Klarinet Archive - Posting 000068.txt from 1994/07

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Larry Liberson and the right clarinet
Date: Wed, 6 Jul 1994 13:20:58 -0400

Larry, I recognize that a desire to use the called-for clarinet will often
result in problems of the kinds you described. And I am sympathetic to the
solutions that you suggest in the very works that you mentioned.

Personally, I am not purer than Caesar's wife myself and I do make
substitutions that make my life easier. Perhaps the one that I feel
most guilty about are the Ginastera variations which, when played on a
C clarinet are manageable, though I have terrible difficulties when done
on a B-flat or A. It is in playing those variations on the wrong clarinet
that I recognize my limitations more than my sympathy with the composer's
intentions.

But even in the face of my agreement with your positions, I still try
to follow the directions of the composer under the presumption that he knew
better what he wanted than I do. When I deviate from that, it is with
guilt, worry, and all of those things that I should be avoiding.

Currently, I believe that actions of most players is not to give any thought
whatsoever to the kinds of substitutions that are made on a daily basis. That
is one end of the performance spectrum.

On the other end, I got some answers that led me to believe that the
submitters interpreted my comments as meaning that we should only play
on the original requested instrument and in monk's clothing. I neither
said nor meant anything of the sort.

I don't believe in extremes and, thus, I reject both positions which brings
me back to my original position. The kinds of clarinet substitutions that
we make without anythought whatsoever need to be reevaluated. Our role
as interpreters of someone else's music has to be rethought.

We will probably never come out of this into a perfect world, but neither
should we be so cavalier in terms of what we substitute, either.

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