Avant-Garde Unaccompanied Clarinet Solo
Fast, aggressive, driving, dramatic --- Flowing, singing --- Fast, abrasive, contentious --- Slow, lyrical, expressive
| Leslie Bassett (1923- ), American | Quality: 8 |
| Soliloquies | Difficulty: 10 |
| 1976 | 9:00 |
| Merion/Theodore Presser, 1978 | Highest Note: alt. B |
Description
 | Avant-garde piece with glissandi, multiphonics, resonance trills, and extreme altissimo; does not include aids (fingerings charts, etc....) to the extended techniques |
| Written for Reverend Robert Onofrey, another avant-garde composer |
| Premiered February 18, 1976, in Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Bassett was on the composition faculty at the University of Michigan and is a member of SAI's Composers Bureau |
Necessary Qualities
| Light articulation and precise tongue position |
| Comfort in the altissimo |
| Patience to figure everything out and learn new techniques |
| Snappy fingers |
Pedagogical Suggestions
| Listen to a recording of this and other avant-garde pieces |
| Warm-up your altissimo and multiphonics |
| Choose your reed carefully, especially for the performance! |
Recommended Recordings
| E. Ludewig-Verdehr; Mark Educational Records |