Klarinet Archive - Posting 000711.txt from 2004/10

From: "rien stein" <rstein@-----.nl>
Subj: Re: [kl] K622 - to beat or not to beat
Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2004 18:08:51 -0400

Patricia A. Smith wrote

<<
IMO, there is something of a difference between transcribing Pictures at
an Exhibition from (the piano?) original to full orchestra, while
keeping the general overall style of the piece intact. What Ravel
accomplished there was to utilize the various timbres of orchestral
instruments in place of various pianistic techniques that create the
"pictures" in the listener's mind. However, Ravel, AFAIK, did not
tamper with the rhythmic structure, nor did he tamper with the overall
harmonic structure of the original.

Such a transcription is miles away from "setting K622" to a beat, and
basically changing the overall style and "heart" if you will, of the
music. While one is said to be a "transcription" the same cannot be
said of the other, because certain changes do cross the line from the
area of transcription into that of re-arranging the music, setting it to
either different rhythmic patterns, different harmonic patterns, or
both. It is a small distinction, but one I feel too often we do not make.
>>

Finally someone expressed what my feelings are already a long time w.r.t the
music of James Last, Tom Parker, Berdien Sternberg and the likes, but I
never could lay my hands on. In the local band in the first concerto we
played after I had joined it one of the pieces was "Young Amadeus". It is a
"transcription" of one of the simpler Mozart piano sonatas, but a
"transcription", meaning the sonata had been gone through a Turkish pizza
machine, then greased by the addition of some -- very annoyingly simple --
percussion, and finally brought to the correct taste by adding trombone and
bariton saxophone chords Mozart never even can have dreamed of!.

When the conductor of my other band wanted to play it I simply refused to
participate, and left the building till another piece was put on the stands
and he called me in. Fortunately that was my last contact with it.

But then the conductor at that time in our local band wanted to play
something even worse: Young Verdi ... If this had been played I would have
left the band till after the concerto (if I would not have joined another
band in the neighbourhood in the mean time). Fortunately the conductor
decided after having p[layed it once that it was as bad indeed as I had
said.

Usually I play what is on the stand, but when it is as bad as this Tom
parker music I quit. I don't mind if the music is difficult, I consider that
only a challenge. I don't even mind when we play low quality music, tear
jerkers, or whatever. But there are limits.

Rien

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