Klarinet Archive - Posting 000237.txt from 2002/09

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: [kl] Uhl Studies
Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2002 14:33:11 -0400

Because of what a student is bringing to me, I just had occasion to look
in detail at the Alfred Uhl Studies, book 2 -- for the first time,
really, since I was a student myself.

I could do with practising them at the moment, and have started to work
through the book. Because if you spend much of your time playing period
instruments, and only the solo and chamber music repertoire on the
modern instrument, you risk becoming what I think HAT called here, "a C
major virtuoso" -- that is, a virtuoso, NOT.

Playing regularly in an orchestra is another thing.

Anyway, the degree of musical understanding required to make some of
these studies 'work' musically -- and the fact that they do nevertheless
then work as complete pieces -- is something I find quite striking. I
probably never fully realised that such understanding was called for
when I struggled through them as a teenager, and as far as I recall my
then teacher never really represented that necessity to me.

It occurs to me to wonder: has anyone recorded them?

I do realise that in a way, it'd be counterproductive to do so, because
at least a part of the value is that being required to play them
musically forces the student to think harmonically and dramatically
about seemingly unpromising material. If a solution is available, then
that sort of work is short-circuited. (Rather like publishing 'answers'
to Zen koans.)

I can still hear some of that Jettel, too....in my dreams....

:-)

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

.... If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?

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