Klarinet Archive - Posting 000462.txt from 1997/05

From: Gary Young <gyoung@-----.com>
Subj: Mozart Quintet issues
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 02:05:52 -0400

The last time I did this quintet was before I discovered the Klarinet list.
But I'm getting ready for a performance in a few weeks, and this time I
can ask for your collective advice on a few questions.

Issue #1: The trill for clarinet from A flat to B flat in m. 9 of the
development, mvmt 1: Is there any better way to do this than use the third
side key, which on my A cl. makes a noticeably flat B flat? (Trilling with
the register key is even worse.) I've always assumed this is a clarinet
design defect. Was/is this trill easier, or playable at all, on period
clarinets? (As far as I know, this trill is in all editions, and it seems
to be required by analogy to the 1st violin's trills, mvmt. 1, mm. 6 and
14; see also cl. trill at m. 123.)

Issue #2: The trill for cl. from A to B in m. 4 of the Allegro at the end
of the last mvmt.: Is there any better way to do this than with the fourth
side key, which is in tune but awkward (for me) at a brisk tempo, even
playing the preceding B with the same side key? I've tried using my right
thumb on this but find that awkward too. Related to this is the question
whether this trill should even be played: It's in some editions, not
others, and I have no idea where it crept in (I know we have no autograph,
so there's no touchstone for correctness here, assuming this trill COULD be
played on period clarinets -- I'm asking about what makes musical sense).
So: Do you play this trill, and if so, how? Was/is this trill easier, or
playable at all, on period clarinets?

Issue #3: Mvmt. 2 -- which strings have mutes? Different editions assign
mutes to different strings, e.g. some to just the violins, some to all
strings. My experience has been that unmuted viola and cello bury the
violins and throw the balance way off. But my current cellist is fighting
the idea of a mute. What do you folks do, to the extent you have any
control over headstrong string players? (Again, I'm not asking what Mozart
intended, which is an unanswerable question (isn't it?), just asking what
makes musical sense to you.)

One more general question: Is the earliest edition of this quintet (by
Andre?) available in print anywhere?

Thanks to all in advance for help. I hope my late-night writing isn't too
jumbled to be intelligible.

Gary Young
Madison, WI

   
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