Woodwind Instrument: A Clarinet

In contrast to the bassoon, you can hear the smooth, velvety sound of the clarinet in the orchestras, military bands, and in jazz groups. Clarinets are made of wood or molded plastic, and can be found in the different range of notes. The standard “B-flat” clarinet is a little more than two feet long. An orchestra also often includes an “E-flat” clarinet, which is smaller and plays a higher range of notes, and a bass clarinet, which plays an octave lower.

The final and twelfth piece was made up of excerpts from a longer work called Five Short Pieces for Clarinet and Bassoon. To me, maybe because the concert was beginning to get long or maybe because I did not have many notes over it, the last piece seems fairly similar throughout its movements, or “Short Pieces.” The first was an up-beat piece with a distinct melody. The clarinet and bassoon alternated, with the clarinet playing the higher notes. The second movement had a have complete feel to it. The two instruments played at the same time, close to it.

The harpsichord is particularly effective in performing contrapuntal music—that is, music that consists of two or more melodies played at the same time, such as that of the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Construction and Mechanism The harpsichord usually has a wing-shaped body, or case, like a grand piano; however, its proportions are narrower and longer, and the case and its inner bracing are normally lighter. Harpsichords have also been built in other shapes. These include the virginal, or virginals, a small oblong instrument; the spinet, a small polygonal harpsichord; and the less common clavicytherium, an upright harpsichord. From the 16th to 19th century the terms spinet and virginal were often used interchangeably, and in England during that era any harpsichord was called a virginal.

The soprano and alto became common for solo roles. During the later baroque and almost the whole Vienna classicism, the oboe was the leading wind instrument of the orchestra. The oboe has a wide dynamic range, from pianissimo to forte. It is favored as the "singer" in the orchestra. The oboe is separated into three parts; the bell, lower joint, and the upper joint.

Also characteristic of section A is the use of 4's to carry the melodic line (horns, oboe, flute, and clarinet). The transition from section A to section B, and the transition from Major to Minor, is made by the clarinet. In section B the melodic line is at first carried by the flute with the oboe and/or clarinet, then the strings take over until a dramatic pause at measure . After the 2 ½ beats of rest the strings come back once again with a dominant chord (V). The melody is then tossed around between the woodwinds and strings until after a brief cut-time section the strings first state the pitsicato ascending chromatic pattern, which is used throughout the piece in chord suspension and transition.

Like many of Mahler's complex symphonic movements the first movement of the ninth symphony is based on few distinct themes and motives. (163) The most important motives of the first movement are the following: - The four note motive which first appears in bar 3 played by the harp. - The two-note descending motive which is varied and developed extensively throughout the movement - The rhythmic motive introduced by the horn in bar 4. The music begins by introducing all the fundamental/primary material which the entire movement is based on. In bar 7 the violins play the first theme (in D Major) which includes the two-note descending motive and lasts until bar 25.

The band under these circumstances, have its sopranos on the left side of the conductor. The trumpets and flutes, the highest ranged instruments, are situated there. Then there are the altos in the middle such as the alto saxophones, French horns, and clarinets. Next are the tenors which would be baritones, bassoons, and tenor saxophones. And lastly, there are the basses, which are the trombones, tubas, and baritone saxophones.

The symphony ends with a three-note motif in a melodic gesture leading the song to end with a quiet tone.The second music piece is called candidate suite and it was conducted by Clare Grundman and has five parts. The first part is called The best of all possible worlds. In addition to Westphalia choral, Auto da fe, Glitter and be gay, and Make our Garden grow. The song starts with a high timpani hit and a brass fanfare. The melody then is lead by the trombone, and the flute joins the trombone.

The theme at 155 in the oboe is based on an Arab melody, with a narrow range, with a drone in the bass. There are often parallel moving chords, such as in the violins at bar 192, and the trumpets and harps at 462. These parallel moving chords are reminiscent of Debussy and impressionistic elements. In the recapitulation, all of the subjects are brought back in the wrong order. At 424, like 192, the chords between the flutes and oboe are spaced out, with the oboe between the flute parts, and the second flute playing very low.

Introduction The saxophone was developed in 1846 by Adolphe Sax. The purpose of the saxophone’s development was to have an instrument with the projection of a brass and agility of a woodwind instrument. It is a closed ended instrument, with a reed which allows air to vibrate as it passes through the mouthpiece. It is very popular with military bands and is most well known for jazz and classical music, because of it’s unique sound and smooth solos. This report will explore the saxophone’s sound production including; frequency, resonance, notes, antinodes and harmonics explaining in depth how it occurs and their effect on the sound produced.