Klarinet Archive - Posting 000391.txt from 2004/10

From: Adam Michlin <amichlin@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Mozart
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 07:59:30 -0400

There are many variations on the Schnabel quote, often unattributed.
Perhaps "too easy for the musically immature, too difficult for the
musically mature" would be a worthy variation. I've heard some wonderful
Mozart played by musically mature "children".

Honor groups are competitive competitions to place the "top" students in a
once a year ensemble conducted by a well known conductor. They range from
county (in some states referred to as region), to country, to (I imagine)
world.

The auditions, at the lower levels, typically allow students to choose
their own repertoire (in California, at least). They usually specify a
piece at the state level, likely because it is easier to judge 300 clarinet
applications if everyone is playing the same piece (a unique job I wouldn't
wish on my worst enemy). The judging tends to be "did they play all the
notes" as opposed to any thought of music.

The Copland was just an over the top manifestation of this philosophy (I
really could imagine the judge sitting there counting high As hit and
missed). I don't expect Copland will be used again anytime soon (they have
somewhat of a rotation set of pieces.. Weber, Brahms, Mozart being
popular). There were a lot of complaints when Copland was the required
piece, it is theorized that many of the best young students realized the
Copland was just too hard for them at their stage of playing ability and
chose not to audition.

Note, New York State has a much different approach to all this. I'll let a
NY member elaborate on it, since it is fairly new to me. From what I know,
it is a much more enlightened approach.

-Adam

At 12:13 PM 10/15/2004 +0100, Matthew Lloyd wrote:
>I think - although I stand to be corrected - that the original of the
>Schnabel was "too easy for children, too difficult for pianists". It's
>not really an age thing - what he is saying (as Adam clearly recognises)
>is that Mozart has a deceptive simplicity that disguises a depth and
>maturity that is unique to him.
>
>My late father used to say (and I don't know if it is original or not)
>that the miracle of Mozart was not that he wrote his first symphony when
>he was eight, but that he wrote the forty-first at all. It's the same
>point.
>
>I'm not really sure - given my perspective as an Englishman - what the
>essence of "Honor Groups" is, but if they have rejected Mozart for
>Copland, then they clearly have no honour.

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