Klarinet Archive - Posting 000508.txt from 2005/01

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Cioffi-reed on top?
Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 10:32:50 -0500

Interesting note, but very much indicative of the clarinet
playing mentality of the 30s and 40s. Granted that playing with
the reed on top is a strange way to work for some players, the
suggestion to Cioffi that if he continued to play that way he
would get no work is a very strange reaction. The way Cioffi
played, it didn't matter if he had the mouthpiece upside down,
rightside up, or shoved up his bum. The man was a clarinet
playing machine so why would any person care about the direction
in which his reed pointed.

Kell suffered the same attitude, being told that if he continued
to play with vibrato he would get no work in the US. There was
also a time when someone playing anything other than the
"acceptable" clarinet could not get work.

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Hartman [mailto:sdh902@-----.net]
Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2005 6:21 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] Cioffi-reed on top?

I was told by Augustin Duquès (1899-1972 - Principal Clarinet in
the NBC Symphony under Toscanini from 1937-49) that, indeed, Gino
Cioffi played with the reed on top when he first came to the US.
M. Duquès (he was known as 'Gus') said that he told Gino Cioffi
that he wouldn't be able to get any work if he played with the
reed on top, so Cioffi made the switch. This was probably in the
late 1930's or early 40's. Gino played at the Metropolitan Opera
and the Cleveland Orchestra before joining the Boston Symphony in
the early fifties.

Steve Hartman
NYC

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+------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jan 27 11:56:46 EST 2005 - end of day 6 - 100 donors |
| The 2005 Woodwind.Org Donation Drive is Underway. |
| Please visit http://secure.donax-us.com/donation for more |
| information. Help Keep the List Going! |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org
Sat Jan 29 11:56:46 EST 2005