Klarinet Archive - Posting 001260.txt from 1998/07

From: Roger Shilcock <roger.shilcock@-----.uk>
Subj: Re: [kl] Mozart and the right clarinet
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 08:39:18 -0400

Why he wrote for bassetclar in A could simply have been that:
Bassethorn was his original first choice - then "Stodla" came along with
an extended clarinet with (we think) d# and c# (which bassethorns
generally didn't have), and so... I think this employs Occam's razor.
rjs

On Wed, 29 Jul 1998, Bill Hausmann wrote:

> Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 08:18:35 -0400
> From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
> Reply-To: klarinet@-----.org
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: Re: [kl] Mozart and the right clarinet
>
> At 01:25 AM 7/27/98 -0700, you wrote:
> >Bill Hausmann wrote:
> >>
> >> >
> >> For the K622, I can buy this argument, and maybe for the Quintet and other
> >> clarinet solo/chamber works as well. But for symphonies, etc., the logical
> >> extension of this argument is that he was tailoring his music to EACH AND
> >> EVERY player in the orchestra! I cannot believe that even Mozart, genius
> >> that he was, had the excess brainpower, much less the time and inclination,
> >> to get that deep into the minor variances of individuals' sounds.
> >>
> >Very good point about symphony writing but the argument may still stand
> >up. While writing the symphony and deciding whether to write the
> >clarinet in A or B flat He would be trying to achieve some tonal aspect
> >I think we can agree on that point. So knowing the limited number of
> >players available could he not have taken that into account. For
> >example theoreticaly in his mind he wanted to write for the A. BUt
> >realiized theat no player's tone that he knew of at the time on an A
> >would live up to the tonal aspect he heard in his mind. However,
> >certain players could acheive the sound on B flat so he would write in B
> >flat.
> >
> Where this argument loses me is that, if we assume he is paying that much
> attention to one individual CLARINET player and his particular sound, we
> must also assume he chose particular keys, even particular notes, to suit
> the tone qualities of each oboist, flutist, trumpeter, horn player,
> bassoonist, even string player, in the WHOLE orchestra, in EACH piece he
> wrote. If so, no wonder he died at 35. The strain killed him!
>
>
>
> Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
> 451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
> Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html
> ICQ UIN 4862265
>
> If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.
>
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