Klarinet Archive - Posting 000308.txt from 1995/02

From: Walter_Quan@-----.CA
Subj: West Side Story
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 1995 12:05:52 -0500

Thanks for the reminder Syd!

I think of the Reed 2 (I always thought it was Reed 3) book as THE best
CLARINET book in the entire musical theatre repertoire. It's the one book
where we who don't double (or double poorly) only have to play Eb, Bb and
Bass clarinets, and there's wonderful wonderful stuff...

I like the section going from Dance in the Gym, all the way through the
Tonight Quintet (I think it's something like that) where you play and play
and play - stage time is about 45 minutes worth - it's great music, it's
well-orchestrated, and surprisingly well copied (the confusing copist-job
was in Cool where counting bars can be a nightmare anyway, without trying
to decipher the notations provided...). And if you get a chance to peer at
what's going on onstage, it's a great story too...

Would love to play it again sometime - I've been blessed to do the show
twice in semi-professional theatre conditions...

Walter K. Quan
Walter_Quan@-----.ca
Support the Arts in your Community

Subject: Re: Bass Cl in Rhapsody in Blue
Author: "Klarinet - Clarinettist's Network"
<KLARINET%VCCSCENT.BITNET@-----.EDU> at tbcsmtp1
Date: 2/14/95 10:07 AM

Aside from the sopranino saxophone, mesette, and heckelphone, these don't
seem too unusual. Reed books from West Side Story:

Reed 1 - Picc., Fl., Bb Clar, Alto Sax, Sop. Sax
Reed 2 - Eb, Bb and Bass Clarinets
Reed 3 - Picc., Fl, Ob., EH, Bb Cl, B. Cl, Ten Sax, Bari Sax
Reed 4 - Picc., Fl., Bb Cl, B. Cl., Bass Sax
Reed 5 - Bassoon

Highlights include bari sax/bass sax in unison in the Dance at the Gym
and on Cool, three piccs in unison with Eb Cl an octave lower in
America, three piccs in harmony in same piece, and three bass clarinets
in harmony on A Boy Like That.

The early twentieth century was a marvellous time for weird woodwind
instruments. Ravel wrote a solo for sopranino saxophone in Bolero (it's
usually played on soprano now), Holst wrote for Heckelphone or bass oboe
in the Planets, jazz artist Sidney Bechet recorded on sarussophone,
bass saxophone was common in jazz and in concert bands, etc. It's not
too suprising that some of the more unusual instruments were represented
in Paul Whiteman's band.

Syd Polk
.