Klarinet Archive - Posting 000471.txt from 1997/01

From: "Daniel A. Paprocki" <dap@-----.us>
Subj: Woodwind Quintets - Boring?
Date: Fri, 24 Jan 1997 10:43:43 -0500

I have two views of woodwind quintets. They differ depending on which side
of the reed I'm sitting on.

If I'm playing in a ww quintet, I like quintets (some more than others).
Granted you don't run into works that are comparable to some of our chamber
works that include strings (Mozart Quintet, Brahms Quint., Bartok
Contrasts, etc). There are some ww quintet works that come close (Barber,
Hindemith, Nielsen).

If I'm listening to a ww quintet, I get bored quickly. I've talked to
other woodwind colleagues (not just clarinetists) and they feel the same.
I think it's something to do with just having the single colors (as
compared to a wind octet of instrument pairs) and no string instruments.
The different tonal colors (to me of course) don't blend as well as if
strings are present or other like colors. Also, there is just not a great
wealth of high quality music (Danzi - yeah, right. maybe the Rossini
quartets - isn't Pop goes the Weasel arrranged for WW quintet?).

I know I'm going to get flamed on this one.

Dan P. (Packers 56 - Patriots 6)

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Daniel A. Paprocki
Instructor of Clarinet
Malone College
Kent State University - Stark Campus
dap@-----.us

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