Klarinet Archive - Posting 000341.txt from 2004/12

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Re: Question on tone...
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2004 14:25:21 -0500

Tony Pay posted re use of modern German instruments:

<<<I now want to own a 'proper' pair of Wurlitzers, because the sort of
sound that you're talking about is much easier to achieve on the German
system. It's where the instrument itself 'sits'.

I don't say that that sound is optimal for all music, and it may be that =
I
still think it's advantageous to choose the Boehm system for most of our
repertoire, because different instruments do different things more or =
less
easily. But, just as I like to play some sorts of music on the early
clarinet, I'm looking forward to investigating the results of inhabiting =
the
different 'personality' of the German instrument for those pieces that I
think it suits.

(Michelle Zukovsky obviously thought it was worthwhile investigating =
that,
too.)

. . I know too that the Chicago players use Wurlitzers for some =
German
repertoire.>>>

The list has seen colloquy between Tony and Greg Smith on this issue: =
see
http://www.woodwind.org/Databases/Logs/2001/11/000346.txt&e=3D7317. (An =
aside
- according to the Wurlitzer web page, the instruments they both use are
Wurlitzers. See http://holz.fureai.or.jp/catalogue/Cla_Wurlitzer.html.=20

I had the opportunity to hear the CSO play Mahler 5 a few years ago - =
see
http://www.woodwind.org/Databases/Klarinet/2000/03/000179.txt. Before =
the
performance, I walked up to the stage where Greg Smith was chatting with
some of his students, hoping to again introduce myself (and thank him =
for
the super mouthpieces, a different string). I didn't get the chance to
speak with him, but did get to listen to his short explanation to the
college kids on the use of the Oehler system horns. He mentioned the
difference in sound character, and noted that the different *fingering*
system led to some interesting consequences, particularly in the lower
chalumeau, that helped the second clarinetist. As I recall, he also
mentioned that the use of the different system made a much bigger =
difference
than using a C clarinet for the C parts - those were transposed on the =
Bb
Oehler.

Perhaps we all need to get Oehlers in C at this point, Dan?

kjf

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