Klarinet Archive - Posting 000070.txt from 1996/07

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Del Sizemore's interesting suggestion
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 16:48:19 -0400

Del, a basset hornist in Australia, suggests that the Mozart
concerto fragment might be playable with a piano reduction.

Here are the issues you have to overcome: the basset horn in
the legendary fragment is in G (though it changes to clarinet in
in the last 2 dozen measures or so). It is unlikely that your
b.h. is in G so this implies that you need a piano reduction in
F concert. I suppose it could be made even though the fragment
is really very sketchy by the simple expedient of using the
clarinet version with the many proposed basset clarinet emmendations.
But in that case, why not just transpose the existing piano reductions
to F concert and play it as a basset horn concerto? With a good
pianist who can transpose at sight, you don't even need a special
part. Existing piano reductions are in A major concert or, more
rarely, B-flat major concert for players who don't own A clarinets.

In theory you could do it at the drop of a hat with existing and
published materials. Since the Mozart autograph is almost
identical to the clarinet concerto as it is known today, you would
be right on track.

Does any of this make sense or have I overcomplicated a simple
solution?

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