NOTATIO

Thanks, OCTO!

While Ravel loved to orchestrate his piano works, he did not orchestrate this piece or the other two in the set of "Gaspard de la Nuit." There is a certain kind of piano music that is very difficult to orchestrate, and I think that even Ravel was stumped by these pieces, which he intended to be the ne plus ultra of piano playing. But I have heard pretty good orchestrations of Chopin, whose music is also difficult to orchestrate, so maybe someone is up for the challenge?

My question is rather a dialectic one.
If we cut the LH into three clarinets they should have nested tuplets in order to coordinate with the upper voices.
1. tuplet 3 : 2
2. tuplets inside of it divided by (8 ) + (7 : 4 ) + (6 : 4 )

And in Ravel's music these ratios should probably be omitted.

I would put it to one clarinet (in A!) and edit the ending note octave up (or something - or give it to bass clarinet). Nested tuplets, yes but also edit slightly: up in 8 1/32's, the down 4 1/32 + 1/16 triplet and 1/16 sextuplet (these all inside a triplet). More practical and certainly easier to play in rhythm.

Callasmaniac wrote:I would put it to one clarinet (in A!) and edit the ending note octave up (or something - or give it to bass clarinet). Nested tuplets, yes but also edit slightly: up in 8 1/32's, the down 4 1/32 + 1/16 triplet and 1/16 sextuplet (these all inside a triplet). More practical and certainly easier to play in rhythm.

My question was not orchestrational, but notational.
But if you mention clarinets, here is a typical ravelian solution, in three clarinets: 1 clarinet in A
2 clarinet in A
3 bass clarinet in Bb

OCTO wrote:… … … here is a typical ravelian solution, in three clarinets:

Exactement!

Sorry I misunderstood your excellent point, OCTO., that the LH is actually nested tuplets within the RH tuplet. The measure is quite a sophisticated affair!

But you got me thinking about an orchestration of Gaspard and why it hasn't been done. Unlike Chopin, it is so orchestral in feeling in spite of its pianistic origin and could be an orchestral show-stopper. Maybe Ravel just didn't get around to it.

Callasmaniac's solution of 4 + 3 within the septuplet sounds like a very practical one and would help produce the effect of a gradual slowing down within the whole affair.

In an actual orchestration, the final LH sextuplet would almost certainly have to be an octave lower to produce the right feeling of ebbing away and because the B#'s, first and last notes of the 21-note group, is the bass voice dropping one octave to lead to the low bass note in the next measure.

John Ruggero wrote: In an actual orchestration, the final LH sextuplet would almost certainly have to be an octave lower to produce the right feeling of ebbing away and because the B#'s, first and last notes of the 21-note group, is the bass voice dropping one octave to lead to the low bass note in the next measure.

Yes. In my example is certainly is so (bass clarinet transposed).

OCTO, I am so sorry, I got "three clarinets" in my head, failed to see the B. Cl key signature, and read your clear indications of instrumentation to see that that was exactly what you had done.

John, you gave me idea to orchestrate Gaspard.
Tricky task but it could be done....!

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