Klarinet Archive - Posting 000668.txt from 2002/09

From: "Gene Nibbelin" <gnibbelin@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] 'Other versions' of well-known pieces: What would Felixsay?
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 22:50:01 -0400

Dear Anne -

Your mention of your young students playing "tunes" (presumably to keep them
interested), reminded me of the long, long ago question that my teacher
asked me during one of my first lessons: "Do you want to learn 'tunes' or
do you want to learn to play the clarinet?" I told him that I wanted to
learn to play the clarinet. As far as I recall, I didn't see a "tune" until
about 6 months later when we started on the Adagio Movement of the Mozart
622. Three month's later, as a 5th grader, I competed in the Jr. High
District and State solo contests, placing Superior in each.

Just checked my first book, the "Imperial Method" by C.L. Staats. No
"tunes", just page after page of exercises, some from Klose, Etudes by Rose
and a lot of originals.

I never aspired to be a teacher and am happy that I'm not teaching clarinet
in this "have to play tunes to stay interested" era.

Regards,

Gene N.

-----Original Message-----
From: Anne Lenoir [mailto:AnneLenoir@-----.net]
Subject: Re: [kl] 'Other versions' of well-known pieces: What would
Felixsay?

Tony, Dan and any other dedicated purists, who I respect.
Recently I heard a verson of the Mendelsohn Violin Concerto played
on flute. For many years I have hummed that entire concerto in my head
every time I heard it, and my immediate reaction was, "This is great
that the flute player gets to play all those gorgeous passages." Not
once did I think, "They should have hired a violinist". I have also
heard the Finzi Bagatelles played on flute with chamber orchestra, and
they sounded terrific. I never once thought "Oh gosh, they should have
hired a clarinetist" I know that you guys would have a cow if you heard
my 2nd grade flutaphone class playing "Ode To Joy". To my knowledge not
many composers have written for the flutaphone, and I like to teach the
students beautiful melodies as a part of their early musical education.
It has worked out very nicely because 2 of them are now my little
9-year-old clarinet students, and they are moving along very nicely.
I will probably never play in an orchestra again, so I won't have
the opportunity to play the "wrong" instrument. However, I will probably
continue to teach my students many "wrong" melodies, starting with the
flutaphone. ANNIE

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