Klarinet Archive - Posting 000361.txt from 1997/06

From: deerich@-----.net
Subj: Re: Opinions sought re classical improvisations
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 20:20:02 -0400

John Blegen wrote:
>
> Coming from a point located far outside of this dicussion (I am STRICTLY a
> jazz player), I have a couple of questions that are related to Dan's
> assertion (with which I agree) that uneasiness with improvising during
> performance of K. 622 is not enough. Actually, it's really just one
> question and a tumbril-load of explanation:
>
> Is it _possible_ to improvise appropriately during perfomance of of K. 622?
>
> That is, I know from my bailiwick that one must absorb a whole explicit
> and implicit musical language (ok, maybe it's just a dialect, but still
> ...) to be able to improvise in a particular jazz style. Phonies stick
> out like a sore Dan, even to those who don't know the idiom deeply. The
> absorption is a long-term, subtle process, engaging the whole person
> (probably, what do I know?). So what I mean by my question (and it's
> only a question from an outsider, please remember), is: do late 20th
> century musicians have access to the information (in the large sense)
> that they need to learn how to improvise appropriately during peformance
> of K. 622? Now I'll go back to sleep.
>
> John Blegen
> blegen@-----.us

I don't have an answer but I think you have an excellent point.