Carnival of Venice
Herbert Lincoln CLARKE (1867-1945)
The Carnival of Venice is an Italian folksong that many great cornetists like Jean Baptiste Arban, Del Staigers and Herbert Clarke has performed. Although written after Clarke retired from his performing career, it embodies the difficult tonguing and perfect fingering Clarke knew was needed by the soloist to bring forth the phrasing, arpeggios, and intervals as a testimony of that player’s skills. It has become a rite of passage for many brass musicians. Consisting of an introduction, theme, two variations, and a finale, the demands on the soloist never stop. In the last variation, it sounds like the soloist is accompanying himself in multiple octaves.
This is a seven-and-a-half minute solo of hair-raising slurs, arpeggios, intervals, and difficult tonguing and intonation. This calls for superb phrasing, perfect fingering, and a complete command of the instrument's range and tonal vocabulary. To play it at all is a rite of passage for brass players; to play it well is a testimony to a player's skill and panache. To play it with an artistry that transcends its complexity is something only the greatest players over the years have been able to do.