Klarinet Archive - Posting 000808.txt from 1997/02

From: Roger Shilcock
Subj: Question about Dvorak #9 (fwd)
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 04:15:52 -0500

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 23:38:41 -0600
From: Edwin V. Lacy <el2%EVANSVILLE.EDU@-----.UK>
Subject: Question about Dvorak #9

Earlier this evening, the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra performed the
"New World" Symphony of Dvorak. (I am principal bassoon.) However, I
have a question about the clarinet part.

There is a place in the 3rd movement, the Scherzo, specifically in the 2nd
Trio, where there are 8 measures during which the strings and higher
woodwinds alternate playing trills of one measure each. However, in the
last two measures which the woodwinds play, the clarinets are not marked
trill, but rather have a slash across the stem of the note, and a "6,"
apparently indicating an articulated sextuplet. The tempo is too fast to
allow this many notes to be articulated in the time indicated. What is
intended here? How is it usually performed?

I speculate that this is likely the result of a careless error in copying.
Our clarinet players can articulate quite fast, but could not play that
many notes in the indicated time, but even if they could, I think it would
be too apparent that their indication was different from everyone else in
the orchestra who is playing at that time. Any solutions?

Thanks in advance.

Ed Lacy
*****************************************************************
Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
*****************************************************************

I've played both clarinet parts at various time in this - I seem to
remember we just played as many notes in the time as we could, resulting
in not-quite-fluttertonguing and a sound rather like an angry starling.
Perhaps Dvorak expected the trios to be taken much more slowly than the A
sections of the scherzo. There are other textual probs with the New World
- see Norman del Mar's book "Orchestral variations"
for some of them.
Roger Shilcock

   
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