Klarinet Archive - Posting 000564.txt from 2002/09

From: "Keith" <100012.1302@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] My attempt to formalize my unstructured ideas
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 18:12:23 -0400

Dan

I do agree. In a sense, the whole orchestra has shifted its sonic gear.
But it is still clearly apparent when, for example, a clarinettist
changes from a Bb to a C instrument and I think this does preserve at
least some of the character of the original.

After having another round of comparisons between your basset horn and a
medium bore instrument, I confirmed my choice of the narrow bore. I
love the sound, it has a more distinctive bassety flavour, and I play
and sound better on it (Steve Fox agreed, too). There will be some
differences in the keywork; I'm having the low D finger key on the RH
rather than LH, and Steve wants to use uncovered holes for R3 and L3,
for a complex acoustic reason which I haven't comprehended. Thumb keys
are the same as yours.

I can't want to play the Gran Partitta with you (and all the rest of the
basset repertoire!). I am indeed hoping to work this in to the
Kammermusik workshop next year or the year after, but probably as an
extra weekend so that we can do it some justice.

Keith Bowen

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Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 11:30:07 -0700
From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subject: Re: [kl] My attempt to formalize my unstructured ideas
Message-ID: <3D9200AF.511E9BE@-----.net>

Keith, with the recognition that I am speaking against myself, I want to
say that I think much of what you said is correct. There are so many
variables that have changed in playing over the past 200 years that it
is hard to argue that the substitution of one pitched clarinet for
another significantly reverses the impact of the 1000 other things that
have changed the character of sound of an orchestra during this same
period of time.

But you have to start somewhere. And as I indicated in a previous note,
the world of clarinetdom (which is the only one that really interests
me) is out of control with respect to this issue. Anyone is free to do
as they wish. (You know the old saw: "If everyone is somebody, then
nobody is anybody.") Even if every clarinetist immediately began playing
only on the pitched instrument called for, I don't think that the
deviation of sound of contemporary orchestras would snap back to what it
was at the time of that composition's creation.

But because I cannot fix the problem at this moment doesn't mean that
the free wheeling way the clarinet world treats pitched instruments is
not a worthy topic of conversation. Playing a C clarinet when called
for is not going to make the typical symphony sound like a period
orchestra. But when that C clarinet is playing, its distinct sound
character is presented for all to hear in its personal dress, something
that cannot be accomplshed when it is not used. It is the presumption on
the part of many clarinetists that this is not a significant issue that
is the thrust of my charge, not that we will all now dress in powdered
wigs, have instruments that play at A-450, and all made of boxwood.

p.s. As a separate issue, did you order a basset horn such as the one I
have or to what extent will it differ? Bore for example? And are we
going to do the Gran Partitta in Santa Fe over the next few years????

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