Klarinet Archive - Posting 000434.txt from 2001/11

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: [kl] The bar in question
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 20:41:34 -0500

On Fri, 09 Nov 2001 16:04:44 -0800, leeson0@-----.net said:

> Tony Pay wrote:
> >
> > On Fri, 09 Nov 2001 13:59:09 -0800, leeson0@-----.net said:
> >
> > > Now in the UK it could well be 50-50, as Tony suggests, but I am
> > > willing to bet bangers and mash that the 50% who don't like the
> > > removal of the measure have not spent 30 milliseconds of time
> > > examining what the technical issues are. Either they have not
> > > been brought to their attention or else they don't want to be
> > > bothered seeing that piece any way but how they have been playing
> > > it for 30 years. At one time those players may have been prepared
> > > to do radical things, but today they have become (as most of those
> > > my age are) old farts.

[snip]

> > Well, OK Dan, recapitulate for me what the technical issues are....
> >
> > ...it happens that we're playing it the day after tomorrow,
> > including Colin.
> >
> > Convince us.

[snip of Dan's argument]

> There's more, but this enough. Tony, how it sounds is only by virtue
> of the common reception to that coda connection. There has never been
> a group that accepted the dropping of that measure on first hearing.
> We are all old farts in that respect. You just need to see the
> rationale behind it with evidence all over the place.

Well, I did the experiment. I presented the evidence without arguing
for it particularly strongly myself, and we played it both ways, and we
voted.

It may be that what is in the manuscript is unequivocal in terms of
Mozart manuscripts to someone who's used to looking at them -- that is,
that the smudgy sign is a normal sort of thing for him. Most people
found it unconvincing.

I have to say that this group has played it many times without that bar,
so lack of familiarity isn't the explanation.

In the end, the vote came out 6 to 2 in favour of keeping the bar, with
5 abstentions. So, we kept it on this occasion (Bath Mozartfest).

I voted against keeping the bar, Colin for keeping the bar.

By the way, in the course of the discussion, somebody made a very
radical suggestion, which was to play both bars simultaneously -- those
who don't continue in the Coda play what they have in the elided bar.
This is obviously implausible as a solution, but actually sounds quite
convincing musically. (Not that that fact would interest you, if I read
you right.)

Oh, and they were interested in the idea that they might be old farts:-)

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
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