Klarinet Archive - Posting 000020.txt from 2002/04

From: notestaff@-----.de (David Glenn)
Subj: Re: [kl] school of playing, was Transposition
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2002 15:45:18 -0500

"Jeroen T. Salm" wrote:

> Dear (Beste) David,
>
> Your´re the perfect mix then: native American (???), living in Germany,
> playing German-French like many (professional) Dutch players! and married
> with a Dutch wife (??).... :-)
>
> BTW: Isn´t there a lot of "fuzz" in "the German clarinet society" about the
> (traditional) German school (Oehler system clarinets): I read the articles
> in The Clarinet (last edition) about the recent appointment of a Israelian
> professor at a hochschulde (Highschool) in Germany who´s playing the French
> system. He (the professor) will be paid by government money and for instance
> the clarinetplayers of the Berlin Philarmonic are afraid that in the
> (nearby) future the German (Oehler) system will dissapear in Germany when
> "playing Oehler system" isn´t one of the requirements (for becoming a
> clarinetprofessor on a German Hochschule) anymore. They (the clarinetsection
> of the BPO) aren´t saying that the German system is better, but are trying
> to defend a certain tradition (Germany is the only country in the world in
> wich the majority of the clarinetplayers are taught on German Oehler system
> clarinets and playing on them); a tradition wich should be cultivated by
> Government.
>
> I would second that opinion of the clarinetsection of the BPO, but:: I never
> like it, when you do not have the freedom to choose (mmm, on the other hand:
> I live in a country where "everybody" is playing on Boehm clarinets.... I
> didn´t know that another clarinetsystem than Boehm existed when I was young,
> so: what choise did I had then when I was 8 years old?....).
> The Boehm clarinet is much easier to learn than the Oehler clarinet. Due to
> that, the traditional (German) clarinetplayers think that "this virus"
> (these are MY words!!) of playing on Boehm will spread rapedly and the
> traditional, exeptional, typical Oehler system will vanish soon in
> Germany...
>
> Hartelijke groet van
> (Yours sincerely)
>
> Jeroen T. Salm
> (The Netherlands)
>

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jeroen,

Correct. I am American, with Dutch wife and clarinet set up ;-) living
in
Germany.

Have another look at that article in "The Clarinet" and you'll see that
I was
the one who translated the correspondence from German into English.

Personally, I was disgusted by that letter of the Berlin Philharmonic
clarinet
section. They didn't even get all their facts right. (calling Th. Boehm
French!) My reply was published in the " 'rohrblatt" German language
magazine.
There was also an excellent reply from clarinet maker Jochen Seggelke
published
at the same time. Somehow, these replies didn't get into the "Clarinet"
but I
think Allan Ware's response which did was very good.

I would in some ways feel more "at home" in Holland with so many players
playing
German (or Reform-) Boehm clarinets.

Doe de groet an de "Reform-Boehm" kollegas,

Dag,

David

P.S. Do you also speak Brabants with a soft "g"?

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