Klarinet Archive - Posting 000089.txt from 1995/03

From: Syd Polk <jazzman@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Transpositions
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 12:50:38 -0500

Another time transopsing is useful is in pit orchestra situations. A prime
example is Brigadoon, where there are very fast, very hard Scottish-type
dances in six sharps accross the break. I brought in the A clarinet
and played them in F, thank you. Most Broadway orchestrators know
that sax players are unlikely to have A clarinets, so they
never write for them.

Since the composer is almost never the orchestrator, I don't worry too
much about the intent of the composer when I do this.

Also, often there are instruments that are missing from the woodwind
sections' repetoire. The book with a third bass clarinet part,
English horn, bass sax, oboe, bassoon, etc, all are frequently transposed
to another instrument in the pit.

In wind ensemble and band settings, the contrabass clarinet is
frequently given tuba, string bass or contrabassoon parts to play.
I now read bass clef parts in C on bass/contrabass clarinet better
than I read bass clarinet parts in Bb in bass clef.

So while computer transposition is nice, and can help if you have
the time to enter the music in the first place, being able to transpose
is essential.

Besides, I don't know how many times the singer couldn't hit the high
notes, and we had to transpose out of the nice key of Bb into
the lovely key of G (or Gb, or A, or up to B or Db, etc.)

Syd Polk