Klarinet Archive - Posting 000583.txt from 2001/04

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Hindemith
Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 23:02:12 -0400

rgarrett@-----.edu wrote:

> At 07:37 PM 04/24/2001 -0600, you wrote:
> >When he got to me, about five chairs down, mine was also flat. I knew it,
> >but since no one else had pushed back in before playing their flat F's I
> >figured I'd just play what was there. He looked me squarely in the eye,
> >raised his eye brows so you could see a lot of the whites of his eyes and
> >said to me, "You'd be satisfied with anything, wouldn't you."
> >(Coincidentally, it was only shortly after that that I learned about
> >tuning rings.)
>
> Sorry you had to deal with that. Let me ask you, given your statement that
> you figured you would just play it where it was...............was he
> right? Did you add the first trill key to raise the pitch?

If I remember (and I said, this was in 1969) I opened both the side Eb/Bb and the
sliver key Eb/Bb.

> Did you
> consider pushing in to avoid the onslaught?

Yes I did. No I didn't. (Should have)

> In short (no pun intended!),
> was there even an inkling of truth to what he said?

He was right insofar as it was flat, but I already knew that. As far as being
satisfied with anything.....NO!

>
>
> >He also picked on a cymbal player and the bass drummer. I learned later
> >that picking on the bass drummer was one of his tricks. He did that where
> >ever he went and conducted.
>
> Do you know this for a fact?

Saw him in action years later conducting a band at Weber State. Yes, he kept a
lookout out the corner of his eye and jumped on the bass drummer when he thought
he looked inattentive. I have also talked to other musician who were under his
baton...same MO.

> Or is it possible that bass drummers and
> cymbal players tended to typically be the ones who couldn't play snare,
> timpani, and melodic keyboard, and his conclusions with both were more
> correct than incorrect (barring his reaction - I'm only interested in your
> honest assessment of HIS assessment of the players.....).

At that time I knew little relatively little about other instruments. I honestly
don't know how good or poor of a job these players were doing. One would assume
that since this was an honor band that included some of the best players from
California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah high schools that all who were
members were qualified or they wouldn't have been there. Of course, resumes don't
always tell the truth.

>
>
> >I recall the cymbal player throwing the cymbals onto the hardwood gym
> >floor and walking off saying, "I've had enough of this shit!" Revelli
> >retorted with, "That's right. That's what makes the grass grow green."
>
> And how do you feel about a person in any profession getting upset enough
> to exhibit this kind of behavior - even if it isn't necessarily directed at
> him? In other words - why didn't YOU walk out after slamming your
> instrument to the ground?

I didn't necessarily approve of this person's totally loosing it. No I would not
have, and didn't do that myself. But different people react differently when
extremely frustrated. This happened after much harassment. Revelli had been in
this kids face a lot. I think we both know that this is often counterproductive,
that getting in one's face often shuts them down and brings on even worse
performance.

>
>
> >This was the last musical event I played in in high school. After
> >practicing for the previous five years, averaging three hours per day on
> >the clarinet, this was the bitter-sweet pill I had to swallow.
>
> How was the performance Richard?

It was OK. I wouldn't say it was great. I still have the recording. Could send you
a tape if you want to hear it. The band was very big.

> Did you learn anything from Revelli other
> than how not to behave?

I might have, but if I did I forgot it because it was overshadowed by that
incident.

>
>
> >It doesn't have to be that way, and it shouldn't have been that way then.
> >Clarence Sawhill got just as much music out of young people and he did it
> >with love, a twinkle in his eye and good humor. Later, when I went to
> >college, I was taught that when temperature go to extremes, the pitch
> >should roll with those temperatures. Off the top of my head, I can't
> >remember it, but it works. Conn did an intonation study sometime in the
> >late 30's or 40's and came to the same conclusion. If Revelli had known
> >jack about clarinets he would not have subjected us all to this impossible
> >situation, nor would he have blamed us for not being able to
> >cope with it. Also, he would have told us about tuning rings.
>
> Well, you may be right. On the other hand, I don't know of any other
> public school teacher who single-handedly taught every instrument at his
> public school - and then took them to five consecutive national
> championships - without any students studying privately except with
> him. Since he took lessons with the principal musicians in the Chicago
> Symphony (on all primary instruments of the winds/percussion section), he
> knew more than most band directors. But it is possible that he didn't know
> the fine details, and that his goal was to keep the pitch as close to A440
> as possible - because of the melodic keyboard instruments and other
> instruments that were not as negatively affected by the 85 degrees
> temperature as the clarinets. Frankly - 85 is not that high - and pitch
> can remain at A440 under those circumstances.

