- ABOUT US
- |
- MEMBERSHIP
- |
- THE CLARINET JOURNAL
- |
- CLARINETFEST®
- |
- COMPETITIONS
- |
- RESEARCH CENTER
- |
- ARCHIVES & LINKS
Few musicians disagree that Benny Goodman (1909-1986) left an indelible mark on the world of twentieth-century music. His pioneering efforts in jazz helped shape American popular music and made him a jazz icon. Unique to many jazz musicians, however, Goodman's interest in classical music also made him an influential figure among classical clarinetists. His technical fluidity and jazz expertise empowered composers to employ techniques that formerly had not been characteristic of their compositional style.
Aaron Copland's Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra, with Harp and Piano (1947) exemplifies jazz's infiltration of a classical genre. When Copland wrote his Piano Concerto in 1926, he experimented with a compositional style that he termed "symphonic jazz," which meant that he incorporated jazzy rhythms, colors, and moods into classical art music. Once the Piano Concerto was completed, however, Copland distanced himself from that style. He explained, "With the [Piano Concerto] I felt I had done all I could with the idiom, considering its limited emotion scope." Unique features of Goodman's playing - his cool lyricism and ease in the high register, in particular - convinced Copland that he had more to say in the jazz style.
Morton Gould's previous compositional style is linked to Americana, but Derivations for Clarinet and Band is a bold statement combining jazz with classical composition. Gould remarked, ûI set out to do a classically structured and disciplined piece using the jazz vernacular ð the title pretty much says it all ð and the work I think also reflects the 'Benny Goodman Sound' ð which influenced me." The work not only characterizes Goodman's jazz solo mastery but the orchestration is also reminiscent of Goodman's big band sound.
These commissions have not only added important pieces to the repertoire, but have also challenged later clarinet composers to expand their style in order to bring together the genres of jazz and classical music.