Klarinet Archive - Posting 000149.txt from 1996/01

From: Everett J Austin <BrendaA624@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Vibrato/Stoltzman
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 1996 03:15:26 -0500

I have a couple of comments regarding vibrato which may be of interest and
hopefully useful. These derive mainly from my experience in learning
saxophone vibrato and encountering various ways to teach it or analyse it,
but certainly apply to other types of vibrato:

1. There are two main types of vibrato: intensity vibrato and pitch
vibrato. Most real vibrato consists of a mixture of the two types. In
addition, one could think of a color vibrato, consisting of undulations of
subtle timbral change. The general rule for pitch vibrato is that this
consists of regular fluctuations in pitch BELOW the fundamental pitch of the
note (that is the pitch the note would have with a straight tone) starting at
and always returning to that pitch. Pitch vibrato fluctuations AROUND a
pitch generally obscure the pitch and sound warbly and unesthetic in most
situations. A rough or exaggerated intensity vibrato gives rise to the
"tremelo" or "nanny goat" effect most people find objectionable.

2.) Another important variable is the speed of the vibrato and, related to
this, whether it is constant or intermittent, and whether and when the speed
may vary and to what extent. Similarly, the pitch or intensity variations
may or may not vary in their amplitudes.

All this can give rise to almost limitless subtle variations of vibrato
(achieved by various fluctuations in jaw and/or lip pressure, abdominal
pressure and/or laryngeal and/or oropharyngeal configuration: this excludes
early attempts at single-reed vibrato by bouncing the instrument on the
knee!)

Clarinet vibrato remains a controversial subject, but it is interesting to
pay attention to it at times in people who use it effectively and yet
individually. On recordings I have, these people come to mind: Harold
Wright, Walter Boeykens, George Pieterson, Reginald Kell, Paul Meyer, Gervase
de Peyer, Einar Johannesson, Auguste Perier, Jacques Lancelot, Jonathan
Cohler, etc., besides Stoltzman, and all quite different. Yet Karl Leister
with no vibrato at all can often somehow sound just as espressive.
Chacun a son gout?

Everett Austin
Fairfax, CA