Klarinet Archive - Posting 000438.txt from 2001/03

From: Shouryunus Sarcasticii <jnohe@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Trills
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 18:31:28 -0500

On Sat, 17 Mar 2001, William Wright wrote:

> A Bach half-note in 3/4 time is marked with "tr". To me, this
> particular trill sounds bad if I extend it over the entire half-note,
> and I desperately want to trill it for a quarter-note and then settle
> down on a steady main for the remainder of the half-note's duration.

Try starting the trill a little slower (but not Romantic-era slow), giving
it a push, and then following it through to the next note. That might be
a little pleasing. Generally, as far as trill speed goes, use your ear
and musical sense. No matter how it's notated or when it was written, the
trill has to be musical.

> I'm trying sincerely to avoid the debate about whether it's good or
> evil to play with historical accuracy, but can anyone give me some
> perspective on whether it's a sin to trill for only part of a note that
> is marked "tr" --- in Bach's time vs. other periods of history?

I think it's good to play with historical accuracy. I feel I have no
business messing around with someone's music when it's not called for
(improvisation is of course, an exception) when I can't even get my Ab
major Baermann scale to sound musical.

As a general guideline...maybe even a rule...where you start a trill is of
course dependant upon WHEN the work was written. Baroque, Rococo, and
Classical era works will have you starting the trill from above the note.
Romantic, Post-Romantic/Impressionist, and 20th Century works will more or
less generally have you start the trill on the note written. If you want
a more specific guideline, I would actually say, trill from above until
you get to Beethoven's 3rd symphony. *smirk*

At least, that seems to be the rule I've gathered over the past few years.
Could be wrong. *shrug*

J. Shouryu Nohe
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe
Professor of SarCaSM102, New Mexico State Univ.
"Never put passion before principle. Even when win, you lose."
-Miyagi-san, KKpt.II

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