Klarinet Archive - Posting 000012.txt from 1997/09

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: you call that music?
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 1997 11:45:51 -0400

On Mon, 1 Sep 1997 DGross1226@-----.com wrote:

> First, I memory serves me correctly (and Dan Leeson can confirm this because
> he was there), didn't Mozart compose quite a few divermenti to be used as
> background "music" for grandparents' conversations? For example, IMHO the K.
> 439 divermenti for 3 basset horns are not all equally wonderful. In fact,
> every time I hear K . 439d, I run for my remote control. Even Wolfie knew
> what sold commercially.

This list purports to be one which relates to the clarinet specifically
and which therefore concerns music and musicians in general. Let's get
past the question of "what sold commercially." Let's talk about musical
quality. In listening to Mozart Divertimenti side-by-side with Lawrence
Welk, and applying your best musical taste and discrimination, do you
equate those two examples in terms of musical substance and quality?

> Secondly, while you're not a fan of Welk's music, was there a problem, for
> example, with the musicians' technique -- intonation -- dymanics -- phrasing
> -- interpretation?

In my opinion, no. But, there is a great deal more to music than
technique, intonation, etc. The fact that those players had excellent
technique doesn't mean that there was not a problem with the final musical
product in terms of aesthetics. According to this measure of technique as
the final arbiter, one would have to conclude that the greatest guitarist
of the past half century was not someone like Andres Seqovia, for example,
but probably that title would have to go to, let's say, Roy Clark.

> And finally, the Lawrence Welk show was purely and simply entertainment.
> I would challenge you to come up with a single entertainer -- or group
> -- today who can bring so much pleasure to such a widely diverse
> audience...and inspired a few folks on KLARINET.

This still says nothing about the music he produced, at least as most
musicians understand the term, "music."

Ed Lacy
el2@-----.edu