Klarinet Archive - Posting 000454.txt from 1998/10

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: American Woodwind Playing
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 02:07:56 -0400

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.85
> Subj: Re: [kl] Re: American Woodwind Playing

> On Sat, 10 Oct 1998 13:41:44 -1300, leeson@-----.edu said:
>
> > Would Sabina Meyer sound significantly different if she played on
> > a French system? And before one answers that question too rapidly,
> > does the current principal clarinet in Los Angeles sound significantly
> > different today on her German system than she did years ago when she
> > played French system.
>
> Hi, Dan.
>
> It probably depends on what music she's playing. My own experience of
> playing on both sorts of instrument is that each instrument has its own
> strengths. So playing lightish music on a German instrument (for which
> it isn't particularly suited) sounds a bit too serious, whereas it's
> difficult to play the very slow moving solos, where a dense sound works
> well, quite so effectively on the French instrument.
>
> You can approximate, of course.
>
> But, does she sound different to you?
>
> > It is easy to wax rhapsodic about the obvious differences between
> > the two systems but, even if there is such a significant difference,
> > is that due to equipment or culture? A French, French horn sounds
> > very much like the French horn that we know when played without
> > a vibrato. So is that a cultural issue or a mechanical one?
> >
> > And that brings me back to the clarinet players of the 1940s who
> > played on German systems. None of them were German. So what did
> > they sound like? Did Bellison sound Russian (which is where he
> > was from and where all of his study was and his formative years, etc.)?
>
> Aren't categories like "Russian" ill-defined?
>
> I once said to Karl Leister that we admired his beautiful German sound.
> "But, *I'm* not a *German-style* clarinettist!" he said.
>
> > As both genes and environment are said to share the responsibility
> > for the nature of the child as s/he matures, is it equipment or
> > culture that forms the mature clarinet player?
>
> Nowadays, with the clarinet players of the Chicago Symphony playing
> German instruments in the German repertoire, presumably with the
> idea in their heads of sounding different doing so, it's difficult to
> reduce it to either, or a combination. Clarinet players are reinventing
> themselves, in the world-mix of a global culture.
>
> Good luck to them, I say. Different sounds and different styles for
> different requirements.
>
> What do *you* think?

Ah there, Tony. Good to hear from you on this list. I remember
with continuing fondness the wonderful Gran Partitta we did together
with the San Diego Symphony (Tony conducted, I played basset horn)
and the great meals we had together, too.

What do I think? I struggle to hear a significant difference
between players of German system and players of French system. I
believe that the differences that do occur are mostly cultural
and not mechanical. And if there is a mechanical difference
(which my tin ears are not alert at detecting), then that
difference is due more to the mouthpiece considerations than to
the fact that the instrument has physical differences.

And I think that Meyer would be magnificent as a player if she
executed on a piece of railroad tie, so musical is she. But
if I should see her again, I'll set her feet on fire for recording
the Gran Partitta with contrabassoon!

By the way, I'll be in Dublin next summer giving a talk on the
Mozart and mathematics issue I sent to you about 6 months ago.
There is a conference of 18th century scholars and I was invited
to speak on that subject. The first thing I did was to look
up the "Hotel Leeson" on Lower Leeson street in Dublin and book
myself a room. I'll probably never have a chance to do that again.
Won't be in London, unfortunately. Flying from Frankfurt to
Dublin and then back to Frankfurt after the symposium otherwise
we'd get together for a pint!!

>
> Tony
> --
> _________ Tony Pay
> |ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
> | |ay Oxford OX2 6RE
> tel/fax 01865 553339
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
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