Spotlight: Sean Osborn
This month, we talked to performer and composer Sean Osborn about his experiences with E-flat clarinet. Keep reading for some background on Sean as an E-flat clarinetist and his tips for clarinetists and composers! (And check out his pieces in the Repertoire Archive - just put Osborn in the search box!)
EFCL: What was your first experience with E-flat clarinet? Did you take to it right away, or was it a process?
SO: I think I heard some people playing it in things like "Pineapple Poll," but I vividly remember a player at the Interlochen National Music Camp in the Symphonic Band my first summer who sounded great, and I wanted to do what she was doing. I played it the next year in my pep-band.
EFCP: What’s some of your favorite large ensemble pieces to play on E-flat clarinet?
SO: "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" is super fun. There is a time when it's E-flat clarinet vs. the rest of the orchestra, and E-flat wins! Shostakovich is usually fun, as are many band parts - like Lincolnshire Posy. I also enjoy piccolo clarinet in chamber music whenever I can: Hindemith, Ponchielli, Kernis, and clarinet quartets.
EFCP: What inspired you to write more solo/chamber pieces for E-flat clarinet? Are there stories behind any of the solo compositions?
SO: The E-flat Clarinet Sonata started as a B-flat clarinet sonata, with inspiration coming from the piano part that was rattling around in my head. Soon after starting the first movement, I realized the piece was all in the E-flat clarinet range anyway, so why not make it for that instrument, since I love it so much. Many composers, conductors, and clarinetists don't seem to like the E-flat clarinet, which I just don't understand, so often you hear band or clarinet-choir pieces being performed without the E-flat clarinet part, and I think that's really a shame. I always write prominent parts for E-flat in those ensembles.
EFCP: What advice do you have for clarinetists working on mastering E-flat?
SO: Play it every day. Get used to the fact that voicing any particular pitch is very similar no matter which clarinet you're doing it on - they just use different fingerings. Get a great mouthpiece, and if possible, your own instrument. Practice playing up high - like do Rose etudes and octave higher. Cultivate a warm sound, and use stiff reads to avoid being to thin, and to help you hit those high notes.
EFCP: What advice do you have for composers writing for the instrument?
SO: Get to know the instrument well, and what it sounds like in the hands of many different players. Use it as a regular clarinet, just a bit higher - for example, it can still be lyrical. It also has basically the same range as a violin, though it cannot play as softly in the high register. Realize that techniques like flutter-tongue and portamento are much harder above "high" C unless you write mf and above dynamics.
Sean Osborn
Winner of the 2017-18 American Prize in Instrumental Performance, composer and clarinetist Sean Osborn has traveled the world as soloist, chamber musician, and during his eleven years with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has also appeared as guest principal with the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and others. The New York Times dubbed him “...an excellent clarinetist,” the Boston Globe called him “...a miracle,” and Gramophone “...a master.” Former faculty of the University of Washington and others, collaborators include James Ehnes, Anne-Marie McDermott, Donald Weilerstein, Richard O'Neill, Milan Turkovic, Richard Stoltzman, members of the Tokyo, Colorado, Calder, Rimsky-Korsakov, and St. Lawrence Quartets. He has made dozens of recordings, appeared on over 100 movie soundtracks, and premiered the works of many, including Philip Glass, John Adams, John Corigliano, and Jennifer Higdon, as well as being an award-winning composer in his own right. He has a significant online presence, with educational videos and essays routinely referenced in industry journals. www.osbornmusic.com