Klarinet Archive - Posting 001262.txt from 1998/07

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Mozart and the right clarinet
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 08:44:46 -0400

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.23
> Subj: Re: [kl] Mozart and the right clarinet

> 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

I do not follow this note. Both basset horn and basset clarinet had
all semitones from low e down to low c, so why does rjs suggest
that bassethorns generally did not have them?

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

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