Klarinet Archive - Posting 000339.txt from 2000/10
From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net> Subj: [kl] All keys are not the same Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2000 14:12:29 -0400
Bill wrote:
"I must be missing something here. Surely you agree that minor keys
are more "plaintive" than major keys?"
Bill, I could not agree less. Minor keys having a plaintive quality is
a phenomenon that we have been told is true, but is not. Bach, Handel,
Mendelssohn, and other have written joyous music that I would find it
very hard to characterize as "plaintive." One of the most joyous
pieces of music ever written is the minor-key movement of the
Mendelssohn octet and whatever plaintive is, it's hard for me to
conclude that it applies to that movement. And there are many major key
movements that CAN be characterized as plaintive.
I think the human reaction to keys and modes is a social phenomenon not
a factual one. I think that there was a time that keys with lots of
sharps in them were considered happy, and keys with lots of flats were
considered sad, but that was also a social phenomenon too.
The idea that minor keys are used for one emotion and major keys for
another is a romantic idea, but not established at all to be a true
one. How anyone reacts to a minor key is a very personal issue, not one
inherent in the key or mode itself.
Now to the central part of the discussion. Perhaps I misread what you
wrote (though I have looked it over on several occasions to confirm my
belief in it), but did you suggest that the clarinet pitch selected (and
by this I mean which clarinet is to be used, not the key of the piece)
is done to achieve a particular sound character? That is to say, if a
composer wants to achieve a plaintive quality (and I'm not sure what
that is, but I'll go along with the term), the he or she would more
naturally choose an A clarinet than a B-flat clarinet because an A is
better attuned or better suited to plaintive music?
If that is not what you said, then I must apologize to you. If that is
what you said, then we have a very serious disagrement on the matter.
--
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** Dan Leeson **
** leeson0@-----.net **
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