Klarinet Archive - Posting 000904.txt from 2001/09

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Prokofieff 4th
Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 01:52:35 -0400

At 09:35 PM 9/29/2001 -0400, Karl Krelove wrote:
>OK, friends in the "play on what the composer wrote it for" camp. What do
>you make of this?
>
>I'm playing in a reading of the Prokofieff 4th Symphony. I've never played
>this piece before, nor am I familiar with it. The entire 1st clarinet part
>is written for Bb Clarinet - except for 4 bars of music for clarinet in A in
>the 1st movement. These 4 bars are in no way exceptional. They are exactly
>the same music the Bb clarinet has been playing for measures on end, a
>little ostinato arpeggio figure that's almost certainly accompaniment,
>except that the key in these four measures is a fourth HIGHER. No low E's,
>wouldn't have been a technical problem on either instrument.
>
>I've heard any number of times, with no primary source to back it up, that
>Prokofieff left it to copyists to write out the transpositions. The
>Prokofieff scores I've looked at are written in concert pitch, so it may
>even be that he had no idea in this instance which clarinet would be written
>for. It may not need be said that I intend to leave my A clarinet in the
>case on Friday when we read this. I am interested to know if a) anyone has
>any thoughts on why this passage is written the way it is and b) I can get
>special dispensation from those who cringe at any transposition from the
>original part to do these 4 measures on a Bb clarinet with a clear
>conscience. :-)

Perhaps those 4 bars were placed there by a sympathetic, if somewhat
unscrupulous, copyist who wanted to provide his friend the clarinetist with
extra doubling pay.

Bill Hausmann bhausmann1@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive
Essexville, MI 48732 ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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