An Overview on the E-Flat Clarinet

The E-flat clarinet is a remarkable instrument. Whenever played, it becomes a musical center of attention. Its brilliant and incisive timbre, combined with the fact that so many composers have written solo passages for the instrument, has created a marvelous and specialized repertoire for the instrument. The great majority of this repertoire is in the context of the large ensemble - the symphony orchestra and wind ensemble. There are also a number of wonderful chamber pieces and solo works for the "eefer".

History

In the earliest days of clarinet history, clarinets were pitched in every key, with the exception of C-sharp and F-sharp. The early instruments were basically diatonic in nature with a few chromatic notes. Players would select an instrument based on the key of the piece they were performing. After the development of the Boehm System for the flute and the subsequent implementation on the clarinet, a full chromatic scale became possible. The clarinet in B-flat soon became the standard instrument, due to superior tonal and acoustical properties. From that time forward, composers wrote for the different pitched clarinets based on the timbre they were looking for, often with disregard to key signature. The piccolo clarinet in E-flat began earning a place in the modern large ensemble for its unique timbre and powerful upper register.

The instrument is devilishly difficult to play, as the fingerboard is very small, and the acoustical properties make achieving accurate intonation very challenging. Developing pinpoint control in the extreme upper range is also quite difficult. The instrument does not always blend well with the other wind instruments, and melodic lines are often doubled in unison or in octaves with the piccolo, flute, and regular clarinet.

Instruments vary widely from one to another and players have to be creative with fingerings to achieve accurate intonation. This is especially true in the altissimo register, where necessity truly is the mother of invention.

Where the Instrument is Used

Playing the E-flat clarinet is not for the faint of heart! There are many exposed and lengthy solos in the orchestra and wind ensemble which cannot be tentative. Every note is heard and one can never hide in the texture. I am not aware of any specific tutorials or method books for the instrument, so trial and error, along with unwavering confidence are the best strategies for success.

The instrument must be regularly practiced, and this in addition to one’s practice of the normal clarinet. Developing control and security in the high register takes time and patience. It is also important to limit practice time at the beginning and gradually work up endurance, as playing the instrument is taxing on the embouchure.

How to Practice

I suggest practicing long tones, scales, and articulation, just as one would on the regular clarinet. The Rose etudes are particularly useful at the beginning, as they require intensive listening, tonal control, and have limited altissimo passages. One must gradually increase their range upward, with an initial goal of achieving a written high G (G’’’’), concert B-flat. Ultimately, the goal should be to achieve both G-sharp and A, as composers such as Mahler, Ravel, and Shostakovich have written these notes for the instrument.

Notable Pieces

There are a select number of solo works and chamber music pieces written for the instrument. Notable examples for solo E-flat clarinet and piano are works by Easley Blackwood, William Bolcom, Ernesto Cavallini, and two sonatas by Alfred Prinz. Some important chamber music compositions that include the E-flat clarinet were composed by Paul Hindemith, Leos Janacek, Amilcare Ponchielli, Arnold Schoenberg, Virgil Thompson, and Anton Webern.

Equipment

Having excellent equipment is also paramount to success on the E-flat clarinet. Investing in a top of the line mouthpiece is very critical to progress. I favor the Vandoren BD5, B40, and M30 facings. It is also important to have sufficient resistance in the reed to be able to support execution of the highest pitches.

I have always had a great affection for the “eefer” and hope that composers will continue to expand the repertoire for this unique musical voice.

About Mitchell Estrin

Mitchell Estrin is Professor of Clarinet at the University of Florida, Music Director and Conductor of the University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble, and a 2018 University of Florida Research Foundation Professor. He served as the founding Artistic Director of the Vandoren Clarinet Ensemble Festival and was founder of the Buffet Crampon USA Summer Clarinet Academy. From 2018-2020, Prof. Estrin served as President of the International Clarinet Association. He is the author of the biography Stanley Drucker, Clarinet Master published by Carl Fischer, LLC.

Prof. Estrin is a 2023 recipient of Honorary Membership in the International Clarinet Association. This accolade, marking the highest honor in the clarinet world, is said to acknowledge individuals with a distinguished background in the areas of professional service, teaching, performance, and lifetime achievements.

