BIOGRAPHY
The original edition appeared in 1898 courtesy of Evette et Schaeffer (who at the time also owned the Buffet-Crampon clarinet factory).
The author, A.P. Saint-Marie, was the bass clarinettist in the Colonne concerts in Paris, then in Monte-Carlo’s classical concerts orchestra. He was one of dedicatees (with Henri Paradis) of a concert duo for clarinet, bass clarinet and piano composed in 1904 by Paul Jeanjean (1874-1929), soloist in the orchestra of Monte-Carlo, published again by IMD-Arpèges.
Aujourd’hui la pratique de la clarinette basse est très courante et l’on connait mieux l’histoire
Nowadays bass clarinet is very commonly played and its history is better known. So the remarks made in 1898 (1st edition) can be easily corrected by reading such instructive books as, for example:
- « From the clarinet d’Amour to the Contra Bass » by Albert R. Rice.
- « The bass clarinet » by Harry Sparnay.
- « L’évolution de la clarinette » by Jean-Marc Fessard.
- Jean-Marc Volta’s method.
- Henri Bok’s method.
- Articles by Jean Noël Crocq.
- Numerous recordings by JJosef Horak, Eric Dolphy, Michel Portal, Giora Feidman, Lawrie Bloom, Alcides Rodrigues,
David Gould, Louis Sclavis, Stéphane Vermeersch, Matthias Müller, Jacques Di Donato, Alain Billard, Michael Lowenstern, André Moisan etc…
In France, the great bass clarinettist of the Opéra de Paris, Jacques Millon (1933-2005), admired by conductors Hans Knapperbusch or Claudio Abbado, was the first to open a class specialising in teaching this instrument, at the music academy of Créteil (his work was superbly continued by Philippe-Olivier Devaux of the Orchestre de Paris).
Jacques Millon trained a long dynasty of virtuosos of the bass clarinet. His pupils are too numerous to mention here. This fine tradition continues to this day with the young generation (Vincent Penot at the Opéra de Paris, Stéphane Kwiatek at the Bordeaux orchestra, Nans Moreau at the Lyon orchestra, etc...)
In addition to his work as a musician it is noted that from 1904 to 1912 he was elected alderman Beausoleil including Mayor Camille Blanc was also the director of the company des Bains de Mer which ran the Monté-Carlo casino and the orchestra that depended on it. His colleague in the orchestra, solo clarinettist and composer Paul Prudent Jeanjean (1874-1929) also lived in Beausoleil (where he now rests)
Jeanjean wrote Duo de concert for clarinet, bass clarinet and piano dedicated to Henri Paradis, clarinet of the Paris Opera and A. P. Sainte-Marie. This duo is reprinted in this same collection by IMD / Arpeges and was recorded for the first time in 2014 in a CD "The forgotten clarinet" by David Gould (bass clarinet), Peter Bannister (piano) and yours truly.
