pianoexpert wrote:
Some instruments play in C clef only out of tradition and certainly not due to range necessity. It is the case of the viola, which reads in alto clef, but could read perfectly well in treble clef, don't you think? What do you say? (at least that is what they teach you in the Conservatory!!)
I wouldn't want this issue to become one of those that were discussed at the Alexandrian Academy 😉
The point is that the person reading is the instrumentalist and should know how to move in any context, so the problem shifts to two other different areas:
- The range over which an instrument spans determines the best convenience for writing and reading, which is why the seven-clef system exists... if you take the solfeggio exercises by Pozzoli (the volume that deals with the subject), you will notice strong analogies between the writing (staff used) and the instrumental destination of the proposed melodic fragments... even in character.
Obviously Pozzoli was an old-school teacher... he also took care of these aspects; every melody is perfectly executable by the instruments that express themselves best in that register.
Returning to the example, the viola descends to a relatively low range that is uncomfortable to read with 4 or 5 additional ledger lines if treble clef were used.
- The second factor is less immediate for a pianist; the cello, for example, can be found written in Bass, Tenor, and Treble clefs.
For what reason is middle C written with one clef or the other? Here the composer establishes a direct link with the instrumentalist (at least in traditional orchestration).
Usually treble clef is used for effects, C clef (in tenor position) for cantabile parts, and bass clef (in bass position) for purely harmonic parts.
In the event that the performer finds a melodic fragment written as if there were a tenor singing, then they should know (and do know) that more attention must be paid to cantability
😉Thus C3, B2, A2 (where C3 is middle C) can take on a different character depending on the clef used.
In any case, instruments for their own sake are always useless; here the seven-clef system has many practical applications... so I find no other way but to study.
