Klarinet Archive - Posting 000703.txt from 1996/03

From: Floyd Williams <f.williams@-----.AU>
Subj: Re: The proper clarinet
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 19:09:20 -0500

Everett,you might be interested to know that Mitchell Lurie prefers the
Poulenc oboe sonata to the one for clarinet and he performs his
transcription on recital programmes.

Regarding some indignant comments recently registered vis-a vis
>transcriptions:
>I think there is a place for transcriptions, especially for instruments that
>may not be represented in a particular period, because they were not yet
>invented or were not yet popular. For example, baroque music works very well
>on the saxophone, especially soprano (or, for example the excellent
>arrangement of Bach's Art of the Fugue for saxophone quartet). The
>saxophone, with its conical bore, has a rich range of overtones, as do
>strings and the oboe, and sounds very good in this ersatz repertoire. The
>clarinet is rather pallid, though it is fun to play the Bach transcriptions
>of Delecluse.
>The Rousseau Brahms transcriptions are challenging, having some significant
>altissimo writing, so aren't to be sniffed at.
>I have often thought that the Busoni Violin Sonatas would be very nice on the
>alto saxophone and the Poulenc oboe sonata, a wonderful piece, perfect for
>the soprano saxophone, though these have yet to be done to my knowledge.
>One of the problems is that clarinet and saxophone repertoire is so limited
>compared to piano, violin, etc. This makes it easy to want to branch out via
>transcriptions, or to take offense when other instruments invade "sacred"
>territory.
>
>Everett Austin
>Fairfax, CA
>
>
Floyd Williams
Queensland Conservatorium of Music
Brisbane, AUSTRALIA