Klarinet Archive - Posting 000644.txt from 1997/12

From: Mark Charette <charette@-----.com>
Subj: Re: basset hounds
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 11:42:51 -0500

Hat NYC 62 wrote:
>
> In a message dated 97-12-12 06:42:07 EST, you write:
>
> << It is *not* just "Mr. Leeson's opinion". Playing this obbligato on the
> basset instrument is now practically standard practice elsewhere. There is
> such an instrument in the Bate Collection here in Oxford (Eng.) which was
> specially made for this purpose several decades ago - I don't have any
> more details to hand, but I have seen it. If I remember correctly, its
> bottom note is written D. >>
>
> What does this instrument's existance have to do with Ricardo? So far, I have
> seen no posts regarding individual b-flat bassetts in PRIVATE hands. If you're
> so upset, write to Mr. Levine! It seems that if the opera houses of Europe are
> paying for the damn things, then blaming Ricardo for not using one is quite
> unfair!

<snip>

If Ricardo knew about the requirement for a basset instrument, didn't
have one, and inquired as to the whereabouts of one from his many
friends (he has many - I met with him very briefly during ClarinetFest,
and he was pretty much constantly surrounded by admirers), I'm sure
someone
would have lent him a very good one or at least offered to rent him one
for the performance. I know _I_ would have lent him one had I owned one.
I'm pretty sure that the Met has pockets deep enough to rent a horn for
the occasion if required. I also know that buying or renting the "tools
of the trade" is a commonplace occurance for other professions - ask
a good carpenter or mechanic how much his set of tools costs someday.
It's on a par with owning 5 or 6 good clarinets for a good mechanic
(this
is personal knowledge - I was a mechanical engineer for quite a while,
and the price for _my_ set of tools came close to $15.000 USD, and I
had to borrow other people's tools quite often). I also made
significatly
less than Ricardo at that time ...

So, they way I look at, it breaks down into the same categories as Mr.
Leeson discussed previously.
--

Mark Charette, Webmaster - http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet
Web/Personal - charette@-----.org
Business - charette@-----.com
"There's already an educational TV channel - it's called 'off'."
Lily Henderson, age 11