PERSONAL FACTS AND MUSIC STUDY

What is your name?

My name is Elena Cavani
Where do you came from? (I come from…)
I came from San Dalmazio
Where are you from? (I am from…)
I’m from San Dalmazio
Where is San Dalmazio exactly? (Province/Region)
Exactly San Dalmazio is near Serramazzoni, and it is a little village in the hills of
Modena known for the production of cheese

What is your instrument? What instrument do you play?

My instrument is the clarinet. I play the clarinet.
When did you start studying the clarinet? (I started…)
I started studying the clarinet more or less when I was nine

TRICK QUESTION
How long have you been playing the clarinet? (I have been playing…for…)
I have been playing the clarinet for nine/ten years
How long have you played? (I have played… since… for…)
I have played the clarinet since when I was nine

Who was your first teacher?

My first teacher was Oliviero Ciamaroni that was the teacher of the school of the
band in Riccò (that is near San Dalmazio, where I live). When Oliviero was young
played with Hengel Gualdi (a famous clarinettist)

What was the name of the Conservatoire/Music school?

The name of the Conservatoire where I currently study is Orazio Vecchi
Who is your current teacher?
My current teachers are; Corrado Giuffredi, Fabrizio Meloni, Valeria Serangeli and
Annamaria Giaquinta

YOUR INSTRUMENT (See also Producing

Sound)
What family does the clarinet belong to?
The clarinet belong to the family known as woodwind

What is the difference between the clarinet and the oboe?

On the terms of the construction and of the use of the instrument the clarinet uses a
single reed while di oboe uses the double reed. Regarding the sound, the timbre it is
easily distinguishable by listening (the oboe has a more penetrative sound while the
clarinet has a timbre more soft and muffles, also the clarinettist give a personal
timbre, it depend by the performer and what you search on your instrument)

How is sound produced on the clarinet?

The mouthpiece and reed are surrounded by the lips of the player which put
pressure, the air that the player put in the instrument vibrates the reed, then the air
travels down the cylindrical tube and escape at the point the tube opens out (this is
either at the closet open hole or at the end of the tube (bell)

How does the player modulate the sound?

What variations in tone quality, or timbre, can you produce? How do you achieve
these variations technically?
The diameter of the bore affects characteristics such as available harmonics, timbre
and pitch stability, changing the mouthpiece’s tip opening and the lenght of the reed
change aspects of the harmonic timbre or voice of the instrument because change
the speed of reed vibrations. With the embrochure I can produce vibrato (a
pulsating change of pitch), also fingerings may be used to play quarter tones and
other microtonals intervals
What are the main/chief/principal technical problems of your instrument?
The principal technical problems of my instrument are the right embrochure, the
agility of the finger due to the right position of the hands, the agility in the staccato
that is due to the embrochure, the right breathing and the continuous air flow

How do you solve those problems technically?

Actually I’m trying to solve some problems that I bring with me like bad habits, like
some features of the embrochure and the breathing. I think that the only thing that
can help you to solve this kind of problems is the time and costancy

REPERTOIRE
How is this piece structured in terms of movements? Describe the
Allegro/Adagio/Andante? (Malcom Arnold, Sonatina)
The Clarinet Sonatina is in three brief movements, totaling some nine minutes.
Three themes dominate the first movement, Allegro con brio. The first is a bit wild,
with several wide leaps and chordal punctuations from the piano, the second hints
at jazz rhythms, and the third provides a quiet interlude before the concluding
return of the opening theme. The second-movement Andantino is gentle and lovely,
and the third, appropriately marked Furioso, is a breathless dance in triple meter
that provides quite a workout for both instrumentalists.
What is the specific mood and character of adagio?
The Andante (the second movement) is counterposed between the first and the
third movement. It is gentle and lovely, also reflexive and intimate
What is the composer’s intention in the allegro?
I think that the intention of Arnold when he wrote this piece was to show us the
counterposition between the past and the present of the time, the difference
between the way of writing before him and with him. Maybe he wanted to show to
people why (and this maybe we can find the answer in the historical contest and
period) he needed to write in this way rather than the traditional writing
characterized by lovely melodies and themes (while Arnold put in the foreground
the rhytme and the counterpoint between clarinet and piano)
How does the interpreter seek to give expression to the piece?
Surely taking highlighting the differences and the dynamic contrasts, the contrast
between various themes therefore the search for a different sound depending on
the situation (darker or lighter, more intimate or more outgoing, darker or brilliant)
What stylistic features characterize the music of Mozart?
I think the most important features of his music are the simplicity from which the
pure beauty of his music, this search for simplicity in the construction and
architecture of the phrases, in making period and the musical discourse something
completely fluid with no points of asking or unresolved issues. I think this feature in
addition to being the most important one is the greatest difficulty that the
interpreter has to face in the moment of the performance
In what way is playing Weber different in terms of tempo?

