Klarinet Archive - Posting 000308.txt from 1995/05

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Beethoven Symphony No. 7- wind octet
Date: Fri, 19 May 1995 06:37:44 -0400

Well!! I certainly did not mean to slight anyone. I just felt that
the subject had limited interest. But to my surprise, I got a half
dozen notes on the subject. So here's the post.

First, it is not an octet. It is for a 9 part Harmonie; i.e., 2
clarinets (in C), 2 oboes, 2 horns, 2 bassoon, contrabassoon. The
minute someone hears that they say, "To hell with the contra! We'll
do it as an octet." A word on that in a moment.

The work was originally published by S. A. Steiner and Company in
Vienna somewhere in the middle of the 19th century. I own a set
of the original printing.

In my opinion, the octet, which is in the concert key of G major
instead of the Beethoven original of A major, does not work very
well. The problem lies with the fact that it is a screamer and
everybody works their buns off for the entire symphony when done
as a Harmonie.

I got my copy about 20 years ago from a horn player in the Netherlands
who told me a really remarkable store about how he got it. This
fellow (whose name escapes me) was a real octet lover. There was
nothing he would not do to get a new one. And in doing some research
in Germany, he came across a review of a performance of the work in
nonet form in the middle of the 1800s. It was a concert in the
park affair and the conductor's name was mentioned, though why one
would need a conductor for a wind nonet escapes me.

Anyway, my Dutch friend had to do a lot of research about the conductor
to find out if he married (he had), if he had children (he had), who
they were and if they had children (they did), etc. Until he finally
located oneof the grandchildren of the conductor of this concert in
the park. Well, the grandchild knew nothing about the piece or the
concert or his grandfather, but he had kept in touch with some of his
cousins and by patiently seraching, my Dutch friend finally found one
descendent who had kept and preserved his ancestor's entire music
collection. And in it, as far as we have been able to discern, was the
only extant copy of the Beethoven 7 for wind nonet. No library had
one, none others existed in private collections, etc. And except for
this single reference in a German newspaper, there was not even
reference to the printing of such an arrangement. How much music is
out there that no one knows about?

Anyway, my Dutch friend got it, brought it back to Amsterdam, gave a
copy of it to the Netherlands Wind Ensemble and the rest is fairly
straightforward.

Somehow, somewhere, I have the impression that the arrangement was
published and interested parties are wise to check with Musica Rara.
They publish everything and generally very badly.

But if all else fails and you are dying of curiosity, I can try and
make a copy from my set but I tell you right off it is not going to
be a good copy.

The clarinet parts are all in C. And don't try it without a contra
bassoon. It doesn't work without one any more than the Krommer
nonets work without a contra.

Next note on the Gran Partitta for wind octet. That's a lot more
complicated.

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
====================================