Klarinet Archive - Posting 001107.txt from 1999/01

From: avrahm galper <agalper@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] A page turner?
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 22:52:16 -0500

Our daily newspaper, The Globe and Mail, lately prints, a front page
from old newspapers.
The latest one today carried the news about the death of King George the
Fifth in England iin 1936.

That brought to my mind a story told to me by my good friend, Brian
Manton-Myatt. He was until his retirement the chief clarinet designer at
Boosey and Hawkes in London.
He had studied with Manuel Gomez, a Spanish clarinetist who settled in
UK with his brother, Francisco, who was reputed to be a fantastic bass
clarinet player.

The thing that struck people about Gomez was his ability to play
everything on one clarinet.He even had a special clarinet designed for
him at Boosey and Hawkes. There is a copy of that clarinet here in
Toronto, in the hands of Harold Gomez, a grandson.

When Manton-Myatt was young, he played in the Coldstream Guard's band.
One of their duties was to play for the Royal family, at teas and
whatnot. He told me they had to play every morning in front of the
palace. Sort of a wake up, I guess.

Anyway, the real story was, the band played at an afternoon tea on the
palace grounds.

They were sitting and playing some medley, when King George walked over
and stood behind the principal clarinets.
He, the King, decided to turn pages.
Of course, said my friend, he didn't turn at the right place.But they
weren't going to tell him. " Hey,King, its not right."
Since they knew the music by heart they just kept playing.
Then with a flourish, the king turned the last page, and there was
nothing on it. And they were still playing.

The king just walked away guffawing heartily, Haw, Haw,Haw.

--
Avrahm Galper
TONE TECHNIQUE AND STACCATO
THE UPBEAT BAERMANN MELODIC SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS
http://www.sneezy.org/avrahm_galper/index.html

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