QUESTION ON VAUGHAN WILLIAMS &

GUSTAV HOLST, CLAUDE DEBUSSY &
MAURICE RAVEL
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS & GUSTAVE HOLST
Music characteristically English in the same way as that of Gustav Holst
Englishness, ostensibly familiar and commonplace, yet deep and mystical as well as
lyrical, melodic, melancholic and nostalgic yet timeless (Peter Ackroyd)
Listening to something very old or very new (Maitland John)
Style: deep love of folk tunes, the variations on which can transport the listener from
the down-to-earth to the ethereal
Patriotism, engendered by a feeling for ancient landscapes, the individual is small
but not insignificant
Ravel was his teacher, but Vaughan didn’t write music like him

MAURICE RAVEL
Predilection for dance rhythms, the music of Spain, archaic pastiche and
contemporary impressionistic techniques
Variety, classical simplicity (Ma Mere l’Oyle), transcendental romantic virtuosity
(Gaspard de la nuit), luxuriant, caressing sonority (Daphnis et Chloè), austere
violence ( chansons madècasses) and from Renaissance pastiche to adaptations of
jazz
Influence of Baudelairetransformative power of art

Both Debussy and Ravel were immersed in the poetics of this climate,
dandyismthe search for refinement and delicacy in the form of perfectly produced
aesthetic objects
Everything had to be done-or seem to be done-as by magic
The delicacy and the refinement represent two of the principal features of his music

CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Was one of the most prominent and innovative composers of the late 19 th and early
20th century
Along with Ravel he was associated with Impressionism, a term which he dislike whe
it was applied to his compositions
Non-conventional scales and chromaticism
Multi-sensory, quasi synaesthetic appealinfluence of Baudelaire
Absence of motivic figures and unresolved harmonies
Occasional absence of tonality, parallel chordschordal melodies, bitonality, non-
conventional scale, unprepared modulationsto create mood

 Vaughan, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

The peculiar modal qualities of the tune, with its prominent flatted seventh, not only
allowed the composer considerable harmonic freedom from the prevailing strictures
of diatonicism and chromaticism, but also made possible the simultaneous sense of
the ancient and the modern
The Tallis Fantasia is scored for two string orchestras, one functioning as a "distant"
choir, and a solo string quartet. After five widely spaced chords and a few bars in
which the theme is fragmentarily mused upon by pizzicato basses, cellos, and
swaying middle strings, arco, Tallis' hymn tune is stated in its original harmony by
violas and celli with tremolando accompaniment by the high strings, and is then
repeated in a setting that exploits all of the harmonic and contrapuntal facilities of a
large string section.
The string choirs then separate for a short section in which fragments of Tallis'
theme in the first string orchestra are answered by distant chordal musings from the
second orchestra. This serves not only as a brief development section but also
introduces the solo string quartet, whose masterly counterpoint demonstrates
Vaughan Williams' affinity for stringed instruments. As the rhapsodic meditation
increases in intensity, the more modern aspects of the composition come into focus,
with vaguely impressionistic harmonies mingling with the modal, leading to an
impressive climax in which the two orchestras are unleashed in their full chordal
power. The string quartet leads a final, luminous musing on Tallis' tune, and the
Fantasia ends with a short coda in which the solo violin pronounces a brief
benediction as the orchestra falls away.
 Vaughan, Fantasia on Greensleeves
He didn’t create it as a stand-alone piece, though; instead, it was initially used in the
third act of the composer’s Shakespeare-inspired opera Sir John in Love.
Vaughan Williams once commented, "The art of music above all arts is the
expression of the soul of the nation". In this delightful piece, he manages to capture
the very essence of England in music. The serene, pastoral sounds evoke images of
bucolic bliss, with lyrical string writing and particularly descriptive flute passages.
The title of Fantasia is in some ways misleading: the work is neither long enough nor
complex enough to deserve the description; instead, it is a rather faithful setting of
the original.
The Fantasia on Greensleeves uses not only the traditional tune alluded to in the
title but also the melody ‘Lovely Joan’, which Vaughan Williams came across in
Suffolk. In 1934, under the watchful eye of the composer, Ralph Greaves arranged
Vaughan Williams’s music into the version we most commonly hear today.

