Klarinet Archive - Posting 000936.txt from 1999/12

From: klara <klahall@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] The Top Ten...
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 1999 18:08:33 -0500

On Tue, 28 Dec 1999 10:42:19 -0800 "Kevin Fay (LCA)"
<kevinfay@-----.com> writes:
>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.
>
snip

>
>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.

This is an important point--not to bash the teachers in the big rep
conservatories, but to remember there are many fine teachers/players who
are not famous.
And so with orchestras--the great players are great, but there is a lot
of very fine playing by the orchestra players who are not well known.

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

I don't want to see a divisive effect of this topic. (although i do get a
twinge why aren't my favorites on every list, but that is minor)
Because I enjoy seeing the lists and especially the reasoning behind
each person's choices. It is expanding my knowledge, as does the list in
general.

Thinking about this discussion i realize i am firmly in the downstream
effect of Harold Wright. His recording of the Brahms Sonatas with
Goldschmidt was a revelation to me as a 20year old, and still are very
satisfiying today. And the two main clarinet people who have been most
effective coaching me were influenced by Wright, as well as others. I
don't have enough knowledge to weigh others, but Harold Wright certainly
was a gem.

live and learn, or as Lori Lovato said:
There are SO MANY incredible players, even on this list! : )

annhall

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
There are two main refuges from the miseries
of life--music and cats. -- Albert Sweitzer
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

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