Klarinet Archive - Posting 000444.txt from 1994/10

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: OK Jim Freeman, I am ready!!
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 15:41:01 -0500

Jim Freeman has given me the impression that he is willing to take a whack at
my blind test. So I spent the extra hour that going off daylight savings time
has given me and prepared a tape.

Let's get the rules straight. (Note: remember the move "Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid"? Butch's leadership is challenged and a fight to the death is
suggested. Butch says, "OK. Let's get the rules straight!" to which his
opponent says "Rules?? In a knife fight?" at which point Butch kicks him in
the balls and the mini-revolution is over.)

We need an arbiter to whom I will send the answers. It would be useful if we
both know (and are able to bribe) the arbiter. I suggested Clark Fobes because
Jim is in San Francisco so we both know Clark. Also I have Clark in the
past and recognize the depths of his greed.

Then when Jim has finished and decided to post his answers, Clark will state
which ones are right and which are not. In fact, I will post the complete
set of answers and Clark will confirm that that is the set in his possesion.

The tape has 20 excerpts on it. I think that, in order for the assertion that
nationality can be determined by the sound of the player to be proven to be a
valid statement, the tester must get a grade of 75% correct. That allows
for 5 errors in the 20 excerpts. For that grade and above, I apologize, admit
I am wrong, shave my head, and enter the priesthood after taking a vow of
silence.

For a grade of 50% or below, I suggest that the assertion about recognition
is, FOR THAT ONE PERSON, a lot of ca-ca. That does not mean that the assertion
is false or true. It merely means that it is not true for that person only.

For a grade of 50-75%, the matter is unclear. It is a no contest result.

For each of the 20 excerpts, the answer must correctly identify a nationality
to the clarinet player, not the orchestra or string quartet or tenor sax or
anything else. If that clarinet player was raised in Russia and studied there
and later became 1st clarinet in the South Dakota symphony orchestra, then we
are going to have to work that one out.

Heritage does not count. Stanley Drucker's ancestors came from Russia.
Stanley is an American player. Lumping players together by nationality is
OK. A Belgian identified as a French player is OK with me. An Austrian
identified as a German player is OK with me.

The excerpts were chosen mostly at random. Many different countries are
represented. All the major ones and some that are not specially know for
their clarinet artistry. One of them is the 2nd clarinet with the South
Pole opera orchestra. It happens to play on Danish territory in the Antarctic
so the answer to that is "Danish" as in pastry.

I tried to avoid any recording that
existed in only one player's interpretation. Most of it is standard
repertoire. The Mozart quintet is represented by three different players, the
Brahms quintet by two. There is orchestral music with a major clarinet solo,
bass clarinet music, basset clarinet music, basset horn music, etc. Very new
and very old recordings were used. Original instrument and contemporary
instrument recordings were used. Each excerpt is given for at least 30 seconds
and most for a lot more than that. As I approached the end of the tape, I made
the excerpts shorter. You have one week after receiving the tape to post
the answers. I will post them too and Clark will confirm that they are
as he received them.

Jim Freeman, do you want to add to the set of rules? Is all this agreeable to
you? Did I leave anything out?

I need your home address for the mailing of the tape.

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

   
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