Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (Weber)

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Heinrich Bärmann in 1811. The piece is highly regarded in the instrument's repertoire. It is written for clarinet in B♭. The work consists of three movements in the form of fast, slow, fast. It was premiered in Munich on 13 June 1811, with Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria in attendance.[1]

Structure

  1. Allegro in F minor modulating into D-flat major and later returning to F minor with a meter of 3/4
  2. E flat major
    and afterward reverting to C major with a meter of 4/4
  3. Rondo; Allegretto in F major with a meter of 2/4

First Movement

This movement was very innovative for its time, with some stylistic aspects characteristic of later composers like

sixteenth-note runs. After that buildup, the clarinet subsides and gives room for the French horns to play a cheerful melody. The solo instrument responds in the same connotation as the horns did but then sneaks back to the dark theme the soloist first played. It intensifies and then the soloist whirls up and down in sixteenth notes until the tutti arrives with vengeance. The orchestra ends its phrase with dotted chords which give cue for the soloist to perform its next ordeal. This features rising chromatic scale
runs which flow into a river of sixteenth notes. The sixteenths are followed by a series of determined trills with the last one ending on a high g. The orchestra returns and eventually fades away. The clarinet ends the movement much like how it did before the arrival of the D-flat major key.

Second Movement

The beginning of the second movement is typical of an early romantic operatic aria, but still resembles the second movement of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in mood and melodic shape. Weber was, after all, Mozart's cousin by marriage. In the middle section, an unusual and rare but effective use of a horn trio without any other orchestral elaboration is put into effect. The clarinet responds and interacts with this horn trio much like an operatic singer would do it in a similar situation. The beginning material resumes after a brief pause.

Third Movement

The third movement contrasts with the preceding movements because of the light character. It is a typical rondo that usually ends a three movement concerto. Instances like this in other similar works include the third movement of Weber's Clarinet Concerto No. 2, Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, the third movement of Karl Stamitz's Clarinet Concerto No. 3, the final movements of Franz Krommer's Clarinet Concerto in E-flat major and Concerto for Two Clarinets, and the last movements of Louis Spohr's Clarinet Concerto's Nos. 1, 2, and 4.

Instrumentation

Scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 3 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings, and solo clarinet.

References

  1. ^ On This Day 13 June: Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1 Was Premiered by Georg Predota, Interlude

External links

Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (Weber): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

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