In this listening, I aim to listen to recordings of secondary instruments. I began listening to a Heckelphone ensemble on a piece by Carlo Carturan (1858-1936) Ascendit Deus (1903). I could fully appreciate the full, rich tone quality of the instrument. However, the piece was not very expressive, so I searched for other recordings and found Hindemith’s (1895-1963) Trio for Piano, Viola and Heckelphone (1928). In the piece, the composer seems to exploit the solo instrument’s features. In the second recording, the nasal quality was evident. Also, I found that the tone in lower registers had a saxophone-like tone. I conducted further listening on the Piccolo A-flat Clarinet and Contrabass Clarinet duo. This time, I listened to an arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s (1840-1893) Dance of the sugar plum fairy (1892). The contrast between the very dark, powerful Contrabass and the thin puncturing Piccolo Clarinet in combination was pretty humorous. The Piccolo Clarinet and Flute Piccolo have a similar tone quality, the latest being brighter and the first which provides a more nasal tone. The tone of the contrabass clarinet appears to be a blend of the tuba and the bassoon. I have also listened to Michel Corrette’s (1707-1795) Concerto Pour Musette de Cour, Op.4 N°3 (1728). The Musette looks similar to a bagpipe used extensively in Spain, Scotland and Europe. In this piece, the continuous dron-like sound of the Musette seems to be very appropriate for Baroque music as a substitute or in addition of the Harpsichord. The sound appears very thin, and the instrument seems very agile similar to the Piccolo. In Tom Jobim’s (1927-1994) Chega de Saudade (1957), Attilio Berni performs with an Eb Sopranino Saxophone. Although the sound of this instrument is related to the Saxophone family and has a warm tone colour, it appears to have similar timber to the Oboe and Clarinet, perhaps due to its high pitch. I was surprised by the small and looking Saxophone. Regarding the Bass Oboe, I found a sonata by Saint-Saens (1835-1921). The performer’s technique was excellent. Although the Bass Oboe is regarded as not agile in formal books, the level of agility is fantastic in this piece. Also, the expression is exceptional on what it felt as a warmer and bold tone instrument.
Reference:
Carlo Carturan (1858-1936) Ascendit Deus (1903). Accessed on 10 Dec. 2022 from: https://youtu.be/YT_63UntRJE
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) trio for piano, viola and heckelphone(1928). Accessed on 10 Dec. 2022 from: https://youtu.be/EEDpcdx5ppk
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, (1840-1893) Dance of the sugar plum fairy (1892). Accessed on 10 Dec. 2022 from: https://youtu.be/d-aqcHlSFEI
Michel Corrette (1707-1795), Concerto pour musette de cour, Op.4 N°3 (1728). Accessed on 10 Dec. 2022 from: https://youtu.be/4kvZKKsXp-Y
Tom Jobim (1927-1994), Chega de Saudade (1957). Performed by Attilio Berni. Accessed on 10 Dec. 2022 from: https://youtu.be/NoeMMEvtIc4
Saint-Saens (1835-1921), Bass oboe sonata (1921). Accessed on 10 Dec. 2022 from: https://youtu.be/D09HnL7UYxc
Orchestration and Arrangement 