Klarinet Archive - Posting 000668.txt from 2000/10

From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] And while we are at it ...
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 10:51:14 -0400

What matters more than anything else in terms of history, is the
complete absence of any note above high D on Mozart's part. Maybe
Stadler could and even did play high notes, but there is no evidence in
his music that Mozart wrote such notes, and his involvement with Stadler
extended from 1781 until his death in 1791. So we have a 10 year period
for Mozart to write music to exploit Stadler's ability (if indeed he
could do that thing) and the sum total of times he wrote above high D is
ZERO! That's hard evidence, gentlemen and ladies.

In examining Mozart's music, precedent is VERY important. If you cannot
find a single instance of him doing a certain thing in his compositional
lifetime, then you cannot tolerate that thing if it is put in by a
contemporary musician under the guise of "if he had one he would have
used one." It is not an argument that lasts more than about 4
milliseconds.

Roger Shilcock wrote:
>
> I think Tausch wrote high Gs -- but Stadler's instruments were different.
> Roger S.
>
> On Thu, 12 Oct 2000, Neil Leupold wrote:
>
> > Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 06:21:27 -0700 (PDT)
> > From: Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com>
> > Reply-To: klarinet@-----.org
> > To: klarinet@-----.org
> > Subject: Re: [kl] And while we are at it ...
> >
> > --- Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net> wrote:
> >
> > > So I ask the question: what is the defense for the use of high G in K.
> > > 622? In the absence of any autograph material in which that note is
> > > found, I suggest that we have no business playing that note, and its
> > > presence in any performance of K. 622 is contraindicated. The
> > > probability is very much on my side that Mozart never wrote it!
> >
> > ...And if somebody hits a G over the course of an improvisational
> > flight of fancy within the Mozart, per your repeated proclamations
> > that improvisation in the Classical period was more commonplace
> > than is reflected in modern performance? What then? Mozart may
> > indeed never have written notes that high on the instrument. Were
> > those notes not *possible* for the clarinet in the mid- and late
> > 1700's? If they were, then it seems that it would be possible --
> > and justified -- to hear an improvisation or two that actually uses
> > them. The only apparent contraindication, if what I'm implying above
> > rings true ('could be completely off base), would seem to be the press-
> > ure of social conformity, i.e.; even if the notes were playable in
> > Mozart's day, they were not frequently used or heard and, hence,
> > most players avoided them in an effort to not rock the boat.
> >
> > -- Neil
> >
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Get Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere!
> > http://mail.yahoo.com/
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > 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
> >
> >
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> 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

--
***************************
** Dan Leeson **
** leeson0@-----.net **
***************************

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