Klarinet Archive - Posting 000115.txt from 1995/02

From: CLARK FOBES <reedman@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Vibrato
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 1995 01:10:33 -0500

I have not been following this string from the inception, but I am
surprised that there still exists any controversy on the subject.

In my twenty plus years of playing in orchestras it always struck me
that out of the entire woodwind section ONLY the clarinet was expected
to play with a "straight" tone. I wonder if this concept is purely one
adopted by American players for some odd reason. Further, it is obvious
that not all American clarinetists play sans vibrato. How did clarinet
playing develop in this country with many performers refusing to use
vibrato? Would anyone expect to hear an oboist play without vibrato?
Flute? Bassoon?

Perhaps there is something about the purity of the clarinet sound
(relative lack of even harmonics) that causes our ears to hear the
vibrato on the clarinet more clearly. I agree that a pronounced vibrato
on clarinet can be as distracting as the warble of an over-the-hill
soprano. However, used in the proper context I find a slight "shimmer"
in the sound can really draw a listener in. I have played with vibrato
since early high school and I was not even aware of it until I started
listening to recordings of performances in college. My sense of how I
use it is that it only comes out in expressive, soloistic moments.

My sense is that if you don't feel comfortable using vibrato it probably
does not sound beautiful either!

Clark W Fobes