Klarinet Archive - Posting 000914.txt from 1997/04

From: enigmamf@-----.com (Matthew A Fedder)
Subj: Re: marching bands
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 05:24:04 -0400

On Mon, 28 Apr 1997 17:47:08 -0500 (CDT) "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu> writes:
>On Mon, 28 Apr 1997 After5@-----.Com wrote:
>
>> Last year's show was a combination of opera works by Verdi, the year
>> prior to that was themed, Henry V, and this year we will be doing
>> Phantom of the Opera.
>
>Here's the problem - I note that you call it "last _year's_ show.
>That
>probably means that for whatever part of the year you devote to
>marching
>band, the exerpts from Verdi operas that you played comprised _all_
>that
>you played for those months. So, after a certain period, you had it
>memorized, and for the rest of those months, you didn't read any
>music, so
>your music reading skills were deteriorating, your oboe and bassoon
>players weren't getting any better on their instruments, some of your
>woodwinds had to play cymbals or bass drums or carry flags, and in
>general, there was a lot more emphasis on volume than on finesse and
>musicality.
>Ed Lacy

I know that the theory of One Song was definatly not true for my band
(Helix High School, La Mesa, CA. ). Throught the marching season, we
were reading through music that we might end up playing in a) Winter
season (december), b) Concert season (january-april), or even c) Pops
season (april-may), not to mention the many Pep band and pre- and
post-game songs. Our reading skills were more likely improved. For (so I
hear) many years it had been a tradition on every friday to read through
new music that would probably never be seen again, though that has been
made rather impractical by the Quarter system and its effects.

While it may be true that the Oboe, English Horn, and such instruments do
not devote themselves to those concert instruments, there are never such radical changes as clarinet to symbol, except by rare choice (three years
ago, a violinist played cymbols.) Flag throwers throw flags all year
'round; Drummers play drums all year 'round, pipers pipe all year
'round. Each of the 120 is devoted to thier particular direction.
As for your idea of "emphasis on volume [rather] than on finesse and
musicality," while it is harder to convey emotion from 100 or so feet to
the box, it is always there. "Ines at Santa Clara," on a good
performance, could make one cry, as well as last year's second movement
from Dvorak's New World Symphony. Our band has always had equal
importance of woodwind emotion and brass cutting, and I do not believe
that any of your arguments have true validity on my band.

Matthew Fedder
2nd clarinet, Symphonic band
Helix High School Highlander Band
La Mesa California

P.S. Today is a good day.