Klarinet Archive - Posting 000546.txt from 2000/09

From: Bilwright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: RE: [kl] being expressive in Italian
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 21:32:25 -0400

<><> Ed Lacy wrote:
Probably for the same reason that we say "allegro" when we mean fast, or
"adagio" for slow.

I received an email about "espressivo" that makes sense to me. The
comment was that I was thinking from a soloist's point of view. Of
course a soloist wants to be expressive; but if you're playing in an
ensemble or orchestra, it may be your turn to just play the arpeggios
and let some other instrument be espressivo. Hence the other person's
music says "espressivo" and yours doesn't. I can buy into that.
But I still am stuck with my feeling (there's that word again) that
in many situations, writing "espressivo" is the same as using "very" in
a creative writing assignment. What does this adjective really
contribute? If you want the player to be expressive, how do you mean?
Solemn? Lamenting? Joyous? Energetic? Downright hyper? Near to suicide?
Experiencing nirvana?

Okay, so I'm trying to put some notes of my own onto paper.
Particularly notes whose fingering and rhythms I need to practice. But
when I started to write "espressivo", I had to slap myself on the wrist.
It was as if I was writing "very", and my grade school English teacher
was rolling over in her grave.

Cheers,
Bill

---------------------------------------------------------------------
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