Klarinet Archive - Posting 000638.txt from 2004/01

From: Martin Arnold <martin@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] [clarinet] Articulation for the END OF TIME
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 00:27:03 -0500

On 1/19/04 9:05 PM, "John P. Varineau" <jvarineau@-----.com> wrote:

> After many, many performances of the Quartet for the End of Time over the
> past 25 years, I've once again decided to revisit the issue of the
> articulation markings in the clarinet part vis-a-vis the bowing in the
> string parts. I'm trying to wipe the slate clean of years of various
> interpretations from various performances and, as ever trying to get at
> what the composer wanted.
>=20
> Has anybody out there done a careful study of this? Does anybody know of
> any decent resources? (I've done a search of Klarinet and to my shock,
> this seems to be unplowed territory!) Does the new book by Rebecca
> Rischin cover this?
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> If you've performed the complete work, you've probably noticed that the
> clarinet has staccato and slur markings which are not reflected in the
> string parts. And there is a fair amount of inconsistency throughout. The
> two primary movements for this are the Interm=E8de, and the Danse de la
> fureur, pour les sept trompettes. The articulations in Fouillis
> d'arcs-en-ciel are virtually 100% consistent, making the inconsistencies
> in the other movements even more troublesome.
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> There can be several explanations for these discrepanicies. I list a
> few:
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> 1.) Messiaen knew what he was doing when it came to string bowing and
> clarinet articulation, so he gave those articulations to the clarinet in
> order to=20
> a.) enable the clarinetist to fit in with the string bowings or b.)
> contrast with the string bowings. Either choice will lead to extended
> discussion between string and clarinet players because as practiced
> today, these articulations and bowings do not match.
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> 2.) Messiaen did not know what he was doing when it came to string
> bowing and clarinet articulation leading to a.) and b.) above and
> producing even more heated discussion.
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> 3.) The markings were inserted by somebody else who knew what they were
> doing, with the blessing of the Composer, leading to a.) and b.) above
> and producing more talk time during rehearsal.
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> 4.) The markings were inserted by somebody else who did not know what
> they were doing, but with the blessing of the Composer, ibid.
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> 5.) The markings were inserted by a clarinetist who was trying to match
> the sound coming from the strings, who either a.)did or b.) did not know
> what was going on. These markings by the clarinetist were then inserted
> into the printed parts and handed down as gospel from then on.
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> 6.) And on and on, producing all sorts of interesting philosophising
> during rehearsal, but not much progress
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> John Varineau
> Associate Conductor, Grand Rapids Symphony
> Conductor, Grand Rapids Youth Symphony
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Dear John;

I have a recording of the quartet for the end of time with Claude Desurmont
playing clarinet and Barenboim on piano. It's DG 423 247-2 and it says
"Recorded in the presence of the composer and given his authorization."
Maybe listening to this recording might clarify some of the questions you
have regarding articulation and what were the intentions of the composer.

Martin Arnold
Clarinet and Bass Clarinet
Mexico City Philharmonic: http://www.musicos-ofcm.com/martin/
Bass Clarinet Scale Book: http://www.aztecpress.com.mx

=20

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