Klarinet Archive - Posting 000371.txt from 2000/01

From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Old Style Clarinets (was Beethoven Symphonies (was: Von
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 12:48:32 -0500

David B. Niethamer noted re Beethoven 4:

<<<<You might want to give the Academy of Ancient Music/Hogwood recordings a
listen. They're played by forces similar to what Beethoven would have used,
and IIRC are based on the newly edited version of the Beethoven symphonies -
the one with all the i's dotted and t's crossed by eminent musicologists
;-) Anyway, the playing is very nice, on period instruments - I think Tony
Pay plays on some (all?) of them - too lazy to
go hunt them up and look. Gives one a new view of old chestnuts.>>>>

This has the makings of an interesting new string.

I can understand the desire to cut down your late-romantic sized orchestra
to play Beethoven. I even get playing the string parts on gut-stringed
instruments; they do indeed sound different. I don't get playing the wind
parts on the old horns, though.

Now, don't get me wrong -- I get why Charlie Neidich, Tony Pay et. al. use
the old horns -- it's the same set of reasons that the vile-ins use their
older setup. Historical accuracy, correct sound, all of that. When *I*
play Beethoven 4, though, *I* need every one of the little keys on my horn
-- I need all the help I can get! (If I could get a mouthpiece with a
little electric motor to help the articulation, I'd buy that too!)

I've played a couple of William McColl's old, old horns when I studied from
him in college. Not a great deal -- just enough to get the impression that
it's pretty darn hard. I'd be interested to hear from those that play the
historical instruments on a regular basis their thoughts on a few
questions:

-- obviously, the fingering is quite different -- lots of cross-fingering
etc. There's also a difference in tone quality. Is that primarily due to
the change in instrument, or a conscious decision to blow differently? How
does one know what tone to aim for?

-- what changes in embouchure are used, if any?

-- do you find it difficult to "switch back" to modern instruments, or is
it like doubling on saxophone (which I find to cause few or no problems)?

-- do the limitations of the instrument lead to any insights on the pieces
themselves? Said another way, do some of the quirks of key selection that
seem random to today's players "make sense" given the old horns?

-- finally, how on Earth do the bassoonists survive with no/fewer keys?

kjf

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