 Vaughan, The Lark Ascending

The composer wrote the piece in 1914, but the outbreak of World War I meant he
had to put its premiere on hold. It wasn’t until 1921 that The Lark Ascending
received its first performance, featuring the violinist Marie Hall – the woman for
whom Vaughan Williams had written it.
Listen out for the soaring violin melody ascends so high into the instrument’s upper
register that, at times, it is barely audible; shimmering strings, meanwhile, provide
much of the beautifully sensitive accompaniment, evoking glorious images of the
rolling British countryside. Midway through The Lark Ascending, Vaughan Williams
treats us to an orchestral section that seems to borrow from his love of folk songs;
it’s not long, though, before the lark returns, with the melody entwining itself
around the orchestra and then breaking free, rising to ever loftier heights.

 Holst, Egdon Heat

"A place perfectly accordant with man's nature -- neither ghastly, hateful nor ugly;
neither commonplace, unmeaning nor tame; but like man, slighted and enduring;
and withal singularly colossal and mysterious in its swarthy monotony." This
quotation from Thomas Hardy's 1878 novel The Return of the Native appears on the
score of Gustav Holst's tone poem Egdon Heath, dedicated to Hardy (who, at age 87,
had one more year of life remaining), and long regarded by the composer as his
finest work. It was commissioned by the New York Symphony Orchestra, which
premiered it under the direction of Walter Damrosch at New York's Mecca
Auditorium on 12 February 1928. The next day Holst led the City of Birmingham
Symphony in the British premiere at Cheltenham, where the first major festival of
Holst's music had taken place the previous year. Those initial performances went
well, but another in London a few days later was greeted poorly by a noisy and
unreceptive audience. This seems to have made Holst a bit anxious about the work,
and may have led to his desire that the above Hardy quotation always appear in any
explanatory program notes.
In her book on her father's music, Holst's daughter Imogen evokes the Hardy
quotation in referring to the "mysterious monotony" of the tone poem, which
begins with a somber melody heard first in the double basses, then taken up by the
rest of the strings. A nostalgic theme in the brass and woodwinds, and a scurrying
theme in the strings and oboe, work their way into the texture as well, leading to
moody, twilit music and what has been described as a "strange, ghostly dance." This
dark, evocative work finishes the same way it started: quietly, and somewhat
mysteriously.

 Holst, The Planets Suite, Jupiter

Jupiter is perhaps the most well-known movement from this suite. Starting with the
blustery motion emerging left behind with Mercury, Jupiter finally settles on a regal
hymn melody (Thaxted). Other upbeat British folk melodies mark the outer sections,
forming a stately whole that creates a formidable centerpiece to the suite.

 Debussy, La Cathédrale Engloutie

This prelude is an example of Debussy's musical impressionism in that it is a musical
depiction of, or allusion to, an image or idea. Debussy quite often named his pieces
with the exact image that he was composing about, like La Mer, Des pas sur la neige,
or Jardins sous la pluie. In the case of the two volumes of preludes, he places the
title of the piece at the end of the piece, either to allow the pianist to respond
intuitively and individually to the music before finding out what Debussy intended
the music to sound like, or to apply more ambiguity to the music's allusion.
Because this piece is based on a legend, it can be considered program music.

