Klarinet Archive - Posting 000575.txt from 2001/08

From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Ed Lacy's comments about horns`
Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 13:37:23 -0400

Very well stated and thorough. Within the commentary was an item that
may be expanded on a little more.

Ed mentioned the Haffner symphony. The choice of clarinets had
absolutely nothing to do with the key of the work because the original
Haffner had no clarinets in it. It was in a later revision that he
added clarinets (on the top stave which happened to be empty) and he
selected the pitch of the clarinets based on the already defined key of
the symphony. (Timpani were also added at the same later time. The
manuscript shows the ink tint difference very clearly to demonstrate the
later addition of clarinets and timpani.)

There are two other interesting case of Mozart's use and non use of
clarinets. The second movement of the concerto in E-flat, K. 482 and
the last movement of the concerto in C minor, K. 491 both contain
variations in c minor, and both use clarinets in B-flat notated in d
minor. But both concerto also contain variations in C major during
which the clarinets do not play, and this is deliberate because, on the
clarinets at hand they would have been required to play in D major, a
forbidden key for all clarinets. This same thing is true for the
Beethoven 3rd piano concerto where the key changes from C minor to C
major and the B-flat clarinets cease their participation.

So the attractive theory that clarinets in particular pitches were
selected because of their sound character does not seem to be supported
by the evidence. However, once whatever clarinets were selected became
a part of the ensemble, a particular sonic palette was defined and it is
that palette that is altered arbitrarily by the substitution of one
clarinet of the defined pitch with another.
--
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** Dan Leeson **
** leeson0@-----.net **
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