Klarinet Archive - Posting 000117.txt from 2003/02
From: Dan Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] [Fwd: Deat of Lou Harrison]
Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2003 21:07:59 -0500
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Deat of Lou Harrison
Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2003 11:01:24 -0800
From: Dan Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
I have related this story about Lou Harrison in the past, but with his
death at age 81 as announced this morning in the NY Times, I would like
to repeat it. Harrison lived near me in the town of Aptos, CA and he
had his works performed by local orchestras from time to time.
The San Jose Symphony was to do a work of his and I was given the bass
clarinet part. It was written for a bass clarinet in C in the bass
clef, a transposition effectively equivalent to playing a bassoon part
on a bass clarinet. Yet I was puzzled why he would have written the
part in that fashion, thinking, perhaps, that he wanted the instrument
itself to be in C, something I did not have and was not going to buy for
that single occasion. Twice maybe, once no.
When Harrison showed up for the performance, I managed to catch him
privately and inquired about the peculiar notation of the part I had to
play. His response was very revealing:
"What?," he said. "You mean to say that the publisher did not transpose
it for you?"
Here was a case of a clear misunderstanding between composer and
publisher. Harrison had written the part in C, probably because he found
it easier to compose without the bother of transposing parts while
writing them in his score. He expected the publisher to realize that
this was a requirement and then do it. (I don't know how he handled
regular clarinets, horns, English horn, etc.) Well, they didn't do it
and players are now stuck with the problem.
And that is one story that gives some insight into the use of the C bass
clarinet in the bass clef.
Yesterday in Columbus, OH, he was having a meal with his companion, some
students from Ohio State, and perhaps others, in a local Denny's. He
had a heart attack and died in the restaurant.
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**Dan Leeson **
**leeson0@-----.net **
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**Dan Leeson **
**leeson0@-----.net **
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