Klarinet Archive - Posting 000332.txt from 1994/10

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: A summary of the Stadler basset clarinet activity
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 1994 21:06:34 -0400

Well, in retrospect, it has been a helluva two weeks. It is time for
a summary of activities because not much more is going to happen on this
board for a while with respect to Stadler's newly discovered basset clarinet
information.

It began two weeks ago when Robert Levin of Harvard told me of a series of
concerts to be performed in Boston by the Handel and Haydn society under the
general name "The Mozart Weekend." (10/14-10/16/1994)

In the discussion he also mentioned that Eric Hoeprich was going to play both
basset horn (on the Requiem and on an original instrument, not a contemporary
copy of one; it is a curved basset horn), and basset clarinet. He then added
that the basset clarinet was mady by Eric as a copy of Stadler's own basset
clarinet, the heretofore lost and legendary instrument for which Mozart
wrote so much music.

Levin advised me that Pamela Poulin had discovered an engraving of Stadler's
instrument in a program given in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1794. He further
indicated that she was, at this time, unwilling to allow pictures of her
discovery to be published, I presume until her paper on her find is
published in the Clarinet magazine. This resulted in Hoeprich going to Vilnius
and getting his own copy of the program with the picture, and then personally
making such an instrument himself, an instrument that he would use to
play K. 588 during the weekend's activities. Finally, Levin indicated that
a photo of Hoeprich's instrument would appear in the program and that he
would send a copy to me.

Examining the literature, I found a paper that Poulin had given in Salzburg,
1991 (at which I was present though I did not remember being there until
I read the Q&A session at the end of the paper and found my own questions).
I put the entire paper (except for the Q&A) on this list in 6 parts.

Gary Carp agreed to make the picture of basset horn available to everyone
through WWW and last evening at 2 am, California time, I FAX the picture to
him. It was unreproducable at his end and his posting described the
instrument to some degree and commented on the nature of the bulbous
bell, at right angles to the instrument.

I also have posted (sometime during this two week hiatus) Poulin's
announcement of her discovery as given at a Chicago symposium about
which I know nothing, and Hoeprich's program notes from the Boston concert
about his instrument.

Finally, if anyone wants a copy of the picture, send a SASE to me,
preceding it with an email message asking for my address. I prefer not
to post it for the entire world.

So two weeks ago, most of us (perhaps all of us) were unaware that a picture of
Stadler's basset clarinet existed and now we know that one does exist. Two
weeks ago we did not know that such an instrument has a bulbous bell and now
we do know. Two weeks ago we did not know that the bell was at right angles
to the body of the instrument and now we do know. Two weeks ago we did not
know that Stadler had a 4 year tour of Europe during which time he played in
most of the major cities and at least one program included a performance of
Mozart's K. 622, previous never documented as having been played by Mozart.

For those of you not used to this sort of thing, be aware that noone else is
either. This sort of thing just does not happen is the slow, patient,
conservative world of musicology. To go from nothing to where we are now
in two weeks is quite something.

If anyone has Pamela Poulin's e mail address, I still want to send her
congratulations from everyone on this list for what is one of the most
important discoveries of the last 50 years.

For what it is worth, I think this matter is closed for the time being, but
it was a helluva half a month!!

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
(leeson@-----.edu)
(dnl2073@-----.edu)
Any of the above three addresses may be used. Take your pick.
====================================