The Clarinet Choir: A Brief History
The father of the clarinet choir was Gustave Poncelet (1844-1903). In the late 19th century, he formed the first true clarinet choir at the Brussels Conservatoire. From hearing Poncelet’s ensemble in 1896, the great German composer Richard Strauss became acquainted and enamored with all of the members of the clarinet family. As a result, Strauss used large and diverse clarinet sections in many of his grand scale orchestral works and operas, and soon other composers followed suit. Several of Poncelet’s students came to the United States at the turn of the 20th century and began forming clarinet choirs. The most famous American clarinet choir was the Bellison Clarinet Ensemble founded in 1927 by Simeon Bellison, the celebrated principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic. Bellison’s choir was 75 players strong and often performed in Carnegie Hall. In addition to a huge complement of each member of the clarinet family, his instrumentation often included trumpet, harp, concertino, piano, guitar, organ, and percussion. The ensemble played its final concert in 1938.
In 1950, a movement started in the United States that began the golden age of the clarinet choir. It was appropriately called the “Balanced Clarinet Choir Movement” because the founders proposed and implemented the use of an acoustically balanced instrumentation covering the entire range of the clarinet family. A number of prominent clarinet performers and educators including Thomas Ayres, Lucien Cailliet, James DeJesu, Harvey Hermann, David Hite, Russell Howland, Donald McCathren, Harold Palmer, and Alfred Reed initiated and promoted the new concept. Many other music educators who were trying to improve their ever-expanding clarinet sections further stimulated the movement. This inspired many new compositions and arrangements for the clarinet choir. During this era, most major university and high school music programs boasted large clarinet choirs. All of the leading instrument manufacturers of the time strongly supported the clarinet choir movement. State, regional, and national music conferences featured clarinet choirs and often included the formation of conference mass choirs.
Due to a number of factors, including dwindling music school enrollments, lack of adequate budgets to purchase and maintain instruments, and an ever-increasing amount of out-of-print repertoire, the clarinet choir became relatively silent towards the end of the twentieth century. Through the efforts and commitment of leading clarinet educators and performers from around the world, there has been a strong international resurgence of clarinet choirs in the twenty-first century. There is a wealth of new music being composed, transcribed, arranged, and performed by clarinet choirs at international festivals, in music schools, and community groups in many countries. The future of the medium of the clarinet
choir is very bright!
Developing a Clarinet Choir
The first time I heard a clarinet choir was in high school. I was immediately enamored with the incredible sound
of the ensemble—a group of clarinets that sounded like a pipe organ! I soon formed an ensemble at my school
and have continued to perform with, conduct, and promote this wondrous instrumental combination ever since.
This ensemble began in Belgium in the late 19th century. Gustave Poncelet (1844–1903), professor of clarinet
at the Brussels Conservatory is regarded as the father of the clarinet choir. Several of his students came to the
United States and the medium quickly gained popularity around the world.
There is no standard number of players needed to form a clarinet choir. I have participated in choirs as small as
10 players and large as 367. I have heard of a 275-member carrot clarinet choir in the Netherlands, where all of
the clarinets were made from carrots! The size of the ensemble is not important but will influence the choice of
repertoire.
The biggest obstacle in starting a clarinet choir is having access to auxiliary clarinets. In addition to having a
section of divisi B-flat clarinets, the suggested auxiliary instrument list for the clarinet choir includes the:
- E-flat soprano clarinet
- E-flat alto clarinet (and/or F basset horn)
- B-flat bass clarinet
- E-flat contralto clarinet
- B-flat contrabass clarinet
The complete clarinet choir has a range of six octaves! If you have all of these instruments and the players to use
them, you are set and can play a very wide variety of repertoire, and your ensemble will have great range and color.
This being said, it is also possible to use a smaller instrumentation. At the very least, you should have a minimum
of six B-flat clarinets, one alto, and one bass clarinet. There is some repertoire for this smaller instrumental
combination. By adding an E-flat soprano clarinet and at least one contra clarinet (contralto and/or contrabass),
you will have a much more diverse repertoire to choose from. Having both contra clarinets is even better. If you
have a smaller ensemble, it is also possible to perform repertoire for clarinet quartet or quintet, using multiple
players on a part.
I cannot underestimate the importance of having at least one alto clarinet. This middle voice instrument is too
often overlooked, and without this important voice, the ensemble lacks a true tonal balance. I sometimes use
basset horns instead of alto clarinets in my ensemble. Basset horns are pitched in F, one whole step higher than
the E-flat alto clarinet. If you have this luxury, you may find the basset horn very useful, but much depends on
the key signatures of the repertoire and the quality of the instruments. Many published editions come with ossia
basset horn parts. If not, your alto clarinet/basset horn players will become very adept at transposition, either
at sight or on the computer.
If you use an E-flat soprano clarinet, it is preferable to assign this part to a strong and experienced player who has
a good ear. The E-flat clarinet is always heard above the choir texture. An inexperienced player should be given
time to learn how to tune, balance, and blend into the overall sound of the ensemble. You will have to experiment
with the overall ensemble balance. Much also depends on the particular repertoire you are performing, as well
as the particular strengths of your personnel. Parts can be assigned and balanced differently for each piece.
Then there is the question of when (and if) to use a conductor. For some smaller ensembles, sometimes not
having a conductor is preferable. This would be effective for the more chamber music style repertoire. For larger
groups, transcribed band and orchestral repertoire, and more complex scores, having a conductor to lead and
balance the ensemble is necessary.
The clarinet choir is always popular with audiences, especially when the instruments are individually introduced.
This can be in the context of the repertoire or in a musical “petting zoo” before and/or after the performance.
Paul Harvey’s delightful composition, The Young Person’s Guide to the Clarinet Choir*, is an ideal work to introduce
audiences to the family of clarinets.
A word about setup: There are a number of options you can use for seating. For a smaller choir, you can usually
set up in a semicircle formation, going from highest voices on the left of the conductor to the lowest voices on the
right. For larger choirs, I prefer antiphonal style seating for the B-flat clarinets, with the auxiliary instruments in
the middle. I usually have first and second clarinets on the left side of the conductor, and third (and fourth and
fifth if the music calls for 4 or 5 divisi parts) on the right side of the conductor. I like the E-flat soprano clarinet
right in the center of the first row, so I can make eye contact easily for cues (the E-flat often has extended rests)
and to adjust balance when needed. You can experiment to find what works best for your ensemble and the
acoustics of your performance venue.
There is a vast amount of excellent published repertoire for the clarinet choir. This includes original composi
tions for the ensemble, transcriptions of traditional band and orchestral pieces, as well as many arrangements.
Here are a few of my favorite resources for clarinet choir music: - ALRY Publications
» www.ALRYpublications.com - AMB Clarinet (Anthony Brackett)
» www.AMBclarinet.com - June Emerson
» www.JuneEmersonWindMusic.com - Luyben Music Co.
» www.LuybenMusic.com
Whatever repertoire you choose or instrumentation you have available, your ensemble members will enjoy a
richly rewarding musical experience playing in a clarinet choir. The repertoire is large, constantly expanding,
and the clarinet choir experience offers players the opportunity to enjoy learning and performing on the various
members of the clarinet family.
*Published by Reynard Music, 4 Reynard Way, Northampton, NN2 8QX, UK