Klarinet Archive - Posting 000029.txt from 1994/07

From: "Robert E. Winston" <usr4818a@-----.EDU>
Subj: Authentic Instruments
Date: Sat, 2 Jul 1994 00:34:04 -0400

> A topic that has come on the board on several occasions in the
> past had to do with which instrument a player used during
> performance. More specifically the question arose, what is the
> obligation of a clarinet player to perform on the instrument
> explicitly requested by the composer?

<sigh> Alright, some poor little fish has to take the bait ;-)

> One view is that it really does not matter. The player is or
> should be at liberty to use that which is convenient to him or
> her. Thus we use A clarinet in the place of B-flat because
> the key may be more amenable to A clarinet use or the B-flat
> passage requires a note that might havepitch problems or is
> otherwise exposed, and vice versa.
----
> On the other hand, there is a view that the composer knew
> exactly the timbre of what he or she was requesting and that
> it is the player's obligation to respect that wish. Thus, for
> example, Stravinsky's unaccompanied pieces, which call for a
> change of clarinet - and for an unaccompanied piece that is an
> important clue, were once heard by Stravinsky himself who
> later chewed out the player who performed them with a
> statement such as "I wrote for A clarinet for a purpose! Who
> are you to change what I wrote?"

What if the composer didn't know exactly what he wanted.

Does Moussorgsky merit the same respect as Mozart?

> But if a composer with an ear as good as Strauss or Mozart or
> Schubert (in the Octet, for example) or Beethoven wrote for
> clarinet in C, what is our obligation to them as responsible
> instrumentalists?

Here's something that's bothered me for a long time. What consideration do
you give to the fact that the instruments we now play sound different than
the instruments Mozart knew. Stavinsky understood the difference between a
modern A & Bb. Did Mozart know the difference between a Buffet R-13 in A
and Bb?

What consideration do we give the fact that modern instruments are pitched
higher than 18th century ones. When you play the quintet on an A you're
still playing a good half step higher than Mozart expected.

OK, so now you're standing in front of the San Jose Symphony, your Basset
horn in hand and about to play the Mozart concerto. Just what Wolfgang
imagined, right? The same sound Stadler and Vienna would have produced?

I suppose what I'm asking is this: Given the differences in pitch, timbre,
mechanics of the instruments, and the acoustics of the halls, is it really
closer to the composers original intent to play an A than a Bb.

How's this for a hypothesis: All modern performances of 18th century music
are really transcriptions. We don't play Mozart's Concerto for Basset Horn
& Orchestra, we play a transcription for contemporary clarinet & orchestra.

________
Robert E. Winston usr4818a@-----.edu