The most
known finish composer before the great Sibelius, is a man by the name of
Bernhard Henrik Crusell. Crusell, (1775-1838) was a virtuosic clarinetist, who
both preformed and composed. He was born in Nystad, Finland before moving to
Stockholm, Sweden in 1791 were he would remain living for the rest of his life.
Crusell maintained a position as the principal clarinetist with the Hovkapellet
royal court orchestra. During his life in Stockholm, Crusell traveled to Germany
to both studied and preform. It is said that he both studied and performed
under Beethoven and Mozart while in Germany. He is known for his
experimentation with different clarinet and reed styles, such as paying with an
11 keyed clarinet and turning the reed downwards in the middle of passages to achieve
different playing styles.
As far as
compositions go, Crusell is most known for his clarinet concertos, but he is
also responsible for writing the first Finish opera, as well as several pieces
for orchestra. His composition style follows the generic rules of Viennese Classicism
that was most popular at this time. However, Crusell did tend to pull ideas
from French opera which he become most familiar with as he worked for the court
orchestra.
The most
popular of Crusell’s clarinet concertos, is the Concerto No. 2 in F Minor Op. 5.
These pieces show off the dynamic range of the clarinet that can be achieved by
playing with a reed flipped rather than the range of notes that are negatively affected
by this action. This is the last of a
series of concertos by Crusell that was first performed sometime in 1815 by
Crusell himself. Crusell dedicated this piece to Czar Alexander 1 of Russia. The
Allegro movement (0’00”-6’50”) begins with a slow opening theme but soon
becomes agitated (0’30”) getting faster and more anxious until the clarinet
enters with a variation of the same Allegro theme on the second time through
the exposition (2’04”). The
recapitulation (3’24”) is driven by the clarinet soloist as is the rest of the
piece.
Asiado,
Tel (2004). “Bernhard Henrik Crusell” Mozart Forum
Bernhard
Henrik Crusell. 2011. Hutchinson’s
Biography Database, 1
Reel, J. (n.d.). Concerto for clarinet & orchestra
You win for finding a composer and piece I had never heard of. That was a super interesting story--and a great example of how the Classical style extends way beyond Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.
ReplyDeleteIm so glad I actually won something I never win
DeleteIt was nice getting to experience the clarinet as being the main instrument. I looked at the picture while listening, and Crusell did an amazing job with creating the waves in the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michaela about the waves at the beginning. The fact that everyone has the same ideas about what "stormy" or anxious sounds like in music is fascinating to me.
ReplyDeleteI have a new appreciation for clarinets because I played one for the first time last week and could not get a sound out. The skill set needed to accomplish these varying dynamic markings is impressive.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that he was a virtuosic clarinetist. First composer I can think of that didn't play piano or violin.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear what a Finish opera sounds like. It's a really interesting language.
ReplyDelete