Klarinet Archive - Posting 000023.txt from 1993/12

From: "David L. Shea" <DSHEA@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Diana's comments on authenticityn
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1993 21:48:20 -0500

It seems to me that the question of authenticity has a lot to do with the
type of clarinet player who is playing. As I see it, there are two kinds
of clarinet players: those who like to play the clarinet and those who
use the clarinet as a tool to produce music. I am not judging saying that
one is better than the other because I think all of us have both character-
istics. For example, take the Chicago Symphony with Larry Combs and John
Yeh. When Larry Combs plays, your attention is generally drawn towards
the beauty and/or character of the musical passage. When John Yeh plays,
you think 'oh that must be John Yeh playing'. I think both of them are
phenomenal players but John Yeh tends to bring attention to his mastery
of the instrument where Combs tends to bring attention to the music.

With regards to authenticity, I think these two types of phenomena are
directly relevant. A performer who embellishes a lot and tries to be
different is obviously interested in calling attention to his or her
ability to play the instrument and/or express a personal interpretation.
Those who wish to give a more conservative or standard performance are
more interested in expressing the music in its purest form. These are
the extremes of a range of possibilities and most of us fall somewhere
in between.

David L. Shea
Indiana University
dshea@-----.edu