 Debussy, Prelude à L’après midi d’un faune

The composition was inspired by the poem L'après-midi d'un faune by Stéphane
Mallarmé. It is one of Debussy's most famous works and is considered a turning
point in the history of music; Pierre Boulez considered the score to be the beginning
of modern music, observing that "the flute of the faun brought new breath to the
art of music."
About his composition Debussy wrote:
The music of this prelude is a very free illustration of Mallarmé's beautiful poem. By
no means does it claim to be a synthesis of it. Rather there is a succession of scenes
through which pass the desires and dreams of the faun in the heat of the afternoon.
Then, tired of pursuing the timorous flight of nymphs and naiads, he succumbs to
intoxicating sleep, in which he can finally realize his dreams of possession in
universal Nature

 Ravel, Bolero
Boléro is a one-movement orchestral piece by the French composer Maurice Ravel
(1875–1937). Originally composed as a ballet commissioned by Russian actress and
dancer Ida Rubinstein, the piece, which premiered in 1928, is Ravel's most famous
musical composition.[1]Before Boléro, Ravel had composed large scale ballets (such
as Daphnis et Chloé, composed for the Ballets Russes 1909–1912), suites for the
ballet (such as the second orchestral version of Ma mère l'oye, 1912), and one-
movement dance pieces (such as La valse, 1906–1920). Apart from such
compositions intended for a staged dance performance, Ravel had demonstrated an
interest in composing re-styled dances, from his earliest successes – the 1895
Menuet and the 1899 Pavane – to his more mature works like Le tombeau de
Couperin, which takes the format of a dance suite.
Boléro epitomises Ravel's preoccupation with restyling and reinventing dance
movements. It was also one of the last pieces he composed before illness forced him
into retirement.

 Ravel, Menuet Antique

Menuet antique is a piece for solo piano composed by Maurice Ravel. The original
piano version was written in 1895 and orchestrated by the composer in 1929 . Ravel
wrote the piece to pay tribute to Emmanuel Chabrier, who had welcomed his early
works and helped to establish his musical reputation.
The piano version was first performed on April 18, 1898 by Ricardo Viñes, a long-
time friend to whom the composer dedicated the composition. Viñes also gave the
premieres of many of Ravel's other works. The orchestral version was first heard in
public on January 11, 1930.
The menuet form reappears in some of Ravel's later compositions, such as the
central movement of the Sonatine and the fifth movement of Le tombeau de
Couperin.

Malcolm Arnold, Sonatina

Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an
English composer. His output of works features music in many genres, including a
cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music,
choral music and music for brass band and wind band. He wrote extensively for the
theatre, with five ballets specially commissioned by the Royal Ballet, as well as two
operas and a musical. He also produced scores for more than a hundred films,
among these The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), for which he won an Oscar.
Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by the age of 30 his life
was devoted to composition. He was ranked with Benjamin Britten as one of the
most sought-after composers in Britain.[2] His natural melodic gift earned him a
reputation as a composer of light music in works such as some of his concert
overtures and the sets of Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish and Cornish dances. He was
also a highly successful composer of film music, penning the scores to over a
hundred features and documentaries, including titles such as The Bridge on the
River Kwai, Hobson's Choice and the St Trinian's series. His nine symphonies are
often deeply personal and show a more serious side to his work, which has proved
more controversial. Arnold also wrote a variety of concertos and chamber works, as
well as music for the theatre including major ballets.
Completed in January 1951, the same month that produced Arnold's Oboe Sonatina,
Op. 28, the Clarinet Sonatina was given its first performance on March 20 of that
year at the Gallery of the Royal Society of British Artists in London. The
accompanying pianist was Geoffrey Corbett, and the clarinetist none other than a
young Colin Davis, before his worldwide renown as a conductor.

Born in the English market town of Northampton, Malcolm Arnold began his
professional career in the early 1940s as a trumpeter in the London Philharmonic
Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. But after a few years, with his earliest
works already in print, he decided on a full-time composing career.

Between 1946 and 1952 he wrote a group of four sonatinas for various wind
instruments and piano. Skillfully written to show off the full range of a particular
instrument’s characteristics, each was intended for a specific player and designed to
reflect that individual’s style of playing.
The Clarinet Sonatina was written in 1951 for the influential player and teacher
Frederick Thurston. The spirited first movement begins by sending the clarinet
rocketing up through nearly three octaves and plunging back down again, all within
the space of four measures. The second theme, a typical catchy tune in Arnold’s
popular style, reappears in a ghostly pianissimo at the bottom of the clarinet’s
compass at the end of the movement.
This part of the instrument’s range, the so-called chalumeau register, is also
explored in the middle section of the smoothly flowing Andantino, whose moody
melodic and harmonic style is influenced by Arnold’s love of jazz. It provides a few
moments of edgy calm before the hectic, breathless Furioso.