Klarinet Archive - Posting 000343.txt from 1994/11

From: Lorne G Buick - Music TA <lgbuick@-----.CA>
Subj: Re: Messiaen: "Quatuor pour la fin du temps"
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 1994 13:43:37 -0500

On Thu, 24 Nov 1994, Christopher Zello wrote:
[much deleted]

> The guards brought him paper to write this on. Other facts
> I remember is that the performance took place outdoors in
> temps. -40 degrees F. The guards got Messiaen a piano and

I have a feeling you remember this incorrectly- I'm sure it's physically
impossible to play a clarinet (or piano, cello, or violin for that matter)
at 40 below- I've played at +40F and that's bad enough! (It wasn't QPFT
either!)

> BTW, the choice of 8 movements was because he felt that 8
> was the perfect number, and infinite in nature. (This is
> from the French text, although not a translation--just off
> the top of my head).
>
Very interesting- is this because the symbol for infinity is a sideways 8
(sorry, not available in ASCII) ?