Klarinet Archive - Posting 000801.txt from 2003/05

From: "James Hobby" <jhobby@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Mr. Sousa and the Eb Clarinet
Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 00:07:26 -0400

If memory serves, Sousa's band didn't march.

There is someone -- Brion, I think, from memory -- who is editing some of
the Sousa marches, using the original band parts, having the notes from
Sousa's musicians written on them, when Sousa told them to make changes,
that apparently he never made in the published versions.

A few years ago, I used his new Stars & Stripes edition with a community
band I was conducting. I thought the edition was very well done.
Interestingly, it included parts for harp and percussion keyboard that had
some very difficult licks in it. (I had no harp.) The percussionist
enjoyed learning and playing it, and the audience loved it. It would be
hard to march with it. The parts are two pages, 9x12. And we'd need a
couple of people each to pull the harp and the marimba down the street. <g>
We did play it a second year at an outdoors concert on the 4th of July. Two
days before the concert, my piccoloist acquired a case of mono. I'm sure I
committed a musical error in many eyes by having the piccolo obligato part
in the last strain played by my principal tuba player. (Again, the audience
enjoyed it. <g>)

Jim Hobby

>I wish I that I had thought of that Josh - a really good point. Unless
>someone wants to explain why Sousa was a poor composer who didn't know
>what he was up to?

>For the record I think Sousa was a brilliant composer of marches -
>second to none in the field - and I love playing them. Difficult to do
>really really well, but easy to play!

This Email has been scanned for viruses, courtesy of Tnets.net

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is supported by Woodwind.Org, http://www.woodwind.org/