Klarinet Archive - Posting 000173.txt from 1995/02

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Burning flames to David Gilman
Date: Wed, 8 Feb 1995 13:15:30 -0500

And a little kerosene here, a little gasoline there, and poof goes David
Gilman.

David, who could possibly want to flame you for given an opinion, and
one so well-stated too.

I want to take issue, but with a different aspect of your note (which
was really an amplification of someone else's comment).

The matter has to do with hearing a difference between a German or Oehler
system clarinet, and a Boehm, or French system clarinet.

This is simply a continuation of an offer which I made some months ago,
an offer that was finally taken up by Jim Freeman and the results were
inconclusive (though that test was a little more than just the system
of the instrument).

It has to do with a perception of difference between German and French
clarinet systems. And once again we are back working with the assumption
that there is a difference, that everyone hears the difference, and that
there must be such a difference. I offer the opinion that there is no
discernable difference that dervies exclusively from the sytem.

I suggest now, as I suggested months ago, that in a test, a listener
will not be able to detect a difference between players executing on
one system vs. another.

This says, in effect, that whatever differences a great player like
Leister or Bellison has with a great player like Marcellus or
Drucker (and I mean differences of sound), those differences are not
due the system of the instrument, but derive elsewhere.

If what I say is incorrect, then someone should be able to pick
10 of 10 or 20 out of 20 in a test and, thus far, this has not been
done. Of course a lot of people did not take the test so that matter
has not been established either, but I still offer it again.

ARGUMENT: Is is possible to tell if a player is executing on a German
or French system simply by listening to repertoire played on that
instrument?

I suggest that the answer to this question is no.

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

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org