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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000075.txt from 2003/08

From: Jennifer Paull <jennifer.paull@-----.com>
Subj: [DR-L] Toyotas and Jaguars
Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2003 04:22:43 -0400

Dear List,

Over the years I have been a member on and off, this question about
instruments
surfaces regularly. Of course, everyone will say that you can only
drive a Jaguar.
Others prefer a Toyota. There then follows the Safari to the best deal.

In some countries in the east of Europe, and on many other continents,

there is no
question of being able to afford a Mercedes or a Rolls.

Whether we are talking about bassoons or oboes, the same rule applies.

Perhaps
it would be wonderful if we were all to consider that a Stradivarius
was the same
make. That is not the case (fortunately for the player and for the
stabilising of sales
prices in a resulting monopoly). This is an international list and
there are people
who do not have the same optics/tastes/possibilities within it. There
is, however,
no denying that the same names appear at the top of the instrumental
tree, but as
with pianos, some will say that a B=F6sendorfer is by far the best for

chamber music
as a Steinway, too overpowering, and reverse the order of preference
for the concert
stage. Also - Heckel do not make French bassoons and I'm glad to say,
there are
many of us who love them. Therefore, optics are varied, as is taste.

If I might add to both the below remarks - an instrument is only as
good as its
performer. The best instrument in the world lies mute without the
musicianship of
(s)he who plays it. The best instrument in the world can sound
appalling when used
as a means of expression by someone with nothing to say and no
technique with
which to try to say it.

Instruments are very important - but musicianship and learning are so
much
more so. I have heard musicians playing from the heart on pieces of
pinned
wood with green keywork from which silver plating had disappeared
before WWll.

The instrument is a luxury for many, many people. It's the talent plus

the musicianship
combination that rises above the greatest craftsmanship. Put a great
player on a
poor instrument and (s)he'll still make music. Put a poor player on a
great instrument
and (s)he'll still make a hash of it. Let's put all the best
ingredients together and maybe
the result is better still, but the choice of the means to the end is
not a fixed rule cast
in concrete. There are many instruments that are less than perfect from

the greatest of
stables these days. There are also wonderful instruments made by the
most surprising,
relatively small companies.

Instruments do matter, but only to an undefinable extent. Did Gwydion
Brook care about
such points ( RPO then Philharmonia, London)? For those who don't know

who he is, just
believe me when I say that in his performing days, he could have taken

a pen knife to a piece
of plank and still made it sound like perfection. The Rite of Spring
solo was "a" bassoon
played by Gwydion Brook. The make of that piece of hardware was his
means to the end - the
end being the beauty of the music. That hardware was not Heckel.

"An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a
pessimist sees only the red stoplight... The truly wise person is
color-blind. -Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, musician, Nobel
laureate (1875-1965)"

Jennifer Paull

-----------------------------

On Sunday, August 10, 2003, at 06:49 am, Gregory Newton wrote:

>> Hi,
>
>> I don't know much about bassoons, but from all the detective work
>> that is
>> going on with this item, am I to assume Heckel =3D great bassoon and
>> Schreiber =3D bad bassoon?
>
>> Fred
>
> more to the point ... Heckel VERY expensive bassoon ... Schreiber
> inexpensive (as far as bassoons go)bassoon.
>
> Greg
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Jennifer Paull,
Amoris International
http://www.amoris.com
Rare music at the press of an oboe and a computer key
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