Klarinet Archive - Posting 000806.txt from 1996/03

From: Lawrence Au <lawrenca@-----.CA>
Subj: Re: Nate Burk and innocence
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 20:37:00 -0500

On Thu, 28 Mar 1996, Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu wrote:

I find the clarinet's sound to be lusty, erotic, sensual, passionate, and
> earthy, the very antithesis of innocent.
>
> It is because I find the character of the sound so sexual, that I
> find its passionate character is diminished when played without
> vibrato.
>
> The use of vibrato is likened to the tremors one might feel in
> a sensual situation. I may be a lot older than I was when I first
> felt sexual urges, but I would tremble with passion under certain
> circumstances. That passion is not dissimilar to the feelings
> I have when I would play the Brahms quintet (whose slow movement
> is erotic conversation at its most lusty) and to play it without
> physical trembling, simulated by vibrato, one would have to be made
> out of concrete.
>
> There is nothing innocent to my ears in the Mozart quintet, the
> Schubert octet, the Reger quintet, the Hindemith concerto, the
> Corigliano concerto, etc. These are hot, lusty, play-it-naked
> pieces.
>
> Innocent???? Hand me my whip!! Bring on the absinthe. No
> thin-blooded, pursed-lipped innocents for me. I want to see
> and feel the heat of passion in my music. I want to burn up
> and smoke. Excuse me for being vulgar, but I don't think that
> great clarinet playing (and music in general) comes from the
> heart. It comes from the crotch!!
>
>
> ====================================
> Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
> (leeson@-----.edu)
> ====================================
>
Very interesting Dan but I'm afraid I have to disagree. I do agree with
Nate though. What first attracted me to the Clarinet was it's warm, dark,
full, and yes, innocent sound. I believe Vibrato is a good thing when
used correctly but what you described is something else! Those composers
would probably turn over in their graves if they knew how their works
were being interpreted. Most importantly regarding your comment about how
music in general comes from the crotch. There is hardly anything in this
world anymore that isn't influenced by one crotch or another. To me,
music is one of the few things that is still pure which is untouched by
the things of the physical world. It renews the soul and comes from the
HEART of the composer whose feelings are immortally imprinted in his music.
I don't get horny when I listen to Beethoven or Mozart. Instead I feel
repose and peace. Music is how I express my inner self, the intangible
realm of emotions and thoughts. There's too much sex out there as it is.
To introduce sex into music is probably the most horrible thing anyone
can do. If you want, you can start your own Clarinet porno. magazine, you
certainly have the qualifications but don't mess with something as sacred
as music especially over the NET. In other words, keep your Clarinet
fetishes to yourself.
Lawrence Au