Klarinet Archive - Posting 000633.txt from 1996/01

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: No, I'm not dying
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 1996 09:49:11 -0500

Neil Leupold asks why I am donating 50 years worth of music collection
to the KLARINET library?

Why not? I'm no longer playing and that stuff is just sitting there
when it could be of use to someone else. I think I have a fabulous
collection of clarinet music and I want to take steps now, while I
can, to make sure that it has a good home. That's what I did with all
of my clarinets, too. I made certain that each had a good home.

I must also admit that there is a substantial tax involvement in donating
the music to a University Library rather than just give it away to
whoever was passing by, but I would have given it away in any case.

And everyone on this list will someday be faced with the same decision.
You won't play forever. What will you do when you are no longer playing?
For me there was only one answer: continue to permit these things to
have use and value to someone.

I'm not going anywhere, not for a long while hopefully. I'm still
smart as hell. I will still contributed articles for scholarly
journals. I just don't play any longer. Lots of people stop
playing when they are fairly young (I'll be 64 next July). And
I rarely use my clarinet performing parts for any scholarly efforts.

So I ask Neil the reverse question. Why would I not want to give
my stuff away? What value would there be in that?

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