Klarinet Archive - Posting 000697.txt from 2001/04

From: MVinquist@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Re: baroque trills
Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2001 10:36:21 -0400

Andy Brown says: >I am working on tartini concertino arr. by gordon jacobs,
and although I know that it is standard practice to begin trills in the
baroque era on the upper neighbor, many of the trills seem inappropriate when
done so. Just wondering if there are any general exceptions to the rule, and
if it is considered acceptable to begin certain trills on the fundamental
note.<

Andy -

If you were playing "pure" Tartini -- that is, simply transposing the
original part (probably for oboe or violin) on the clarinet, with harpsichord
and viola da gamba or string orchestra accompaniment, you would certainly
start the trills on the upper note and would probably lengthen that note,
too. The generally available treatises written at and around that period are
German rather than Italian (Quantz, Leopold Mozart, C.P.E. Bach), but they
are unanimous on this, as are the brief ornamentation instructions given by
Italian composers (including, I think, Geminiani) that appear in the modern
Hortus Musicus reprints. See Betty Bang Mather's book on ornamentation and,
more generally, Donnington.

However, the Gordon Jacob Concertino is really a mid-20th century piece,
using material from Tartini adapted for 20th century performance and 20th
century tastes. The tunes and harmony are Tartini, but the sound is Jacob.

This is not the Mozart Concerto, where we are trying to discover what Mozart
would have expected and what Stadler would have done. As far as I know,
Jacob would have expected the clarinet soloist to start trills on the main
note, and you should probably do so, too; you should certainly do so on the
trills that don't work (for you) if you start them on the upper note.

Best regards.

Ken Shaw

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