Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2016 A digital resource for navigating extended techniques on bass clarinet Philip Everall Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses Part of the Music Education Commons, and the Music Practice Commons Recommended Citation Everall, P. (2016). A digital resource for navigating extended techniques on bass clarinet. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1940 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1940 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. Where the reproduction of such material is done without attribution of authorship, with false attribution of authorship or the authorship is treated in a derogatory manner, this may be a breach of the author’s moral rights contained in Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Courts have the power to impose a wide range of civil and criminal sanctions for infringement of copyright, infringement of moral rights and other offences under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. A Digital Resource for Navigating Extended Techniques on Bass Clarinet. This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Philip Everall Edith Cowan University Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts 2016 Copyright Declaration I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: (i) incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher degree or diploma in any institution of higher education; (ii) contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text of this thesis; (iii) contain any defamatory material; (iv) contain any data that has not been collected in a manner consistent with ethics approval. Signed: Date:09/12/2016 This copy is the property of Edith Cowan University. However, the literary rights of the author must also be respected. If any passage from this thesis is quoted or closely paraphrased in a paper or written work prepared by the user, the source of the passage must be acknowledged in the work. If the user desires to publish a paper or written work containing passages copied or closely paraphrased from this thesis, which passages would in total constitute an infringing copy for the purpose of the Copyright Act, he or she must first obtain the written permission of the author to do so. ii Abstract Extended techniques are integral to the creation and interpretation of works for the bass clarinet. Effects such as multiphonics, microtones, or percussive and air sounds, have become commonplace in repertoire from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This PhD dissertation posits that the bass clarinet’s affinity for these sounds can be traced back to the instrument’s earliest uses, and thus extended techniques should be central to the understanding of the bass clarinet. While there is a large knowledge-base of these techniques, the paradigm of print resources with accompanying music media in which it is catalogued is old-fashioned and inefficient. This project centres around the creation of a digital resource (an iPad application) that allows performers and composers access to this body of information in a format that is portable, powerful, and intuitive. It strives to organise the information in more efficient and useful ways, to present it elegantly, and to facilitate quick and intelligent methods of retrieval. The app can also be used as an educative tool enabling performers and composers to more quickly obtain mastery of this material. The efficacy of the app is demonstrated through a lecture recital and accompanying exegetical discussion explicating the ways that the app can add (or could have added) value in the composition, notation, learning, and performance of the works presented. iii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisors: Dr Jonathan Paget, and Dr Lindsay Vickery. Their dedication to this project, incredible knowledge, superior research skills, and unending patience has been both helpful and comforting. Aaron Wyatt, a fantastic musician, expert programmer, and very good friend, has completely surpassed my expectations for the scope of this project. Without his input, many of the features of the app simply wouldn’t exist, and the project wouldn’t cast a shadow on what we have created. I am deeply grateful for his collaboration. I would like to thank my colleagues Paul Tanner, Adam Pinto, and Dr Stuart James for their professionalism, advice, skills, friendship, and damn fine musicianship! I would also like to thank Mr Stewart Smith and Associate Professor Cat Hope, whose knowledge and commitment to music research is inspiring. To my teachers: Alex Millier, the finest bass clarinettist in Australia; Erik van Deuren, who instilled in me a great love of new music and the essence of what it means to be a musician; David Krakauer, who can help a clarinettist understand more about the idea of sound in two syllables (“hel-lo”) than most teachers can in a lifetime; Harry Sparnaay, the creator of our art; and Michael Lowenstern, the future of our art. My family, Burnice, Dave, and Miriam: your continued support, encouragement, and inspiration is what began my musical journey, and for that I’ll be forever grateful. If I can build a family that is even half as loving and supporting as the one in which I grew up, I’ll be doing pretty damn well… And finally, my wonderful wife Alex: your unfaltering love, support, inspiration, honesty, and above all, patience, is the most important thing in the world. (update – that, and little DJ!) Thank you. iv Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... iv Contents ................................................................................................................................. v Index of Figures .................................................................................................................. vi 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Personal Background ................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research Question ........................................................................................................ 3 1.3 Project Structure ........................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Methodology .................................................................................................................... 4 2 Historical Background ............................................................................................. 6 2.1 Historical Sketch of the Bass Clarinet .................................................................... 6 2.1.1 The Non-Orchestral Bass Clarinet Before 1950......................................................... 6 2.1.2 Early Characterisation of the Bass Clarinet ................................................................. 8 2.1.3 Bass Clarinet Notation and Bass Clarinet in A ......................................................... 15 2.1.4 Early Occurrences of Extended Techniques ............................................................. 21 3 Review of Current Literature .............................................................................. 23 3.1.1 Bass Clarinet Specific Resources (in Print) .............................................................. 23 3.1.2 Clarinet Resources (in Print) .......................................................................................... 24 3.1.3 Resources for Other Wind Instruments ..................................................................... 26 3.1.4 Online and Electronic Resources .................................................................................. 27 3.1.5 An Overview of Extant Resources ................................................................................ 28 3.2 Bass Clarinet Resources ............................................................................................31 3.2.1 New Techniques for the Bass Clarinet ........................................................................ 31 3.2.2 The Bass Clarinet of the Twenty-First Century....................................................... 37 3.2.3 The Bass Clarinet: A Personal History ........................................................................ 46 3.3 Current Specific Information on Extended Techniques ................................50 3.3.1 Slap-tongue ...........................................................................................................................