Klarinet Archive - Posting 000947.txt from 1998/01

From: David McClune <dmcclune@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Music: Modern vs. 'Old'
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 20:05:17 -0500

At 12:46 PM 1/20/98 -0700, you wrote:
>Dr. McClune says:
>I firmly believe that we as players must perform "modern" music for the
>language to become more acceptable to the audience. We cannot let
>ourselves become museums of old music
>
>A good view, sir; I'm not completely compelled to argue. But what do you
>do when the audience won't show? The NMSU Symphony charges a steep price
>for tickets to their concerts - enough that I usually won't attend due to
>cost. But when I do attend, the recital hall is absolutely PACKED. They
>do a fine job, and play mostly classical music and some romantic (I guess
>around 2/3 classical, 1/2 romantic or so).

The audiences for Orchestra and Choral concerts seem to want safe concerts,
with no challenges to their ears or minds. It is frustrating to have a
minimal audience at any concert. Chorus's tend to perform safe, very tonal
literature, I presume because it is easier to learn and just what the
audience wants to hear. Orchestra concerts tend to highight very
traditional classical and romantic literature. Why? It pays the bills!
The most ancient of professions (read between the lines) also pays bills but
is not the most ethical way of making a living.

Medium and large University bands and wind ensembles are the leading edge
musical ensembles of the end of this century. Many excellent pieces are
being written which better reflects the 1990's etc. In a sense, this is a
reversal of the 1800's where the bands tended to play "military" concerts of
light military music (re. French Bands) or the late 1800's with the touring
bands of Sousa and the like playing transcriptions. At the same time you
have the radical composers of the 1800's writing for the Orchestra, which
was the dominant ensemble of the century. Remember that Berlioz was quite
controversal, let alone Beethoven. Compare a generic Mozart or Haydn
symphony the the Beethoven Third. What a shock that would have been at the
time.

If YOU can find a way of selling/educating the public to understand let
alone enjoy the music of Colgrass or Harbison, et. al., then you will do a
tremendous service to the musical community.

Enjoy your time playing the 20th century wind literature, because you may be
"stuck" playing generic stuff the rest of your life in community bands. It
is not really streching ones self to play second clarinet on a Mozart Symphony!

Respectfully yours

Dr. David McClune
Professor of Clarinet
Director of Bands
Union University
Jackson, TN 38305
901-661-5294-office