Book Review

Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet
ed. by Colin Lawson

This book is a solid examination of the clarinet and its role in classical and jazz music. I found the chapter on the history and development of the instrument a little dry, but the chapters on clarinet repertoire and important clarinetists largely avoided being dull laundry lists. The chapters on playing technique and working with historical clarinets were particularly illuminating. I would have liked a chapter on the clarinet in world folk traditions - I especially felt the lack of a discussion of klezmer music.