Klarinet Archive - Posting 000033.txt from 1995/03

From: David Ross <GJ05@-----.BITNET>
Subj: Re: Stravinsky Firebird
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 00:18:18 -0500

Fellow Clarinetists!

I'm getting ready to play in a couple of weeks the Firebird Suite in
the composer's 1919 re-orchestrated version. In the times I've played
this before, I basicallly played what's in the part, save for a few
obvious and clear misprints.

But in looking through Kalman Bloch's "Orchestral Clarinet" book, he
makes the strong point that in the "Firebird Variation," the tricky
little passage in the bar before rehearsal 14 should really belong to
the flute, not the clarinet.

So I checked out scores to this. In the Kalmus score, the clarinet part
is as we have all played this for many years, with the arpeggio and
triplet figure in the clarinet part. But in the Chester score (earlier/
more authentic?), the parts are as Bloch says they should be: the entire
lick is given to the flute.

The two scores are identical in their layout and pagination, leading
me to suspect one is a reprint of the other.

As we know, Stravinsky made a regular habit of revising his works,
usually not for musical considerations. But here this is clearly not
the case. Most orchestral players are familiar with the changes/errors
Kalmas often makes in their reprint editions, and is this an example
of an unwarranted change which has become standard?

Clearly I have my suspicions, but I would welcome imput from anyone
who has explored this in greater detail. E-mail messages can be sent
directly to me or posted on the network.

David Ross
gj05%utep@-----.edu