after the Books of Harpsichord Pieces
for | Clarinet (B-flat) |
Musical Editions | Music score |
Item no. | 775278 |
Author / Composer | Thibaut Bétrancourt |
Level | medium–advanced |
Scope | 26 pages; 23 × 30.5 cm |
Release year | 2020 |
Publisher / Producer | Billaudot |
Producer No. | GB 10212 |
ISMN | 9790043102120 |
Rameau on clarinet! A most surprising option, perhaps, but in many ways a very interesting one. Developed in 1690 by Johann Christoph Denner, the clarinet was quite a novelty at the time, not to say a prototype instrument for Baroque composers and it was Jean-Philippe Rameau who introduced it in the orchestra in the 1749 lyric tragedy Zoroastre.
When I set out to explore this (possibly little-known to clarinet-players) repertoire, Rameau’s character pieces not only struck me as interesting and suitable for transcription but seemed perfect for a first hands-on approach of period-specific style, ornamentation and articulation.
The main objective of the following 10 etudes is educational. Based on selected compositions from Jean-Philippe Rameau’s 1724 and 1726/7 collections of harpsichord pieces, they aim to provide a better understanding of Rameau’s style in particular and French baroque music in general, particularly through a focus on idiosyncratic ornamentation.
Metronome markings, articulations noted in dotted lines, or the ‘ossia’ option in La Villeroy are suggestions. Keep in mind that this music gives performers a certain freedom to make their own choices. Nuances and dynamics are also left to the performer’s taste since the pieces are adapted from harpsichord literature.