Those companies that did publish these works did not actively promote the compositions. Large sheet music companies found excuses not to publish. Those composers who were fortunate to hold a position at a college or university would have their compositions available at the campus library. The African American musician and composer found resistance in the concert hall. Composers like George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, and Leonard Bernstein incorporated jazz rhythms and harmonies in their clarinet compositions that were made palatable to concert audiences.Īs jazz in a concert setting flourished, the African American composer struggled to find acceptance. The big bands of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie enlisted the clarinet’s charisma. The sound of the clarinet was akin to the human voice, and its presence was synonymous with having a good time. The clarinet was ever-present in the nightclubs and dance halls during the heyday of the big bands. At every stage, the clarinet had a vital part. New Orleans jazz was a precursor to ragtime, blues, swing and bebop. A proper funeral procession or “send-off,” even to this day, will have a clarinet or trumpet lead the musicians. Small ensembles (trios, quartets, etc.) featured the clarinet. The blending of Creole, French and African cultures was fertile ground for this new music. When one speaks of jazz, New Orleans must be said in the same breath. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the clarinet escaped the confines of the orchestra and found new avenues of expression. This improvisational ability of the African American musician took root on many musical instruments, in this case the clarinet, and was the basis of a new “American” art form called jazz. Because reading notes was not common, an enslaved person working in the home, when given the opportunity, would “play around” a melody or improvise. Learning the piano, usually the home instrument in the master’s home, was done by rote or in secret. Music literacy or the ability to understand and write in the Western European tradition occurred rarely. Most of the music was performed by memory. These shows usually had a pianist, a drummer and a few wind and string musicians whose principal job was to accompany singers and provide entertainment between acts. During the Civil War and through reconstruction, the African American musician could be found performing alone, with a small audience or in traveling minstrel shows. The early works (circa 1800s) were primarily for voice and choral ensembles based on the work songs of enslaved people and religious themes which eventually became Negro spirituals. The African American composer did not have the same opportunity or access. Mozart, Weber and Brahms were captivated by the clarinet and other composers followed their example. Its sound, range and timbre were enticements. It is not surprising that early composers wrote for the clarinet. Apart from its orchestral position, the clarinet has been considered one of the most flexible. The clarinet has occupied a unique role throughout the history of American instrumental music. For this article, I will focus on the African American composer’s contribution to the clarinet. This is not to say other composers are less significant, but we must recognize these underrepresented composers. Though they may not be readily recognizable, their contribution to classical music, no less American music, is significant. These composers have not enjoyed the same representation in live performance and recorded music. Throughout my academic and professional career, I have been an advocate for music by African American composers for clarinet. Printed copies of The Clarinet are available for ICA members. Originally published in The Clarinet 48/1 (December 2020).
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