Klarinet Archive - Posting 000448.txt from 1995/03

From: Andrew Grenci <AGrenci@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Dan's Stravinsky testimony
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 1995 23:46:54 -0500

A great story from Dan! Concerning Neil's comment on which notes are being
talked about, the septuplet leading into the Danse Sacrale only extends to
low E, so it must be something else. Dan, if you have a copy of the part and
don't mind posting a bar number, I would love to consider incorporating this
into a performance (or at least mentioning the possibility to a conductor).

In a more general sense, barring some direct information such as that which
Dan was privy to, I tend to be very skeptical of giving in to the temptation
to change notes in an orchestral part just because they are on my horn and I
think it would sound neat. Generally, I assume that, even if a composer
wasn't aware that he or she had in extra third available in the bass clarinet
range, the score was prepared with particular pitches in mind. Changing my
part can change the voicing of chords, the blending of colors, intended
octave doublings, etc. Of course there will always be exceptions-personally I
wouldn't feel very guilty about adjusting Stokowski's Bach arrangements-but I
recommend that you take a look at the full score and see how your part fits
into the big picture before going for the instant gratification of a big fat
low note.

Andrew Grenci