Klarinet Archive - Posting 000333.txt from 1994/11

From: John Dohrmann <jdohrman@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Contemporary music
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 1994 01:03:12 -0500

Dan,
I really can't buy the arguement that "the problem with the wind band is that
pallette of orchestral color
does not appear to be rich enough to sustain the musical needs of a large body
of paying public." Or I guess I mean that the desire to include a bowed
string sound to the sounds available in "band" instruments doesn't justify the
standard orchestra. The clarinets have as wide a range of sounds as the
entire universe of strings. (do you think I'll get any reactions to that
statement?) It is interesting to me that the most "contemporary" music I have
seen in a band comes from movies or musicals. If you accept the writing and
performing of music for movies, tv, and musicals as a healthy component of
contemporary music, then there is a lot of action and the instrumental
groupings are quite variable. And even though strings are common, the classic
orchestra ratio of strings to winds is not that common.

Getting back to the base issue, I really think you are on the right track in
invoking the "large body of paying public". We are all taught to respect and
pay to sit through long, repetitive orchestra music because that is what
"serious" music is.

<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>

John Dohrmann

Puget Sound Water Quality Authority

Olympia, Washington

jdohrman@-----.com