Klarinet Archive - Posting 000259.txt from 2006/09
From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Mozart Concerto Question
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 15:45:42 -0400
Sean,
With respect to the two quarter note B-flats instead of one
half-note B-flat that was the central part of that article, I'll
give you the reaction of a British player who had a comment to
make to me about it (and he had just recorded the concerto, so he
was no wild-eyed beginner). He said that he much preferred the
two quarter note B-flats because the second one allowed him the
opportunity to emphasize the sub-phrase beginning with that
second B-flat. In effect, with one B-flat of a half note
duration, there is little you can do once the note is struck, but
as two separate notes, there is something you can do (if you
wish) to distinguish the first from the second in some compelling
way. In that way the two separate notes are more propelling than
constraining.
Be cautious about putting your personal taste in as a way of how
to explain what Mozart notates. We often do not know what he
meant, but in this case it seems clear that we know what said.
And arguing reasons why what he said was not valid, is not a
situation that you can win.
I hope that the other parts of the article gave you a good solid
basis for understanding the problems of K. 622, and goodness
knows, there are enough of them. I gave a talk on the subject at
Bloomington that was entitled, "Abandon Ye All Hope of Ever
Finding an Authentic Edition of K. 622." You realize that the
Barenreiter edition is printed as "the authentic edition," and
the Henle edition is printed as the "Urtext edition."
If you believe either of those statements, then there is
swampland in Florida that I want to sell to you.
You are under orders from the creator of the universe to go and
buy a basset clarinet. Are you aware that Fox of Canada will
make a right hand basset clarinet joint that will go on the left
hand joint of the instrument you own? And he will do that for
either a B-flat or an A instrument. I never asked if he would do
it for a C, but I suppose money buys anything.
Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net
-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Osborn [mailto:feanor33@-----.net]
Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2006 11:20 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] Mozart Concerto Question
Dan,
Thanks for your reply. I skimmed your article when it first
appeared, and
I just read it again now. It makes clear the reasons behind the
change I
asked about. Consultation of manuscripts for changes in editions
is always
a difficult thing to decide. Often, the composer has time
between the
manuscript and the first published edition to correct mistakes in
the
manuscript. I do not believe this is the case with the F-natural
I asked
about, but I do belive that misuse of this idea can lead to
things like the
abominable new edition of Stravinsky's "Three Pieces" with all
the mistakes
put back in!
I wonder about your idea for the B-flat being two notes. Your
argument is
based on sound scholarship. However, throughout the first
movement, there
are numerous examples of a second beat half-note motive. Bearing
that in
mind, I'm not inclined to make this change, though I am open to
being
pursuaded, and I'm grateful that you did the research and wrote
the article.
>I wrote the article and you owe me a beer for telling you about
>it. You also owe me a pizza for not knowing about these things.
>No clarinet player alive of your quality should not know these
>things.
As I say, it's been about a dozen years since I've performed it.
I don't
generally listen to clarinet recordings unless its of new works.
>Are you going to play the concerto on an A clarinet or on an A
>basset clarinet? Your life depends on the answer? (Nothing like
>giving a guy a little insecurity to end the week!!)
I don't know. I won't be playing it on basset clarinet next
week. I only
have one loose lead on getting one, and I have been very busy all
summer
with a CD project. I do need to get one for the performance, and
for the
recording of the quintet I'll be doing in January.
Thanks again,
Sean
BTW, can someone tell me why, when I hit reply to my digest and I
get a
draft email addressed to klarinet@-----.org it always bounces
back to
me, but when I start a new draft and address it to
klarinet@-----.org it
always goes through?
www.osbornmusic.com
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