Klarinet Archive - Posting 000654.txt from 2003/04

From: Elgenubi@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Basset/Alto
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 00:39:50 -0400

I had a pleasurable evening. The San Diego Wind Ensemble played at
the Museum of Art in Balboa Park. The program included both Chester and
George Washington Bridge by William Schuman, and a neat piece by Eric
Whitacre called October. They have played a number of pieces by Whitacre
lately, and I am becoming a fan. The Schuman pieces were great! But I
digress...
An acquaintance of mine playing clarinet also doubled on what I
thought was an alto clarinet on some pieces. They played a Danzi-like flute
duet backed by the ensemble (composed by a Toppler??---I can't find my
program) and the clarinets all played A instruments and the 'alto' played
also, prominantly. I was thinking that a basset horn would make more sense
there than an alto, and indeed it was beginning to look kind of skinny to me.
Turns out that my friend had just bought a Selmer narrow bore Bassethorn and
was looking for opportunities to play it. He was transposing the alto parts
in the other pieces. It seems to me better to own a bassethorn than an alto
clarinet (for the chance to play the Grand Partita if for no other reason);
do you think many people have done this?

Wayne Thompson

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