Klarinet Archive - Posting 000585.txt from 2002/09

From: LeliaLoban@-----.com
Subj: [kl] My attempt to formalize my unstructured ideas
Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2002 15:46:57 -0400

Bill Wright wrote,
>This discussion makes me think about "colorizing" B&W films.
>
>Given that musicians use the terms "color" and "palette", and given that
>"color" (tone or visual) is only one of the ingredients in each medium,
>and given that renowned works of art in each medium have retained at
>least some popularity when their 'color' was altered, is there a
>difference or similarity between the two mediums that would be
>instructive for the purposes of this discussion?

One big difference is that the discussion of period and authentic instruments
continues among musicians, while the argument about colorizing ended years
ago in the film community. Movie critics and fans condemned colorizing so
forcefully and so swiftly back in the 1980s and early 1990s that as far as
I'm aware, *nobody's* colorizing any more. The biggest force behind the
speed of this change was Ted Turner. He started out as the main promoter of
colorizing, but he listened to the criticisms.

When Turner changed his mind, he not only quit colorizing, but became one of
the strongest and most effective advocates of restoring historic movies
(including early color films) to their original condition. He still puts a
great deal of his own money into preserving movies in danger of being lost
because they were filmed on perishable nitrate film stock that's now
disintegrating. It's too late for more than 80% of all silent films, already
deteriorated beyond recovery.

Ted Turner also listened to critics who pointed out that formatting a
widescreen movie for TV, by lopping off the edges or (more subtly) by
"panning and scanning," significantly degrades the quality. The cable TV
station he founded, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), now shows many old black and
white movies in their original aspect ratio. Most new DVDs now come out in
both widescreen and full screen formats to meet the competing demands. TCM
and rival channel AMC reflect the ongoing debate by showing some movies both
ways, often within 24 hours: one screening formatted for TV (for viewers with
small screens) and another screening in the original widescreen aspect ratio.
(Similarly, Turner used to give viewers a choice of colorized or black and
white, too, until the opinion in favor of the original black and white
reached critical mass.) It seems to me that the widescreen advocates are
slowly but surely winning this argument, and that once again, when viewers
understand the issues, they prefer the original movie, not the altered
version.

That trend toward preferring historic authenticity has been so consistent
among movie fans during the last 20 years that I think something similar
would happen among classical music listeners, too, if advocates of original
instruments would do more to move the discussion beyond forums such as this
one, and present the arguments directly to the public. Right now, I think
that a lot of musicians would *like* to play but *can't* play, for instance,
basset clarinets, because they're not produced in large enough numbers to
sell for prices that students, private teachers, amateurs and community
orchestra musicians can afford. Public interest (interest among people who
listen, but don't play an instrument) could help change that situation.

Tony Pay's recording of the Mozart concerto turned me into a basset clarinet
advocate, but I'm not sure I would have paid attention intently enough for
the music to speak for itself, if I hadn't already been aware of the debate
over original instruments. An explanation of *why* the sound speaks as it
does makes people wake up and notice what we're hearing. Explanation is even
more valuable for listeners who don't play an instrument, much less play the
basset clarinet, and thus aren't equipped to hear a difference unless someone
explicitly points it out to them.

I'm surprised at how few recordings of original instruments attract interest
with clear pictures of these instruments on the fronts of the CDs. For
anyone who does play even a little bit, period instruments look conspicuously
different from familiar school band instruments. The old models look
intriguing, special. Pictures raise questions and invite people to listen
for answers. IMHO, pictures of people actively playing these instruments
generate the most interest.

Early in the 20th century, recorders were obsolete, individually handmade and
very expensive, available only to advanced musicians with serious special
interest in early music. Most professional musicians played Renaissance and
baroque recorder music on modern Boehm system transverse flutes.
Harpsichords were even more rare. When Wanda Landowska decided she'd had
enough of playing Bach on the piano, she scoured museums without finding even
one harpsichord in playable or restorable condition. Pleyel had to build her
a new harpsichord.

Mass communication changed all that. In much the same way that Ted Turner
promotes preservation of old movies by having his announcers explain
preservation issues in introductions to the TV screenings, Wanda Landowska
talked about the harpsichord during her concerts, gave interviews and
provided information for the liner notes of her recordings. The Von Trapp
and Dolmetsch families promoted recorders by giving talks and demonstrations
during concerts, by writing excellent "how to play" books (still in print),
and by starting recorder classes for kids.

Today, musicians can buy acoustic harpsichords or build their own from
reasonably priced kits, while nearly all electronic pianos, even the cheap
ones, include harpsichord settings good enough to entice students to learn
more about the real thing. Fine wooden recorders are available in better
music stores, while a decent-quality plastic student recorder sells in nearly
any music store (even a "guitars and drums" place) for under $10. Clarinets
will always cost more than recorders because clarinets are more complicated
to make, but if advocates of the basset clarinet will go to the general
public and stimulate interest, I won't be surprised if, twenty years from
now, a family will be able to buy a student basset clarinet for about the
same price as a Bb Boehm system clarinet.

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