Mitchell Estrin studied clarinet with Stanley Drucker at The Juilliard School where he received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees and was awarded a Naumburg Scholarship. During his 25-year association with the New York Philharmonic, he performed in hundreds of concerts and on 19 international tours as principal, second, and E-flat clarinetist under such distinguished conductors as Alan Gilbert, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Erich Leinsdorf, Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Klaus Tennstedt, Andre Previn, and Leonard Slatkin. He performed on dozens of recordings with the orchestra and on numerous occasions performed with the Philharmonic on the PBS award winning series, Live From Lincoln Center.

As an international concert artist, Mitchell Estrin has performed in 38 countries on 5 continents. He performed and recorded with the Janacek Philharmonic in the world premiere of The Shadows of October for clarinet and orchestra by Michael Whalen. The work was recorded on the Arabesque label and the CD is being aired on classical radio stations internationally. The recording was reviewed in The Clarinet, which stated: “This beautiful and lushly scored tonal piece…. is performed by clarinetist Mitchell Estrin…. He plays beautifully with a lovely colored tone.”

An active chamber musician, he has performed with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New Arts Trio, been an Artist-in-Residence at the Newport Music Festival, and was a founding member of the Amadeus Ensemble. The ensemble recorded a critically acclaimed series of wind chamber music for Musical Heritage Society. Other chamber music projects include recordings of wind serenades by Dvorak and Mozart with the American Chamber Winds, and Monochrome III by Peter Schickele under the composer’s direction.

Prof. Estrin has presented recitals, masterclasses, workshops, and seminars at a number of prestigious educational conferences and institutions including the Eastman School of Music, Peabody Conservatory, Arizona State University, Florida State University, University of Maryland, University of Alabama, University of Arizona, University of Texas, Texas State University, Texas A&M University, Midwest Clinic, New York State School Music Association, Connecticut School Music Association, and Florida Music Educators Association. In 2019, he was a guest clinician in Australia at the University of Melbourne. He has performed in recital with clarinetists Stanley Drucker, Karl Leister, and Mark Nuccio.

Widely acclaimed as a conductor and proponent of the clarinet choir, Prof. Estrin has served as director of the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest® College, Festival, and Professors Clarinet Choirs, Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium Clarinet Choir, Texas Clarinet Colloquium Clarinet Choir, and United States Navy Clarinet Choir. He is a Guinness World Record holder for conducting the world's largest clarinet choir (367 members) in 2019. He has conducted the University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble throughout the United States and Europe, including three feature recitals at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest®. The ensemble has produced four critically acclaimed CD's for Mark Masters, Christmas Clarinets (2016), Clarinet Choir Classics (2012), Clarinet Thunder (2009), and Wind in the Reeds (2006). Each of these recordings was selected for the Grammy Nomination eligibility list. Prof. Estrin has authored a number of articles on the history, development, and logistics of the clarinet choir, and his critical edition of the Weber Concertino for Clarinet, opus 26 is published by Jeanné.

As a studio musician, Prof. Estrin recorded dozens of motion picture soundtracks for Columbia Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, MGM, 20th Century Fox, United Artists, and Warner Brothers on feature films including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Alamo, Intolerable Cruelty, The Score, You’ve Got Mail, Primary Colors, Fargo, Batman Forever, Interview with the Vampire, Home Alone 2, Pocahontas, Doc Hollywood, Regarding Henry, The Untouchables, Reds, and Dressed to Kill. His television credits include recordings for ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, HBO, TBS, and ESPN. Prof. Estrin was principal clarinetist for the NBC 75th Anniversary Special; broadcast from the famed NBC Studio 8H in New York City. He has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Phil Donahue Show, the television series Nurse, and in Kramer vs. Kramer, the 1980 Academy Award Winner for Best Picture. His clarinet playing has also been heard on hundreds of television and radio commercials. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has recognized him for his outstanding performances as a recording artist.

Prof. Estrin's students hold positions at major universities, and have performed with such prestigious ensembles as the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, New York Pops, United States Army Band "Pershing's Own", and United States Army Field Band.

Mitchell Estrin is a Buffet Crampon Clarinet Artist and performs exclusively on the Buffet R13 clarinet. As a Vandoren Performing Artist, he endorses and performs exclusively on Vandoren reeds and mouthpieces. Prof. Estrin's educational articles are published regularly in the Vandoren Wave and his biography is listed in Who's Who in Classical Music, Who’s Who in American Music, and Who’s Who in International Music.