Klarinet Archive - Posting 000759.txt from 2003/03

From: Dan Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] edited music
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 16:43:26 -0500

It may be the moment to speak of the matter of embellishment around the
time of Baermann and his son, and contrast that with the nature of
improvisations from an earlier period.

There are no real rules established, but the great virtuosi beginning
around the time of Baermann created very personalized and fixed editions
which represented what, in theory, they played whenever they performed
the work in question. Those editions were characterized by great
complexity because the virtuosi could do those things, though ordinary
players might have greater difficulty accomplishing them.

So if a good player wanted to play a particular work just like Baermann
(or any of the other great virtuosi) played it, you bought their edition
and worked on it. If you were successful, what you played was exactly
what Baermann played. While you could add or detract from his
performance edition, the objective was to play it at Baermann's level,
thus, theoretically, demonstrating his level of excellence. And one
complex edition often forced another even more complex from someone. It
was like a challenge as to who could made the most complexities. It got
so that the original work was often lost in the shuffle.

The purpose of this kind of performer-created ornamentation was to
demonstrate technical skill, and it has lasted in music to this very
day, what with trumpet players doing the Carnival of Venice variations,
and trombonists doing the Bluebells of Scotland variations, etc.

One could even suggest that this kind of effort changed the very purpose
of music. Instead of performances intended to bring service to the
composer, the use of highly exotic embellishments wound up bringing
service to the performers. It was a "see what I can do and how fast I
can play?" approach to music.

I'm not suggesting that this was good or bad, but rather that is what
happened. And it was a lot more than silly pieces like the Carnival of
Venice, but even more profound compositions such as works of Verdi,
Bellini, etc.

This entire epoch is in complete contrast to the era of performer
improvisations of the classic and early romantic periods. In those
epochs, improvisations were expected to be developed on the spot and
without preparation, very much like jazz. One never did anything the
same way twice.

I mention this only to point out that the mid-19th century demanded a
different kind of solo playing - much more in the realm of prepared
embellishments - than the late 18th and early 19th century performances
which were extemporaneous.

--
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**Dan Leeson **
**leeson0@-----.net **
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