Klarinet Archive - Posting 000160.txt from 1994/01

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Ah!! It's Eric Sabinson who was hiding
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 1994 17:37:23 -0500

Now that Eric has written again - and with wonderful insight with
respect to Acis & Galitea - I now know who posted the original,
insightful note.

He asks a pregnant question: what if Hoffmeister had reworked Acis
and Galitea instead of Mozart? What would have happened then?

I can tell you, because it happened.

After Mozart's death, performances of his operas, particularly the
Magic Flute and especially in England began to be reworked by local
composers. The performances were advertised in the press as "The
Magic Flute with some music of Herr Mozardt and with significant
improvements by ..." and some local hack's name would be given. It
was outrageous but it happened all over Europe. While not precisely
Hoffmeister reworking Acis & Galitea, it's close enough.

So what ever happened to these reworkings? They disappeared from
sight and the advertisements, when they appear in music history
books, are viewed with horror!! That's what happens when Hoffmeister
and not Mozart reworks Handel.

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
====================================