High-range instruments > piccolo clarinet in A-flat
Range of the piccolo clarinet in A-flat
General
One of the highest clarinets in semi-regular circulation, the piccolo clarinet in A-flat experienced popularity in folk music and military bands. It is pitched a perfect fourth higher than the piccolo clarinet in E-flat, rendering the sound significantly more bright and penetrating. It is capable of everything from blistering virtuosity to surprising poetry and yearns to be aired more often. There is much to discover here.
Nearby range and tone colour pairings: piccolo, flute, musette, oboe, sopranino saxophone, piccolo trumpet, high/small percussion, violin
Distant range and tone colour pairings: low woodwind, low brass, large/low percussion, low strings
Video example (18th century)
Video example (20th century)
Video example (21st century)
Notable repertoire:
Giuseppe Verdi — Rigoletto (1851) & Un ballo in maschera (1859) (offstage band)
Béla Bartók — Scherzo (1904) for piano and orchestra
John Tavener — Celtic Requiem (1969) for soprano, children’s choir and orchestra
Hans Joachim Hespos — Einander–bedingendes (1966) & VIF-bi (1987) for ensemble; Interactions (1971) for orchestra
Samuel Andreyev — Vérifications (2012) for six instruments & Fin d‘études (2023)
Oren Boneh — Municipal Shuffle (2022) main work for piccolo clarinet in A-flat and ensemble
Transposition hacks
sounding > written: think a major third higher then one octave lower [ + M3 - Œ ] • read as if bass clef (German notation)
written > sounding: think a major third lower then one octave higher [ - M3 + Π]
