Klarinet Archive - Posting 000137.txt from 1999/05

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: RE: [kl] Orchestral Rep Question
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 15:37:38 -0400

On Thu, 6 May 1999 14:35:20 -0400, dnietham@-----.edu said:

[snip]

> I'm sure there are a lot more. The color really is different (even in
> Beethoven - the biggest surprise to me) and really matters. Enjoy it!

Seconded.

Two stories:

When I first bought my C clarinet, around 1972 or so, I was the first
clarinet in the RPO, and we were recording a Verdi opera. I took the
instrument out to warm it up, and the very nice Italian language coach
-- the man whose job it was to make sure that the English, American,
German etc cast pronounced the Italian properly -- looked up, and
practically ran down the hall from the back. "Clarinetto in Do,
clarinetto in Do!" he said. "Very important -- but, no-one play eet
nowadays!"

And a few years later I was playing guest principal in another
well-known British orchestra in Schubert 9, and apologised to the first
oboe as we began the first rehearsal. "It'll take me a couple of
minutes to settle down, pitch-wise," I said. "I haven't played it for a
bit."

"Whose idea was it to play it on that, anyway?" said the first bassoon.

"Er, Schubert's?" I said.

But it's really much more normal to do it now. And quite right too.

I do recall a student of mine, though, around 15 years ago, saying that
he didn't think he'd accept my offer of a loan of a second C clarinet I
had by then bought, in order to play something written for the
instrument.

"Why not?" I said. "I really don't mind; I'm sure you'll look after
it."

"No, it's not that," he said, "I'll look stupid. Everyone will think I
can't transpose!"

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE GMN family artist: www.gmn.com
tel/fax 01865 553339

... A wok is what you throw at a wabbit.

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