Klarinet Archive - Posting 000063.txt from 2000/06

From: DGross1226@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Re: D. Leeson and Mozart, K. 581
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 2000 17:43:43 -0400

In a message dated 00-05-30 23:38:17 EDT, Doug Sears writes:

<< ... if somebody wanted to devote a chunk of his life to searching for
Mozart manuscripts, in hopes of finding the originals of K. 622 and/or K.
581, what would this person need to know and where would s/he look? Perhaps
just familiarity with the pieces in question and with Mozart's manuscript
style would be enough to be able to spot something good. Are there libraries
with piles of old manuscripts waiting to be gone through, or is the only hope
that it might be in somebody's attic? Is it known where in Germany Stadler's
portmanteau containing the manuscripts was stolen or maybe pawned? >>

My colleague Ted Stern who heads the music department at Glendale (CA)
Community College did his doctoral research at UCLA in the early 90s on a
chest of early wind instruments (basically shawms with wind caps) at the
music/musical instrument section of the National Museum in Prague (much like
the Smithsonian in the US). Other than the amazing wealth of catalogued
instruments themselves, what stood out in his memory were the boxes upon
boxes of uncataloged manuscripts and other documents just sitting out in the
hallways. According to Ted, since 1994 the museum has been open for
scholarly research, but not to the general public. The Czech government had
hoped to open it the public, but with the condition that it would "pay for
itself." It didn't. I would surmise that there are numerous other similar
museums, so perhaps there's still hope! Perhaps some of our list members
"accross the pond" might be able to corroborate this.

Don Gross
La Canada, California

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