Klarinet Archive - Posting 000954.txt from 2000/10

From: David Glenn <notestaff@-----.de>
Subj: [kl] Mozart and high notes
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 17:33:11 -0400

Sorry to be so late with this one. I'm trying to catch up a bit after a
hefty week/week-end and today a crown on one tooth....

The altissimo register was not unknown in the classic period. Alan
Hacker once showed me a manuscript - it must've been 25 years ago - it
was a solo piece for clarinet which went up to c'''' - I'm "sort of
sure" it was by Anton Stadler. Am I right or did I get it mixed up with
another composer (Hoffmeister???)

If he did write it, then he surely could play it. In which case he
probably *did* play it. Can anybody help my feeble old grey cells here?

Another point is that the invention of the basset clarinet by no means
only extended the range downwards! I had my Uebel clarinets for several
months before having them bassetized by Brian Ackermann/Ted Planas.
After bassetization they played a lot more easily in the altissimo
register. Maybe Stadler had the same experience though I can't say how
it is on the old boxwood clainets.

Nevertheless, I tend to agree with you, Dan, that Mozart avoided the
high notes above D. But not entirely!

Dan, do you have a solution for measure 142 in the first mvt. which
avoids the high F? I always did feel a bit uncomfortable there. On the
other hand I wouldn't want to miss the high E's and the D# in bar 222/3
or the high E in bar 338. Also wonderfully effective is the dramatic
jump to the top Eb in the last movement, bar 111.

David

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