Klarinet Archive - Posting 001079.txt from 1997/08

From: Josias Associates <josassoc@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Saint Saens Sonata
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 20:40:28 -0400

Gary,

Your recounting of a little-known piece of musical history
involving the Saint Saens Clarinet Sonata reminded me of an experience I had
in the late 1980s.

I arrived a day early for a chamber music workshop in Arcata in
northern California, and an assorted group of people proceeded to a local
restaurant for dinner. As we walked into town, one of the group, a
particularly nosy woman who played violin, undertook an interview with
each person, and did not confine her questions to musical or
superficial subjects, but got into rather personal matters.

When she got to me, she asked first what instrument I played.
Learning that I was a clarinetist, she intoned rhapsodically, "Oh, how I
love the clarinet," and then proceeded to sing rather volubly the opening
bars of the Mozart Clarinet Quintet.

"Ah, yes," I replied, "that Irving Berlin sure could write."

With venom in her voice, she shouted angrily at me, "Irving Berlin
did not write that!" The words, "you idiot," were unspoken, but heavily
implied.

So, in addition to the fact that Irving Berlin did not write
Mozart's Clarinet Quintet, I am pleased to add to my growing file of
musical trivia your authoritative report that Saint Saens
"borrowed" the opening theme of his Clarinet Sonata from the University
of Wisconsin's fight song.

Connie

Conrad Josias
La Canada, California