Klarinet Archive - Posting 000614.txt from 1998/01

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: RE Vibrato -Reply
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 11:58:08 -0500

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.08
> Subj: RE Vibrato -Reply

> Thanks for the information on the Ambience clarinets...I look forward to
> trying them.
>
> I was in London for 3 months in 1997 (Feb-April) to do, among other things,
> research on a bio of Reginald Kell. I heard several of the BBC orchestra
> concerts in the Stravinsky series. Were you playing any of these? One of the
> interviews I did was with Stephen Trier, a very nice gentleman...used to play
> bass clar. with the LSO, I think...a former colleague and chum of Kell. If
> you have any insights into Kell the musician or man, I'd be glad to see them.
> There's not a lot written about him, unfortunately.
> I was sorry to here on the BBC about the death of Michael Tippett, one of my
> favorite composers.
> Best wishes,
>
> Jim Sclater

Jim mentions Stephe Trier in his note and I wanted to comment on this, though
it has nothing to do with vibrato.

Stephe was a remarkable player, simply magnificent. I knew him in London and
he gave me an interesting perspective on the playing of bass clarinet and
basset horn, which he also did magnificently.

He suggested that both the b.c. and the b.h. should have wooden and not metal
bells, and he had wooden bells made for both of his instruments. His reasoning
was very interesting.

He made the observation that the unpleasant sound characteristics existed
in certain notes of the b.c. and b.h. were magnified by the metal bell and
diminished by the wooden one. I had no basis to really comprehend what he said
because I had never played on a wooden-belled instrument. But at his request
I decided to try it.

My good intentions did not go very far. The total cost was so prohibitively
expensive that I finally had to give up. First was the connecting piece that
would enable the bell to be affixed to the instrument. One would not think
that to be very high but it was something like $600 and the several extra
and beat up old bells that I bought to scrounge the part were such that
none fit.

So I never really got over the connection-piece cost. But the next
hurdle was even worse. The cost of making a wooden bell was as expensive
as the connecting piece. And none of this included the labor to put all
the pieces together. Finally, I was unable to predict what I would have
even if I were to lay out this kind of money.

Mind you, I was perfectly prepared to lay out $1500 to get something that
would work and would improve my playing, but laying out this kind of money
and not even being sure what I would get was a bad business investment.

But his theory always interested me. What would a metal bell do on a
wooden B-flat clarinet? Would it have a negative effect on the character
or the quality of sound of the instrument? When did metal bells come into
being? Why were they used instead of wooden bells on the lower instruments?

Lots of questions. Very few answers. But if that could have made me
sound about 10% as good as Stephe Trier, it would have been money well
spent. I last saw Stephe 15 years or so ago when he drove me to my
hotel in London after a party at which some of England's best players
were present. And he left me dazzled with the brilliance of his ideas
about playing. I'm so pleased to hear that he is still alive. An
absolutely fabulous player. A charming man.

=======================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
=======================================