Carl Nielson Essay

In the Præludium Adagio introduction section to the third movement of his Quintet for Winds, Carl Nielson employs several bold instrumentation decisions such as his choice of including an english horn and an A clarinet, usage of a large amount of each instrument’s range, and method of laying harmonies for the purpose of creating a sharp contrast between dark, brilliant, and strenuous colors. Normally when one thinks of the purpose of the A clarinet, having the performer play in a more comfortable key is the most common answer. In this movement however, Nielson chooses to have the clarinetist play in the key of Gb, rather than having them play on a Bb clarinet in the far more comfortable key of F. Nielson likely made this decision for the purpose of the clarinetist performing the low Fb (Figure 1) that is not possible to play on a Bb clarinet; however the difference in the instrument’s timbre was possibly also considered.

The bassoon in the beginning for example (Figure 7) begins at the bottom of its range on a low B. Much like its double reed counterpoints, the bassoon has a difficult time making these notes speak quietly. In this passage however, it is not an issue, for the ff marking allows the bassoon to take charge and project. The line then rises alongside a decrescendo, making it particularity effective, and further emphasizing the english horn’s demanding line. The horn also has this advantage of well planed-out part writing (Figure 8). While the clarinet can play in that tessitura as loud as it pleases, the score calls for a diminuendo to pianissimo. One would not normally place a horn as the accompanying voice in a passage such as this one, however, when the horn is placed in the dark accessible part of its range as observed here, it is able to easily play under the