Klarinet Archive - Posting 000930.txt from 1999/12

From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] The Top Ten...
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 1999 13:42:21 -0500

Shouryu posted a riposte to the top ten thing that belied his years. IMHO,
such a listing inevitably turns into a recitation of one's "favorites" --
which is fine, I guess -- but there really can be no "best" clarinet player.
How one performs art cannot be measured the same way as the number of
seconds to traverse a swimming pool.

With that said, I gotta take some shots -- I have my favorites, too.

<<<Everytime I sit and think that Stadler played the things Herr Mozart on a
clarinet with only FIVE keys, or that Baermann learned the Weber
Concertino on a 10 key instrument in a mere three days (the same time span
in which it was written!), or that Hermstedt was so undaunted and
determined to play what Spohr wrote for him that he added keys to his
clarinet and altissimoed his brains out in practice sessions, instead of
complaining to his composer about how he wasn't learned enough in clarinet
writing (which he could have well done!), it BLOWS MY MIND!>>>

If you want to know, ask Tony Pay.

<<<1. Heinrich Baermann.>>>

Yeah -- but those etudes. Didn't like 'em at the time, altho I prescribe
them today. Does anyone still publish the piano part?

<<<4. Daniel Bonade>>>

IMHO, DB was not as influential a teacher as either Marcellus, Russianoff
or Hasty. These are the big 4 for *this* country in *this half* of the
century. I'm sure our friends outside North America (and many within) would
list others.

It's also "wrong" in another sense, however. It's very easy to be lauded as
a great teacher if your students do well. For these guys, however, their
raw material was generally stellar. If you have students with enormous
talent (such as those admitted to Julliard, Northwestern or Eastman) the
class is going to be pretty good even if Bugs Bunny is teaching.

There are fabulous clarinet teachers out there who won't make the list
because their students didn't end up in a major orchestra, or otherwise
become famous. I had a couple of them -- you shouldn't hold the fact that
their raw material (i.e., me) was not of the talent to get them the acclaim.

<<<5. Benny Goodman>>>

Benny Rocks.

<<<Ag, let's face it - we clarinetists all kick ...uh, aspartame...>>>

. . . which brings us to Buffet's old slogan, "the sweetest clarinet made?"

Seriously -- I find a discussion like this to be divisive. We ought not be;
all clarinetists are in the end on the same team.

kjf

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org