Giuseppe Verdi’s Ernani
1844 

The bass clarinet is only used for two moments of Verdi’s Ernani: the introduction to Act III and a very brief solo during the finale of the opera. The bass clarinet is a separate part, not a doubled section of a soprano clarinet part, but the entire bass clarinet part is only two pages (eight lines) of music. However, the soprano clarinets and bass clarinetist must play simultaneously, so the bass clarinetist is only required for the third act of the opera. 

The primary solo occurs at the beginning of Act III, as the curtain opens on Carlos, who is waiting to see if he will be crowned as the next Holy Roman Emperor. For the duration of the opera, he, the title character and outlaw Ernani, and old nobleman de Silva have been vying for the love of Elvira, who is betrothed to de Silva. Although love triangles are the stuff of opera buffa, this is a dramatic opera that also includes a plot against the king, spearheaded by Ernani, a former nobleman whose lands were seized by the crown. In Act III, Carlos stands by the grave of Charlemagne with Riccardo, his attendant and confidant, as they await the election results and hope to catch the conspirators against both his power and his affections.

Click on this video to watch a production of the opera, starting on the scene with the bass clarinet solo (1:18:00)

Translated Libretto

CARLOS
Is this the place?

RICCARDO
Indeed.

CARLOS
It's the time?

RICCARDO
It's the one.
Here the league meets . . .

CARLOS
. . . who conspires against me!
I will watch the killers
While the grave of Charlemagne conceals me.
And the votes?

RICCARDO
Cast;
They will give the rights to the most beautiful crown, 
The unconquered laurel
Of Caesar’s decoration.

CARLOS
I know it. Leave me …
But listen:
If I am chosen to rule,
Three cannon volleys will echo from the tower.
At that time, come down here to me.

RICCARDO
Do you need anything else?

CARLOS
No; among these tombs
I will converse with the dead,
and I will discover the rebels.

Historical Background

When Verdi was composing Ernani, he planned this bass clarinet solo as a trumpet solo with trombone accompaniment but then changed his mind as he orchestrated the parts. Phillip Gosset contends that the opera company for whom this piece was written did not have a regular bass clarinetist, and Verdi rewrote the part when he realized that one could be hired specifically for Ernani. However, Della Seta objects to this, saying that the usual player of the Teatro la Fenice, Pietro Fornari (1793 – after 1856), would have been on deck to play the part from the piece’s earliest conception. It is worth noting that it was common practice at the time for an orchestra to assign the bass clarinet part to a horn or an oboe if the instrument was not available.

Fornari was a clarinet maker in addition to a performer (and, interestingly, librettist), and he is especially known for his contributions to the development of the bass clarinet. Before we get into his instrument, let’s discuss its immediate predecessor. The glicibarifono was an early (c. 1837) Italian iteration of a bass clarinet, invented by Catterino Catterini. As with many bass clarinets of the time, it was a double-bored instrument with a neck for the mouthpiece and a large bell sticking straight up from the top of it. Catterini’s version, pitched in C, was made of the customary boxwood and brass and boasted an abundant 24 keys.

When Fornari performed the bass clarinet solo in Ernani, it was on the clarino basso of his own invention, which he debuted in 1838, according to modern records.  He intentionally built his instrument as an improvement of Catterini’s glicibarifono, even though the latter was still fairly new. The clarino basso was built in two joints with the same curved neck as its predecessor, although it also featured a curved bell instead of a straight bell. Contemporaneous reviews mention improved intonation and a range of over four octaves. Unfortunately, no instruments bearing Fornari’s maker’s stamp have survived, but it likely bore significant resemblance to Catterini’s instrument. 

The topos of this solo, when first considered, has obvious ties to Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots. The bass clarinet once again signals a funeral, although in this case it does not turn out to be the funeral of the character introduced by the instrument. On one hand, Carlos stands at the graveside of Charlemagne, and on the other, he is hoping to induce the funerals of the traitors who plot against him. Carlos is literally surrounded by death, both in terms of plot and in terms of music, assuming we can characterize the bass clarinet as the knell of mortality. Perhaps the bass clarinet also serves to foreshadow the plot; much like Les Huguenots, the wedding in Ernani is a funeral-wedding, although in this case, it is much more of a surprise twist. The bass clarinet returns at Ernani’s death, which it had foretold during this opening scene of Act III. 

Works Cited

Fabrizio Della Seta, “From the Glicibarifono to the Bass Clarinet: A Chapter in the History of Orchestration in Italy.”

Phillip Gosset, "The Composition of Ernani” in: Analyzing Opera: Verdi and Wagner, p. 27-55.

Niaal O'Loughlin, "Glicibarifono," in The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, p. 52.

Albert R. Rice, From the Clarinet D’Amour to the Contrabass, p. 278.

Practice and Performance Tips

Click here for an annotated practice part

In my opinion, much of the motion in this excerpt comes from the changes in articulation. Notice how it begins smoothly, then becomes more aggressive with shorter note values, then becomes mostly slurred once more. This reflects the moods of our central character, Carlos, as he lies in wait, thinking anxiously about both his potential future as the emperor and those who are plotting his assassination. Especially in the first half of the excerpt, consider extending the slurs into the downbeats for smoother phrases. Try to capture this arc, and remember that you represent the inner turmoil of Carlos.

Keep in mind that the accompaniment in the clarinets and bassoons is a rhythmic part, which means you can’t play this solo too freely. Make sure your rhythm is always clear so that your peers (or an audition committee) can accompany you with confidence. If you use rubato, make sure it feels natural, so that your colleagues don’t have to guess. It’s not a bad idea to gather some clarinet and bassoon friends to read through this section together before you perform this solo in a rehearsal setting. I would also recommend practicing this off of the score instead of just the solo part so that you can learn the accompaniment part. Click here for a full score of the solo passage.