Klarinet Archive - Posting 000623.txt from 1999/10

From: "Rien Stein" <rstein@-----.nl>
Subj: [kl] CRACK
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 18:13:11 -0400

February 1998 I managed to raise enough money for the band in which I play
the bass-clarinet to enable the band to by me a new one, as my private
instrument is a Martin Freres, Paris, very old, (probably 1896) and not very
usable anymore. We bought a Leblanc, that had been used as a demonstration
model, so was "played in", as we call it. From March till September I
played it unrestrictedly, and nothing happened.

Then in September somebody entered our rehearsal room when we had started
already, mounted a bass clarinet, sat next to me, and joined in where we
were. After three bars it was already clear to me: the solo part I was
assumed to play in our next concerto ("Spotlights on the bass clarinet" for
BC and wind orchestra) would be played by this man. This rather young man
was Uldis Locenieks, first clarinet in the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, as it
proved. He won a scholarship to study BC a year with Harry Sparnaay - I need
not introduce HIM, I assume. Of course he did play the solo for free! You
will laugh at it, but he joined our band and payed the usual membership
fees - I think that's rather unique: a professional player paying to be
allowed to play with a bunch of amateurs!

As my instrument went down to low C, and his only went down to E flat, and
mine also was a lot better than his, I gave that Leblanc to him, and he
played on it.

Two weeks. Then it cracked, you guessed right.

It was sent to France, and was returned six weeks later, two weeks before
the concerto was going to be held. Uldis did a great job.

Then Uldis was asked to play the same concerto with another windband - this
time one of the best wind orchestras of our country, and one that of course
payed him, after all, he -is- a professional. Three weeks before the
concerto, in the beginning of june, he called me. He was in a very low mood,
and told me the instrument -- had cracked again. His teacher, Harry
Sparnaay, happened to give a performance in Utrecht the Sunday after that
call, so I went to him, and asked him, what he thought about it. He said the
cause must have been inferior wood quality, and advised me, when the
instrument came back from France not to begin on it five minutes the first
week, ten the next week and so on, as, so he said, if it were prone to
crack, it would crack anyhow, and you had it better crack while guarantee
still is on it, if you would play it the slow way, financial consequences
would be for the owner.

We sent it to France again, that was in the first week of July, and only
yesterday I got a call from my repairman that it was on the way back to
where it belongs: in my hands. Just in time to play it in our next concerto,
Friday October 29, in Zeist, the Netherlands.

Hope not to have bored you to much with this long story

Rien

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