Klarinet Archive - Posting 000112.txt from 2004/05
From: "Dan Leeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Questions on Bartok Concerto for Orchestra
Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 14:47:53 -0400
Walter, thank you for the nice words and also your different
opinion. To be absolutely accurate, it is not a life-long
crusade on my part to insist that clarinetists play on the
clarinet the score asks for. It may appear that I have said that
but a deeper investigation would invariably reveal that the
reason for my many objections to such practices is that the
player often has not given any rational reason whatsoever to do
what he or she has done.
What I want to hear is objective, intelligent, rational,
well-though-out views and when I do, I'll backpedal until cows
come home. So my poking is often only to force a maker of a
particular statement to show me why he or she has done what has
been done. The problem is that so many of those I poke don't
come back with an answer, and then I suspect that they didn't
have a reason in the first place (or else they did not want to
answer).
Every list should have a half dozen devil's advocates. And,
considering the state of clarinetistry today, I try and be one of
those on this list, because finding people who insist on rational
thought in clarinet playing is rare. Pay is an exception. He
always has a rational or historically well thought out reason for
doing what he does. Others too. But for the time that I have
been on this list, that kind of thinking is rare. Most of what
one hears is "dark sound," "Buffet is the best," "C clarinets
have no function any longer," "we know better today," etc.
Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net
-----Original Message-----
From: GrabnerWG@-----.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2004 11:31 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] Questions on Bartok Concerto for Orchestra
I almost put a "Dan Leeson - do not read" disclaimer on my
earlier post. But
I didn't.
Dan says:<<The original poster questioned the pitch of the
clarinet of a
passage in the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra solely because of
his opinion that "it worked better on the other clarinet.">>
Dan, whether you know it or not, I do very much appreciate your
opinions, and
have learned much from your many posts to this list. I know one
of your
life-long crusades is to get clarinetists to play the music on
the clarinet that
the score asks for. In fact, partly as a result of your
arguments, I bought a C
clarinet two years ago. I am playing it tonight on some Rossini
arias.
I hear you, and I respect your opinion. You must, of course,
realize that
there are many equally qualified people with other opinions.
A year or so ago, I took a lesson from a "very prominent player"
here in the
Chicago area. We were doing "Capriccio Espagnol" and I wanted a
little help.
We got to a certain passage, and this teacher said "Why the heck
are you
playing this on the Bb? It's so much clearer and easily played on
the A". This
person has had a very distinguished career, playing in a major
American orchestra
for 30 years. I value his opinion, in fact, I paid to hear his
opinion.
Personally, I would rather play a passage well and musically on
the "wrong"
clarinet, than clobber it on the "right" clarinet. I think we
have to agree to
disagree.
Again, respectfully -
Walter Grabner
www.clarinetXpress.com
"Kaspar-style" mouthpieces - now two facings 11 and 13
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