Klarinet Archive - Posting 000569.txt from 2005/06

From: "Keith" <100012.1302@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Buffet catalog
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 06:23:05 -0400

Dan,

This is only partly true. Indeed, Forest and I have on tape you saying that
the bassethorn was the first attempt at making a bass member of the clarinet
family. Evidence from Mozart:

1. In the requiem, there are the low broken-chord passages for the second
basset (not sure if these are Mozart or a completer) which no soprano could
possibly sing.

2. In the Adagio of the GP, there are some glorious low solo passages. I
know, I was playing next to you when you played and embellished them!

3. In the basset horn trios, the third basset has lots of low stuff. And you
insist on playing this part :-).

4. In Non Piu Di Fiori, there are lots of arpeggios/broken chords that start
or go all the way to the basset notes. And of course, some echo of the
soprano.

Isn't it more accurate to say that Mozart exploits the whole range of the
instrument from bass to soprano, and especially the contrast between them? I
agree he does not insist on it being in the bass all the time but there are
many times where he uses it for the bass line.

Strauss, on the other hand, does seem to use it in the soprano or middle
range much more. He seems to choose it for the tone qualities, since he uses
(eg in the Workshops), C, Bb, basset and bass in the same works.

And I am dubious about your assertion on the bassethorn tone quality
matching the soprano (which was what I think you said). I cite the
Mendelssohn trios for clarinet, bassethorn and piano. One hears it played
sometimes on two clarinets (I heard it once this way in the Prague Festival,
where they should know better). In that form, they are boring and merely
flashy pieces IMO. They are transformed by the contrast between the clarinet
and bassethorn tones.

Dan and I do have a picture, which his wife took, of us duelling with our
basset horn twins!

Keith Bowen

>
> Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2005 18:14:22 -0700
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
> Subject: RE: [kl] Buffet catalog
> Message-ID: <FJEKIMDEOJFJPBKBMDOPMEDJDIAA.dnleeson@-----.net>
>
> As for your comments about the basset horn and its position
> in the family of instruments, another way of looking at it is
> how composers write for it. In the case of Mozart, he writes
> for it as a soprano instrument far more often than other way.
> For example, in the Requiem, the first basset horn acts as a
> double for the soprano voices, while the 2nd basset horn acts
> as a double for the female mezzo voices.
>
> Dan Leeson
> DNLeeson@-----.net
>

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