Klarinet Archive - Posting 000359.txt from 1995/11

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Paolo asks about soprano, clarinet, piano music
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 1995 12:15:42 -0500

The absolute world champion of knowledge about music for soprano,
clarinet, and piano is Dr. James Gillespie in Texas. His doctoral
dissertation was on that subject and he discovered piles and piles
of such works (mostly in England) and even recorded some of them
with his wife who is a soprano.

What Dr. Gillespie discovered was that music for such a combination
played an important role in Victorian England when a young man (who
might play clarinet or piano) courted a young woman who might sing
or play piano (and often both). In the absence of TV, movies, and
other contemporary dating elements, such a courting couple might
while away their evening, properly chaperoned, of course, singing
and playing such compositions which, apparently, were churned out
by the dozens in Victorian England for precisely this purpose.

Now, I'm probably saying more than I really know about this form
and its social purpose, but I was very impressed when Jim discussed
the whole epoch with me many years ago.

Almost all of the songs are about courting farm couples who lived
in ways that enabled the boy, who was a shepherd (like Schubert, of
course) and he would communicate with his sweetheart by playing
on his shepherds pipe (which was simulated by the clarinet of
course, once again just like the Schubert).

To whatever extent Dave Whitwell in Northridge discovered and publicized
an unknown epoch of music that dealt in wind octets called Harmonien,
that extent was match by Gillespie's discovery of the clarinet,
soprano, piano trio of Victorian England. It has not gotten nearly
the publicity it deserves nor has much of the music that Jim got
from various English libraries been disseminated sufficiently.

Dr. Gillespie teaches at one of Texas' largest universities just
outside of Dallas. It used to be called North Texas State
University but I think it had a name change recently. It is in
Denton, Texas. I have his FAX number if that will do Paolo any
good and, for all I know, Jim is on the Internet.

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