A Performance Guide to New Studies for Clarinet by Louis DeSantis

Louis DeSantis (1893-1940) was a prominent Italian-American clarinetist during the twentieth century. His musical training began in Naples and after immigrating to America in 1912, he held principal clarinet positions with the Chicago Civic Opera Company (1914-1917), St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (1925-1926), Cleveland Orchestra (1926-1929), Philadelphia Orchestra (1930) and the CBS Symphony Orchestra (1931-1940). Louis DeSantis’s New Studies for Clarinet offers the clarinetist a chance to further familiarize himself with selected orchestral excerpts while also exploring the beautiful aspects of the Italian “bel canto” singing style. The orchestral excerpts come from Ambroise Thomas’s Mignon, Franz Liszt’s Second Hungarian Rhapsody, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakoff’s Le Coq d’Or. These engaging studies provide musical challenges beyond those found in the orchestral excerpt. In addition, a daily exercise through all major and minor key areas, an extensive trill study and two short duets further challenge the clarinetist’s technique and instrumental facility. Chapter 1 of this document is an introduction to this study and includes a brief historical backdrop on Nineteenth-Century Italian clarinet performance. Chapter 1 also provides information on the life and career of DeSantis as well as general information on his New Studies for Clarinet. Chapter 2 includes a performance guide to each of the seven studies in this collection. This performance guide is designed to help clarinetists in their practice and exploration of Louis DeSantis’s New Studies for Clarinet