Klarinet Archive - Posting 000263.txt from 1998/08

From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Music major priority
Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 12:09:34 -0400

This pisses me off.

Not that Ed plays bass--but that his school's orchestra is "only open to
music majors" (unless, of course, they need *him*).

Seems to me that the money that Ed pays his tuition with is just as
green--he should be allowed to audition for the "normal" clarinet chairs
just like anyone else. Most schools don't exclude music majors from history
classes--a fail to see any good explanation for the converse. IMHO, it's
just too damn bad if the best clarinet player in the school decides to
declare a more marketable major, they should get the chair if they win the
audition.

Some pretty good musicians have managed to make it through school without
being music majors. Charlie Neidich has a spiffy degree in Anthropology
from Yale (where, incidentally, he was given an award for something like
"outstanding senior musician" without having taken lessons from K.
Opperman). Kenny Gorelick, a classmate of mine from the good old U of W
(Kenny G to most of you), is a CPA--which may help explain why he is, if not
the most talented saxophone player on the planet, certainly the richest.

kjf
-----Original Message-----
From: Frederick S. Sterns [mailto:fssterns@-----.net]
Subject: Re: [kl] Orchestral bass clarinet excerpts

> Hello all. I've been given the opportunity to audition for my
>University's top orchestra on bass clarinet (it's only open to music
>majors, but due to instrumentation problems I can enroll despite my
>status as an electrical engineering major). However, the orchestra
>director did
>not anticipate having a dedicated bass clarinetist audition for his
>group. Consequently, I have to prepare four orchestral excerpts of my
>choice to audition with. I've played a good amount of orchestral bass (my
>focus is jazz) and basinet (bassoon parts), but I've never run across any
>major bass solos, etc. Truthfully, the only excerpts that come to mind
>are from Copland's El Salon Mexico and Strauss' Death and
>Transfiguration. I'd appreciate any suggestions as to what to play. I
>want to make a good impression because this will be my first taste of
>university-level playing. By the way, I've heard that there exists a
>book full of orchestral bass clarinet excerpts. Where can I find it in
>two weeks?
>
>Edmund William White
>ewhite@-----.us
>ewwhite@-----.edu

Michael Drapkin's "Symphonic Repertoire for Bass Clarinet" is probably the
publication you're looking for. I got mine from Eble Music [Iowa City, IA]
319/338-0313. Don't remember the price, but it was under $20.

I found their staff to be knowledgeable, helpful, and courtious...their
service prompt. FSS
>
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