Additional Clarinet Sonatas
Early in his career, Poulenc composed two other sonatas featuring the clarinet. These two works, Sonata for Two Clarinets and Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon, are representative of an early style of experimentation for Poulenc. Both works make use of "wrong-note" dissonance and mix tonal harmony with modal harmony. Texturally, the works feature parallelism, imitation, and melody with accompaniment. Both works are very brief and could perhaps have been titled sonatina.
In 1918 (at age 19), Poulenc composed the Sonata for Two Clarinets (FP7), which features one player on B♭ clarinet and the other on A clarinet. The 5-minute piece is in three movements, marked:
- Presto
- Andante: Très lent
- Vif: Vite avec joie
One of Poulenc's earliest sonatas, he referred to it as an "entertainment" and later revised it in 1945. The work is brief, with two fast movements bookending a slow middle movement that features the first clarinet player in solo role with the second clarinet taking an accompaniment role with an ostinato. Somewhat melodically sparse, the piece features repetition, sequences, and shifting meters, recalling Eric Satie and Igor Stravinsky and pointing the way forward for Poulenc's developing style.
In 1922, Poulenc composed the Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon (FP32), which he later revised in 1945. The 8-minute piece is in three movements, marked:
- Allegro: Très rythme
- Romance: Andante très doux
- Final: Très animé
Slightly more developed than the Sonata for Two Clarinets, the piece follows same the fast-slow-fast pattern, but contains more melodic material. The work also reflects Poulenc's study of Bach's counterpoint, with the bassoon sometimes taking the role of a quasi-basso continuo.
Read more about this topic: Clarinet Sonata (Poulenc)
Famous quotes containing the word additional:
“The mere existence of an additional child or children in the family could signify Less. Less time alone with parents. Less attention for hurts and disappointments. Less approval for accomplishments. . . . No wonder children struggle so fiercely to be first or best. No wonder they mobilize all their energy to have more or most. Or better still, all.”
—Adele Faber (20th century)