I can only guess at what the temperature was. I didn't have a thermometer with me
and didn't have occasion to look at a wall thermometer in the gym. Yes,
experienced musicians can cope better with temp. extremes, but we were all at the
high school level. We had had little experience at dealing with these kinds of
problems. Not trying to make excuses, though.

> It is when it climbs to 90
> and above that one must accept some issues.
>
> >He's gone now, so I won't tell you what I really think. I will say, he was
> >rude, treated many young people abusively and somehow got away with it.
>
> Kind of makes you wonder how he "somehow got away with it" doesn't
> it? There are many people who think he was rude and treated people
> abusively. On the other hand, John Mohler, who was his principal
> clarinetist at U. Michigan between 1955 and 1959 says he was one of the
> most positive people he ever met. My father, who played for him in 1955,
> says lots of things - positively and negatively. Hell - Revelli wouldn't
> even give my father and mother the rehearsal off (for commencement!) the
> morning after they were married. My mother, bless her soul, took a home
> movie of the rehearsal that my dad had to attend - and they both have
> different feelings about the man. I love that movie by the way!
>
> Revelli once asked me, "what do people think of me?", and my response was
> interesting. I was fortunate that I came to know him in a different light
> than you - many hours of discussions and a couple of wonderful conducting
> symposiums for which I was involved. I took he and Mary out for dinner in
> 1984 and spent two hours listening to the most amazing stories ever - how I
> wish I had recorded his words!
>
> I don't think Revelli did it all correctly - but I think he was an amazing
> musician and teacher - and, while he made mistakes as all do - he was a
> great thing for the education of thousands of young and old musicians the
> world over.............and I mean that sincerely. And wow - did his bands
> ever sound impressive - even by today's standards.
>
> I'm sorry you are so bitter - and I certainly understand your feelings. I
> hope you can understand that Revelli had many different sides - perhaps you
> only saw one......

Unfortunately, I did see only this one side of the man. These kinds of get
togethers are compact, intense and there's not much time to relax and get to know
others who are participating.

I know he did a lot for band music in America. He was truly one of the great
"grass roots" guys. But from my perspective, he was a tyrant. That's what I saw.

>
>
> Best wishes,
> Roger Garrett
>
> >rgarrett@-----.edu wrote:
> >
> > > At 06:31 PM 04/24/2001 -0600, you wrote:
> > > >And then there was this guy named Wm. D. Ravelli. After the way he
> > > >insulted and
> > > >intimidated many fellow, young musicians around me, makes me wonder
> > how many
> > > >actually quit after that, or even worse.
> > >
> > > Richard,
> > >
> > > I wonder if you might go into a bit of detail here. In other words, in
> > > what kind of setting did Dr. Revelli insult the musicians around you? Were
> > > you in the Michigan Band, or was this for an honor group? What piece(s)
> > > were you playing, and under what conditions did he "insult" these players?
> > >
> > > Best wishes,
> > > Roger Garrett
> > >
> > > Roger Garrett
> > > Clarinet Professor
> > > Director, Symphonic Winds
> > > Illinois Wesleyan University
> > > School of Music
> > > Bloomington, IL 61702-2900
> > > Phone: (309) 556-3268
> > > Fax: (309) 556-3121
> > >
> > > "A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes
> > > another's."
> > > Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825)
> >
> >
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>
> Roger Garrett
> Clarinet Professor
> Director, Symphonic Winds
> Illinois Wesleyan University
> School of Music
> Bloomington, IL 61702-2900
> Phone: (309) 556-3268
> Fax: (309) 556-3121
>
> "A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes
> another's."
> Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825)
>
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