Klarinet Archive - Posting 000724.txt from 1997/08

From: Bill Edinger <wde1@-----.com>
Subj: unclear opinionating
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 23:08:08 -0400

Earlier I wrote

> Of course, there are also many who feel that the bass clarinet has more
> to offer muscially than just an exotic appearance. I happen to be among
> them.

and someone else interpreted that to mean that I felt that the b.Cl. has
a meaningful musical role in marching bands. No, I meant that I feel
that it has a meaningful musical role OUTSIDE of marching bands, in
which it is not worth including except for its appearance, making the
group look more complete and "symphonic" (in a marching band??) than it
would look otherwise. I even marched with bari sax once and came away
wondering why (the tubas had the same notes and I was buried). Lehigh
Univ. (under Jonathan Elkus) used to have a guy march with BASS sax, and
the same thing goes for that idea too, except the player probably should
have been in the Olympics for that herculean feat. But musically?
Absolutely pointless. This is all residual sour grapes: I will always
regret not being allowed to march with tuba my senior year. Imagine how
much greater my appreciation for Bb clarinet would have been!

Bill Edinger