Klarinet Archive - Posting 000220.txt from 1995/06

From: Jeff Bowles <jbowles@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Original clarinets
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 1995 15:36:26 -0400

Syd Polk writes:
``Why not take it to the extreme and play every thing on period
instruments? I mean, that is what the composer wrote for.''

Also, he writes:
``Mr. Leeson is a member of a professional symphony orchestra.
As such, it is his duty to reproduce the music as best he can,
and as a consequence, must purchase all of these clarinets.
This is appropriate in a professional setting; however, for the
rest of us, transposing those C clarinets is a necessity.''

-----------------

Ah, now we get into Philosophy.

The question "how far should one go to exactly recreate the original
sounds?" isn't a well-formed question. You should expect a response
like:
"Well, that depends on whether you are trying for a [scholarly]
reconstruction of the work as it was premiered, or trying to perform
it with minor changes to reflect the different instrument types,
training, personnel, and experience available. Which is it?"

For example:
Philharmonia Baroque, in the SF Bay Area, prides itself on
playing on period instruments and "natural horns" (brass
instruments without valves, if I understand correctly) to get
the "sound" that the composer originally was trying for. It
sometimes works for my ear, sometimes doesn't.

I would argue that the "duty" of a professional symphony musician is
to deliver a performance consistent with the artistic vision of the
ensemble. The conductor was [hopefully] hired to implement that vision,
and is probably the most important person to consult w.r.t. its execution.

But what do I know? I'm a computer programmer who purchases tickets for
that symphony concert... In the pecking order, I'm either at the top or
at the bottom, and its not clear which.

Jeff Bowles