Klarinet Archive - Posting 000623.txt from 1998/01

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: re vibrato
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 15:38:47 -0500

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.73
> Subj: re vibrato

> Dan
> I play on an original Simiot clarinet circa1812 with a reproduction Simiot
> mouthpiece made in ebonite. This is the same set-up used by many specialist
> classical players over here.
>
> There are two things that virtually dictate the way one can play these
> instruments in my opinion:

I am not trying to make difficulties, but there is no evidence that
Stadler played on this type of mouthpiece, so whatever its difficulties,
the assertion that vibrato is difficult (or impossible) to execute
when using it is not relevant.

I would offer the view that the entire classic period warmly
recommended and used vibrato on every instrument for which it
was technically possible (exceptions include the obvious percussion,
harp, bagpipes, etc.) and most vocal texts from ca. 1750 to 1825
make it obligatory. Any working musician would have been in that
environment and, to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb, would
have been part of the effort.

What that says is that maybe your mouthpiece design was done in
the absence of knowledge of what might have been required of it.

If you do not object, I will post something less severe on the
list, but I don't want the view that technical inhibitions
are absolute and therefore that vibrato could not have been used.

>
> 1. The natural characteristic of the instrument is to be supported
> solidly.If you attempt to 'float' the sound to produce tonal variety the
> sound simply stops. Tonal variation is achieved by dynamic variation rather
> than flexibility of the embouchure.Using a diaphragm vibrato has the same
> effect as floating the sound.A completely different approach to nuance is
> therefore inherent in the instrument.
>
> 2. The mouthpiece has a long but fairly flat lay and takes very hard
> reeds.There is virtually no spring in the lay which makes lip vibrato not
> impossible but difficult. I use cut down and reshaped Vandoren strength 5
> reeds which often come out behaving like a strength1 reed on a modern
> mouthpiece and this makes the mp feel even closer.If you attempt to use too
> hard a reed notes like bottom G,Bb(forked) or even the two stave F#s come
> out fuzzy.
>
> Regarding my comments on use of vibrato in Brahms 4 yes of course this is
> only my personal taste and there are many ways of playing music .I'm all for
> variety.
>
> However I think it is self evident that anything which is presented as a
> constant becomes the norm and loses it's ability to contrast.Surely it is
> what is unexpected in music that is the most expressive.
>
> The deviation from the normal musical rhetoric in Classical music.
> d9f0[-=h]
> Michael Whight
>
>
=======================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
=======================================