Task: Each instrument is, by its natural construction, very different from the others. This is more evident among the woodwinds than in any other group of instruments. In composing for them, the aim is always to create music that shows off their best qualities and avoid writing anything for them which might be out of character. 

By searching out and listening to the kind of music that has been written for each of these instruments, you will quickly appreciate that each has its own character. Melodic lines have a different ‘personality’ on different instruments, especially in work written for a solo instrument.

This short research point was done in order to find out some characteristics about the Bass Clarinet, which will be the focus of Composing Music – Assignment 2. This is an instrument that has always intrigued me because, like the bassoon, it’s got a very ambiguous role in the orchestra because of its tone and range. Furthermore, compared to other woodwind instruments I looked at in this section, the repertoire is comparatively limited.

The Bass Clarinet, as the name implies, is a bass instrument. It plays a role similar to the bassoon, cellos, and bass horns due to its most common range, as previously noted. The instrument has a very particular texture to its sound and this characteristic has been explored to great effect, in particular in the 20th century. I will look at some characteristics of the instrument below.

Physical Characteristics

The Bass Clarinet is a member of the clarinet family of instruments, and is the most common bass voice of this family. The modern clarinet is generally made of wood and it’s roughly twice as long as the clarinet

The Bass Clarinet is normally played with a spike rested on the floor, and this is common for both sitting and standing.

I would imagine that the responsiveness of the instrument is slower than a clarinet in large part due to its size (from experience playing brass, that seems to be the case).

Sound Characteristics

To my ears the Bass Clarinet has a very dark, rounded, and mellow tone. Especially in the lower register of the instrument, the chalumeau, the Bass Clarinet to me is at its most pleasant and has a particularly pleasant sound. I prefer the sound of the Bass Clarinet in this range to that of the Bassoon, which to me sounds harsher and difficult (though more powerful) at this lower range.

Range

The modern Bb Bass Clarinet has a useable range Bb1 to B5, which makes it very flexible when adapting the instrument for bass or melodic roles.

Notation

There are four common notation practices or systems for the Bass Clarinet, an all have geographical names. However, the two most common notation systems are the following:

• French notation:
  • Written in treble clef
  • Sounds an major 9th, or an octave and a tone, lower than written.
  • Clarinets using this system would share fingerings for the same notes, the sound and transposition would depend on the tuning
• German notation:
  • Written in bass clef
  • Sounds a major 2nd, or a tone, lower than written.

Techniques Available

These are some of the available techniques on the bass clarinet, all of which are worth exploring:

Samples of Repertoire

Shostakovich – Symphony No 7 – Bass Clarinet Solo (1941)

Luciano Berio – Sequenza IXc for Bass Clarinet (1980)

Matthew Whiteside – Three Pieces for Bass Clarinet and Electronics (2014)

References:

- Vienna Symphonic Library - Bass Clarinet https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Woodwinds/Bass_clarinet