Klarinet Archive - Posting 000543.txt from 2002/07

From: MVinquist@-----.com
Subj: [kl] The Chipmunks; Wincing; NY Philharmonic Broadcast
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 08:39:15 -0400

The Chipmunks effect was done by singing at half speed and recording (on reel
to reel tape in those days) at 3-3/4 ips and playing it back at 7-1/2 ips
(or, if you had studio equipment, recording at 7-1/2 and playing at 15). You
can tell by the double-speed vibrato.

Alas, there's no way to do this with modern equipment. You can raise the
pitch, but not achieve the tiny-animal quaver.

I'm sure Ben Maas can tell us more.

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Percy Grainger's Handel in the Strand was the theme music for WNYC Radio's
Morning Music in New York for several years. All the freshness (not much to
begin with) got worn off it by about the 10th day, and it was truly
wince-making after that. Fortunately, they got rid of it after about a year.

Like many others, after playing several graduations, if I never hear Bump &
Circumcision again, it'll be too soon.

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The NY Philharmonic has come a long way from the Grade Z for Zubin days, but
it had a long way to come. Compared to the great orchestras (say, Cleveland
under Szell), their playing last night was intermittently brilliant, but as
often sloppy and uninspired. You'd think that if you were the principal bass
player in a major orchestra, the least that would be expected is that you
could play in tune, and at some other dynamic than fff, particularly when the
violist was playing so well. At the point in Bolero that the clarinet solo
comes, it's still piano, or at most mp. Did Drucker really have to play it
at bring-down-the-plaster volume? The end of the Market scene from
Sheherazade was more like Riot in the Chicken Coop. Finally, you could only
listen through the TV speakers. The WQXR FM broadcast for some reason was on
a 2 second delay.

Still, it was worth hearing. As I said, gorgeous viola playing, excellent
new flutist with a magnificent mustache, Leclair wonderful on bassoon as
always, excellent Eb clarinet and tenor and soprano sax solos in Bolero,
Robinson excellent and tasty as usual on oboe, Drucker's assistant very nice
sitting in for him, and Drucker himself sounding quite fine, even if he did
play too loud.

My $0.06.

Ken Shaw

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