Download Camille Saint-Saëns - Rachel M. Kauffman

Written Outline
Music 497c
Rachel Kauffman
Camille Saint-Saëns
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
I. Allegretto
Brief Biography
 October 9, 1835-December 16, 1921

French

Romantic Era

Composer, pianist, organist, & conductor

Famous works include The Carnival of the Animals and Symphony No. 3 (“organ
symphony”)

Intended to compose sonata for all wind instruments but only completed works
for oboe, bassoon, and clarinet
Clarinet Sonata
 1921

B-flat clarinet and piano

4 movements: Allegretto, Allegro animato, Lento, Molto allegro

Segue between third and fourth movements
Harmonic Structure
 E-flat major: m. 1-26

C minor: m. 26-33

F minor: m. 34-37

C-flat major: m. 28-45

A-flat major: m. 46-52

E-flat major: m. 53-end; plagal cadence (“Amen”) IV-I
Written Outline
Music 497c
Rachel Kauffman
Rondo Form (see attached)
A

B
A
Typically, rondo form occurs in the fourth movement of a sonata but Saint-Saëns
does it in the first movement of this piece.
Performance
 The majority if the movement is in 12/8 with a brief four measures of 9/8

The clarinet seems to have fluidity throughout the movement, somber and
reflective. The piano connects with the clarinet until the B-section where SaintSaëns begins moving to various keys; the clarinet and piano do not agree on same
key at certain points, tension, until Saint-Saëns returns to original key, E-flat
major, in the return of the A-section.

Range of clarinet: Saint-Saëns uses the majority of the range of the clarinet in this
piece (and throughout the entire sonata), especially in the B-section.

It is crucial for the player to be very solid on embouchure to control the tone when
extending across the range of the instrument.

In my personal opinion as a clarinetist, there are few technical challenges within
this movement. The challenge lies in conveying the emotional context of SaintSaëns coming to terns with his impending death.