Research

Here's my presentation "The Signature Sound of Daniel Bonade and his Students" that I did

at the International ClarinetFest's ClarinetFest 2012 in Lincoln, Nebraska. That year's conference theme was "Heritage to Horizon", and it featured presentations on Daniel Bonade and Robert Marcellus, two of the most extremely influential clarinetists and teachers ever.

Here is information on my doctoral treatise:

A History and Analysis of the Philadelphia School of Clarinet Playing

Doctoral Treatise, University of Texas at Austin, May 1998.

Shannon Lannigan Thompson, DMA.

available from ProQuest Dissertation Express

Abstract:

The intention of this treatise is to document the origin and development of a dominant sound and style of clarinet playing in the United States. This school of clarinet playing, which can be traced to the influx of French woodwind players into this country in the early twentieth century, was generated through the collaboration of conductor Leopold Stokowski with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra woodwind section. The Philadelphia School of Clarinet Playing was disseminated throughout the country to become the most influential and successful school of clarinet playing in the United States. It is the closest Americans have to a national tradition of classical clarinet playing.

This treatise presents a historical account and analysis of the Philadelphia School of Clarinet Playing. It defines the school and examines its origins with Leopold Stokowski, Daniel Bonade, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. It traces the school’s growth through the teaching of Bonade and Marcel Tabuteau at the Curtis Institute, its further refinements and interpretations by Bonade’s students and others, and its influences on clarinetists and clarinet equipment manufacturing worldwide.

This treatise investigates a new concept of clarinet sound originating as a result of the unique conditions of the Philadelphia Orchestra under Stokowski. This sound concept, which is a hybrid of French and German concepts of clarinet sound, attempts to emulate the German clarinet sound in depth and breadth, while maintaining aspects of the French clarinet sound in flexibility and tonal center. Sound production techniques of Philadelphia School clarinetists are examined, including embouchure, air support, and voicing. Equipment design modifications by these players to clarinets, mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures are also explored. Other aspects of clarinet playing are investigated, including the Philadelphia School’s methods of articulation and finger technique, and general approach to music, musical phrasing, and orchestral playing.

The history and development of clarinet playing by clarinetists of the Philadelphia School parallels that of other woodwind players and instrumentalists. The Philadelphia School of Clarinet Playing is part of a larger school of orchestral playing which evolved in the United States through the influences of Stokowski, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Curtis Institute.