Klarinet Archive - Posting 000802.txt from 1998/11

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] 8va vs. 8basso
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 19:22:50 -0500

At 10:55 AM 11/19/98 -0800, Doug Sears wrote:
>8va: abbreviation of Italian, all' ottava (at the octave)
>8va bassa: Italian, ottava bassa
>15ma: Italian, quindicesima
> 16va is wrong, wrong, wrong! (unless, of course, you really want the
>note played an octave and a ninth higher :) and even then it ought to be
>16ma. Hint: start counting with C as "one" and see how many fingers and
>toes you have down when you get to the C two octaves higher -- so much for
>"intuition".)
>
Sorry, but if I already know that "8va" means play an octave higher,
interpreting "16va" to mean play two octaves higher is completely intuitive
to me, even if technically wrong. I would scratch my head in puzzlement at
"15ma," unless I actually knew Italian.

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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