Klarinet Archive - Posting 000255.txt from 1997/06

From: mipresc@-----.edu (Steve Prescott)
Subj: Dan and clarinets
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 1997 18:49:41 -0400

Well, I've been off the list for a while and was surprised to see that
there is still an ongoing dialogue about clarinets and pitch. I still go by
the idea (and it is just that, with no real hard evidence apart from
interpreting my observations) that, originally, clarinets in different
pitches were made due to mechanical deficiencies (tooling, materials etc).
It was not possible - or maybe not thought of - to make a clarinet that
would play in all keys (not until Muller anyway...ok there were others -
Simiot etc.). This forced instrument makers to make clarinets in different
keys. This also limited the key(s) in which the composer could write the
clarinet part. This also forced the poor traveling musician to carry around
different clarinets.

As Muller's clarinet came into acceptance, I believe composers
began to see the difference in the "sonic palette" of different keyed
clarinets and used this to their advantage. So the answer, as far as I'm
concerned, is yes. We should stick to the composer's intended clarinet just
in case he's using his head for something besides a hat rack.

Dan, I also would like to make another point about the following
statement you made: "I not only can, but _must_, within that context, try
to interpret the music in such a way as to convey to the listener the
musical
intentions of the composer." Do you think Kell interpreted the Brahms
sonatas the way Brahms intended or do you think one of the other more
standard (loosely used) recordings is/are what Brahms intended?

Steve

Steve Prescott
Instrument Rep.Tech./ Clarinetist
Indiana State University
mipresc@-----.edu