Klarinet Archive - Posting 000801.txt from 2003/02

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: Re: [kl] The C-T manuscript at UCSC
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 15:36:37 -0500

It gets better (or worse, if you're Elizabeth;-) as Mark continues:

> I've now had time to look more closely at these things, and while I
> suppose I haven't the expertise to say with authority whether they're
> the real thing or photocopies, nevertheless--a drop of water applied
> to an inconsequential streak of "ink" caused no smearing at all; I've
> found no raised spots where the ink looks heavy, and absolutely no
> bleeding through to the back sides, which are all blank; and most
> significantly, occasional pages with the tell-tale straight line
> running horizontally across about an inch down from the top, with that
> top inch of paper blank and "whiter" than it is just below the line,
> and similar I've-been-copied signs. My amateur opinion is that I'm
> pretty damn sure that they are photocopies. I also would guess that
> they were made by or for C-T, because the title pages (which are
> otherwise blank) say "Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco SONATA for CLARINET
> and PIANO OP. 128 (the clarinet part also has "Clarinet Part"), and
> this is in the same handwriting but in a blue ink that does indeed
> look very much like the real thing (the music is all in "black ink").
>
> This is undoubtedly more information than you bargained for, but now
> that you've got me started, I can't stop (besides, I know Danny Leeson
> loves this stuff!). The whole thing has an aged look to it, with some
> fraying and foxing in evidence, and is begining to be a little
> fragile, but is sturdy enough to perform from if handled with care.
> The clarinet part is on a single, continuous, sheet of paper 35.5 cm
> high, with music on one side only, accordion folded into 18 pages 25.5
> cm wide. The piano part is in three long sheets (also with music on
> one side only) taped together to make one very long sheet, 33 cm high
> and accordion folded into 59 pages 23.5 cm wide. Both appear to be in
> the same handwriting with the same pen, on paper that is white (now
> somewhat yellowed). And while I don't know C-T's handwriting, the
> piano part is signed "Mario Feb. 13. 1944" at the end of the first
> movement; "Mario- June 11, 1945" at the end of the second movement;
> "Mario June 19, 1945" at the end of the third movement; and "Mario
> Beverly Hills, Calif. Jan 14. 1946" at the end of the fourth movement.
> Both the piano and the clarinet parts have 12 staves per page. There
> are occasional pencil marks on both parts indicating that they have
> been used for performance or at least reading.
>
> I'm still taking requests--any more questions?

Well, do we?

The signatures seem conclusive authentication that it's C-T's writing,
I'd say.

As an aside, the 'continuous sheet' bit is intriguing, because I don't
think I've ever seen anything like that. We concertina-fold sheets
stuck together with tape nowadays, but a very long photocopy is a new
one on me. Anyone else?

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
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