Klarinet Archive - Posting 000445.txt from 2004/08

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Source for K. 581 (was K. 581 performance practice)
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2004 15:12:12 -0400

Hartel's name was not "Shultz." It was "Bruce."

Something cannot be established to be authoritative unless a
manuscript is available for confirmation. If not, it is not
authoritative. I recognize that it might be, and perhaps
"necessarily" would have been a useful descriptor, but I was
tring to convey the absolute reality of the situation. My
suspicion is that what we have is probably fiarly close to what
Mozart wrote. Judging from past experience that means about 20
wrong notes, 100-200 wrong dynamics, 5 incorrect rhythms, and no
one knows how many incorrect phrase shapes. And that is "fairly
close" but is it authoritative??

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Alguire [mailto:jalguire@-----.net]
Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2004 12:03 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] Source for K. 581 (was K. 581 performance
practice)

Dan,
I certainly agree with you, cannot dispute your scholarship, and
believe me I don't want to protract this discussion. However, I
think
that perhaps I would have used softer words.

In the paragraph below, I think I would have said "necessarily
authoritative." The other paragraph is a little strong too. It's
as if
Breikopf said to Hartel, "Shultz! We need another Mozart! Get
back to
your desk and throw something together." It is a bit hard to
believe
any editor would mumble to himself "what the hell, an ff there, a
pp
here."

Regards, and a book reader.

Jim Alguire
On Aug 15, 2004, at 4:55 AM, dnleeson wrote:

> Your observation is correct.
>
> The mansucript of 581 in Mozart's hand disappeared. (You
really
> ought to read my novel on the subject of the manuscripts of
both
> 622 and 581. See www.leesonbooks.com). Ca. 1803 the first
printed
> set of performance parts were issued by Breitkopf & Hartel.
Like
> 622 the clarinet part was edited to eliminate all notes below
> written low e. No trace of what was done by the editor ever
> survived. Therefore, not a single edition of 581, neither the
> first nor the most recent, is authoritative.
>
<snip>

> But the fact is,
> except for the authority of the first 4 measures (and for which
> we have an incipit manuscript in Mozart's hand), not a single
> note, phrase shape, articulation, dynamic, or anything else can
> be said to be accurate.

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