Klarinet Archive - Posting 001050.txt from 1997/08

From: DGross1226@-----.com
Subj: Re: Basset horns for rental?
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 10:24:24 -0400

In a message dated 97-08-24 14:46:47 EDT, you write:

<< Primarily out of curiosity, has anyone on this list ever rented a pair of
basset horns for performance use?>>

Yes,

Several years ago, members of the Glendale (California) College Community
Orchestra performed the Gran Partita with basset horns borrowed from Cal
State Los Angeles. Well not actually borrowed -- the first trumpet player
was their instrument repair tech and he "borrowed" them for us.

<<I practically begged every time I had the opportunity to play the Mozart
Gran Partita or the Mozart Requiem mass (OK, a total of 3 times in 6 years!)
for the University to rent a pair, but money was always an issue, and no one
seemed to know where to get them anyway.>>

See if you can interest the athletic director at the University of Arizona to
have his recuiters visit Leblanc while on a recruiting trip to Kenosha High
School. In all seriousness, you might want to call Tom Ridenour to see if he
has a line on horns you might buy or borrow.

<< And of course, there was the apathy -- no one cared if the parts were
played on basset horn or clarinet except ME!>>

I agree! Once you've played either of the basset horn parts in the Gran
Partita - and experienced the difference in timbre of the ensemble that they
make -- you'll never want to play the transposed parts on Bb again.

Don Gross
La Canada, Californnia

p.s. I can't believe an institution the size of the University of Arizona
doesn't have its own pair of basset horns. You might want to check around
the Southern California area. In addition to CSLA, I know that USC has a
pair, the LA Philharmonic has a pair, and at one time Chris French, who's now
with Selmer in Elkhart had his own horn and could always find a second one
when playing Mozart.

   
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