Klarinet Archive - Posting 000219.txt from 1995/02

From: Sterling Lamet <slamet@-----.EDU>
Subj: German vs. French clarinets
Date: Thu, 9 Feb 1995 20:24:49 -0500

Dear klarinet-folk,

In light of the recent repartee regarding German and French clarinets I
recommend the article "A Traitor in the Ranks" from the Christian Science
Monitor, Wednesday, September 19, 1993. Your local college or public library
may have it. It's about the experience of an American exchange student,
who also happens to be a clarinetist, and his experiences in playing his
Boehm clarinet in Germany, especially in a local orchestra preparing
to perform Beethoven's Eighth.

Here's a sample...

"The conductor raised his baton, hardened his eyes, and we began to play the
first movement of Beethoven's Eighth Symphony, which contains a clarinet
solo in the third measure. After the full orchestra thundered its
introduction, I tweedled my brief solo passage against the backdrop of an
absolutely silent orchestra, which then returned full force to echo my
solo.
"Herr Weiske beat his music stand with the baton. "Nein! Nein!" he barked.
"Something is wrong!"
...
The plot thickens, but results in the German orchestra tuning to the
French clarinet.

Sterling Lamet
slamet@-----.edu