Klarinet Archive - Posting 000517.txt from 2002/09

From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Clarinet substitution
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 16:49:03 -0400

Ed Maury writes:

"Regarding your homily on instrument choice: How can you expect us
clarinetists to take the choice of clarinets seriously when composers
are
often too dumb to write for the proper one in the first place? They're
usually just pianists who's ears have long since been wrecked from
practising on beat-up, out of tune pianos. They couldn't tell the
difference between an A and a C clarinet...let alone a Bb and and an A!
They just want to have their stuff played well, and it's usually going
to
sound best when played in the easiest key. They'd probably be touched
that we went to the bother."

Ed has put in a single paragraph all of the most unworthy justifications
for instrumental substitution that could be gathered in one place. It's
no argument at all, just a collection of beliefs and hypotheses that are
not only probably untrue, there is not even a way to confirm if they are
true, false, or silly.

"... when composers are often too dumb to write for the proper one in
the first place."

Mama mia, what a statement! In one breath it is asserted that composers
are simply too stupid to be in this business. At the same time, there is
an authority who decides which clarinet is the proper one. Ed, that's
not me, of course, but I hope it is not you.

"They're usually just pianists who's ears have long since been wrecked
from practising on beat-up, out of tune pianos."

How does one address the inherent wrongheadedness of this set of
assumptions? It is collossol hubris.

"They couldn't tell the difference between an A and a C clarinet...let
alone a Bb and and an A!"

Ed my friend, how could you possibly know that this is the level of
musical sophistication of what you imply to be present in all composers?
It's just arrogance addressed to a set of people from whom we all make
money.

"They just want to have their stuff played well, and it's usually going
to sound best when played in the easiest key. They'd probably be
touched that we went to the bother."

You must have a pipeline to the infinite that is more visionary than
mine. I have no idea (and I don't think you could support this with a
statement from any orchestration text ever written) "that music sounds
best when played in the easiest key." If that were true, we'd then have
to have a vote about what that key is and all music ever written would
need to be transposed to that key. That way it would all sound best.

A paragraph such as you have written makes my case strong even if my
arguments were wrong in the first place. It is so far right that even
Attila the Hun would appear a conservative by comparison.
--
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** Dan Leeson **
** leeson0@-----.net **
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