Klarinet Archive - Posting 000316.txt from 2002/02

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: [kl] Mozart Gran partitttttta bar
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2002 17:24:16 -0500

On Mon, 18 Feb 2002 09:41:28 -0800, leeson0@-----.net said, in part:

> The recent case of a conversation that Tony Pay and I had on this list
> is very illustrative. Tony was playing the Gran Partitta in Bath with
> some very fine players. The argument about the elimination of m. 111
> in the 5th movement was decided on by the process of taking a vote;
> i.e., musicologic truth concluded on by democratic process. Those who
> liked it better one way voted their view, and vice versa. The serious
> argument laying out evidence did not conquer that day. It happens all
> the time.

I don't have time to go into this argument at the moment. I'll
contribute more fully later. But I think I should say that 'musicologic
truth' *was* in a way on trial that day. It's certainly true that Colin
Lawson wanted to say that he 'didn't believe' that that was what Mozart
wanted.

I think I said at the time that I don't find that the inclusion or
elision of that bar ruins the piece. Dan might disagree, but that
disagreement is 'only' his opinion, by his own argument. I felt that I
wasn't doing any damage by running the experiment.

> But eventually, the votes will stop and that measure will go away,
> because the evidence is simply overwhelming, and those who think
> differently about how that passage sounds are simply basing their
> opinions on how they played it for the last 30 years. And that sir,
> is a lousy way to run a railroad.

My own view is that I have no problem with deciding that Mozart might
have been 'wrong' in his judgement of the effect of that bar elision.

My own experience of meeting 'great men' has led me to understand that
'great men' are ordinary folk too, and may be subject to much more
indecision than we'd normally assign to them.

Nevertheless, along with Dan, I'd say that what you want to represent to
players is that they need to consider all the evidence fully before
making decisions about what they should do in performance. And, mostly,
you need to represent that they should do what is written, or should do
what the best evidence implies they should do.

But, *ULTIMATELY*, they get to decide. That's what being a performer is
all about.

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artists
tel/fax 01865 553339

... Never put off to tomorrow what you can wiggle out of today.

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