013 which may be just\u00a0what\u2019s needed in lighter textures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In harmonic combinations with other winds, the general rule is underlay higher-register flutes\u00a0and\u00a0oboes and overlay middle-to-lower register bassoons. Clarinets interlock (aka \u201ccross-\u00a0voicing\u201d) quite\u00a0well with middle-register oboes for a mysteriously blended sound, combining the\u00a0reediness of both\u00a0instruments. But these crossings must be scored with a great deal of care\u00a0and intuition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fig. 18a: Clarinet combinations and relationships.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Clarinets give a lot of shine to a four-part harmony when overlaid on lower horns. They also\u00a0play quite\u00a0well when enclosed by octave brass, so long as the dynamic isn\u2019t too loud. Doubled\u00a0clarinets in unison\u00a0with horns and octave unison with trombones is a powerful sound. One\u00a0of RImsky-Korsakov\u2019s favourite\u00a0blendings was chalumeau register clarinets in thirds with low\u00a0stopped horns, though keep in mind that\u00a0horn stopping has a natural lower limit (as seen in Chapter\u00a031. Horn Stopping Range and Mutes).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the clarino register, the clarinet shows greater affinity for the flute in doublings, harmonies, and\u00a0octaves. Because of the tendency of both instruments to shine a bit, their combined resonance\u00a0will\u00a0evoke organ-like tones, especially in octaves. When these octaves double violin melodies,\u00a0the result is\u00a0a soaring sound that has more of an edge to it than if oboe were the lower voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orchestrators are often warned not to double oboes with clarinets \u2013 but in fact many great\u00a0works are\u00a0so scored, especially Tchaikovsky, in both harmony and melody. Of course, there\u2019s\u00a0also the well-known\u00a0opening theme of Schubert\u2019s Unfinished Symphony, a unison melody of\u00a0clarinet and oboe that works\u00a0precisely because one register compensates for the other as the\u00a0music rises and falls. Clarinet unison\u00a0with trumpet can also work okay, if the conductor takes\u00a0the time to balance the effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fig. 18b: Schubert, Symphony no. 8 (\u201cUnfinished\u201d), Movement 1, clarinet part bars 13-20.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Of course, clarinet works just as well when providing a background pattern under a melodic\u00a0line, very\u00a0much like the violas with which they blend so well. Examples of this are numerous\u00a0throughout the\u00a0literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the clarinet is such a flexible instrument in accompaniment and complement that its\u00a0uses can\u00a0express a highly individual style on the part of different composers. There\u2019s a wealth\u00a0of great strategies\u00a0to score-read. Let\u2019s close this tip with one of my favourites, the opening of\u00a0Debussy\u2019s La Mer,\u00a0movement 2: Jeux de vagues. Here, the combination of clarinets, bassoons,\u00a0and English horn creates\u00a0a positively horn-like sound behind the shivering strings. The voicing of\u00a0the woodwind harmony plays a\u00a0role in this, an F#add2\/C# chord. The whole page has wonderful\u00a0depths of coloristic intrigue, but only\u00a0lasts a brief moment when performed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fig. 18c: Debussy, La mer, Movement 2, woodwind section parts bars 1-4.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The clarinet is an excellent resource for supporting and colouring harmonic and melodic texture. (Tip no. 18 from 100 Orchestration Tips, 2nd Edition) The unique resonance of the clarinet\u2019s registers are sometimes misconstrued as too\u00a0individual to\u00a0blend harmonically or melodically with other instruments. But a little score-reading\u00a0will immediately\u00a0reveal the clarinet as the perfect mixer at a…
Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[29],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nOrchestration Tip: Clarinet Textural & Melodic Blending - Orchestration Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orchestrationonline.com\/orchestration-tip-clarinet-textural-melodic-blending\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Orchestration Tip: Clarinet Textural & Melodic Blending - Orchestration Online\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The clarinet is an excellent resource for supporting and colouring harmonic and melodic texture. 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