Klarinet Archive - Posting 000867.txt from 1995/05

From: "Lorne G. Buick" <lgbuick@-----.CA>
Subj: Re: Weird keys, emotional keys, colored keys
Date: Wed, 31 May 1995 10:39:24 -0400

from Dan Leeson:
>KEY CHARACTER
>
>The suggestion has been put forward that different keys have
>different character. That is almost certainly true, but on
>the clarinet? It is a string phenomenon caused by the fact that
>certain notes have more resonance than other notes. This is
>built into the instrument. When the key has lots of sharps or
>flats, one cannot use open strings and/or the open strings do
>not vibrate in sympathy with the stopped ones.
>
>Furthermore, as the tonal center shifts for a string instrument,
>the execution begins to occur around a different string.
>Different strings produce different character because they are
>physically different in thickness and even composition.

[snip]

Dan's assertion above seems to have gone unchallenged- I'm not disagreeing
but I still thought there was more to it. I'm particularly interested in
the opinion of our resident composer(s) as to whether the key itself,
independent of the instrument playing, has a character, colour, emotional
content, or whatever.

On Wed, 24 May 1995, Mike Vaccaro wrote:

> To understand the importance of keys just imagine hearing the Premiere
> rhapsody up a step. Dont you think that would give it a different sound?
>
> Mike Vaccaro
>
Absolutely. My point exactly!

Tom
tji@-----.edu

What point exactly does this make? That it would sound different because
it's higher? Because it would be in a different key? What key exactly is
Debussy writing in? Is it in a key at all? What if it were played as
written on a C clarinet, with the orchestra parts transposed? What if some
maniac transposed the clarinet part for A clarinet, and played it at the
correct pitch but reading different notes?

And as someone else asked much earlier, what about different pitches for tuning?
Does a baroque orchestra playing in D at A=415 have the key character of D
major, or does it sound like D flat at A=440?

The more I think about it, the more Dan's version makes sense. String
instruments sound different in different keys because of open string
resonances and such. Choosing a key for wind instruments is strictly a
matter of convenience in terms of the fingering difficulties and range of
the instruments. Anything beyond that is so subjective as to be completely
idiosyncratic and therefore impossible to discuss in general terms.

I welcome all contrary points of view...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
LGB Lorne G Buick Draft III Music
lgbuick@-----.ca Wind Music
Arranging, Copying, Publishing
Have basset horn, will travel