Klarinet Archive - Posting 000310.txt from 1997/05

From: Lord Rob <rteitelbaum@-----.EDU>
Subj: RE: 20thC
Date: Fri, 9 May 1997 20:05:18 -0400

You raise a very interesting question, Lori. Much as I'm
not a big fan of his classical playing style, I am inclined
to say Benny Goodman. It's not just that so many 20th
Century concerti were written for him. It's that the
composers who, for whatever reason, his playing inspired,
namely Copland, Milhaud, Hindemith, and Bartok, set the
"trend" of clarinet writing for 20th Century composers. Now
it seems almost as if any 20th Century composer worth
their salt feels they must write a clarinet concerto. I know
that's an exaggeration, but not by much. You could make a
solid case for Stoltzman as well, or for my personal favorite,
Drucker, but I'd have to say that Goodman was the catalyst
for all the works written for these latter two.

Rob Teitelbaum
Claremont McKenna College