Klarinet Archive - Posting 000308.txt from 2006/10

From: "Keith Bowen" <bowenk@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Tchaikovsky 6th Question
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2006 06:01:50 -0400

And the clarinet is only pppp, i.e. louder than the bassoon. I think the
score backs Karl's interpretation.

Keith Bowen

> -----Original Message-----
> From: klarinet-return-89122-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.org
> [mailto:klarinet-return-89122-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.org] On
> Behalf Of Glenn Kantor
> Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 5:40 AM
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: Re: [kl] Tchaikovsky 6th Question
>
>
> Karl -
>
> Slight correction:
>
> The bassoon part is marked pppppp..... not..... ppppp
>
> It's trivia like that which lets musicologists sleep at night. :-)
>
> Glenn B Kantor (GBK)
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@-----.net>
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 11:19 PM
> Subject: RE: [kl] Tchaikovsky 6th Question
>
>
> > It's interesting - this is the argument that's always cited, of course.
> > The
> > bassoon can't match the dynamic the clarinet reaches. Well, it's true
> that
> > a
> > clarinet CAN play extremely softly on those notes, many players using so
> > much subtone that there really isn't much more than pitched air, and it
> > DOES
> > say PPPPP! But Tchaikowsky knew and used the bass clarinet and so was
> > certainly aware of its dynamic capability, and he knew the capability of
> > the
> > bassoon as well. Even a French style bassoon set up wouldn't produce the
> > kind of PPPPP that a bass clarinet playing subtone can manage, but
> > Tchaikowsky would have been well aware of that. He still chose a
bassoon.
> > Assuming he cared what the music sounded like, the only explanations are
> > that(a) he wanted the bassoon to enter abruptly at a louder volume than
> > the
> > clarinet (even though they are marked with the same dynamic) or (b) he
> > meant
> > the PPPPP in the same way I've read Verdi meant it - to counter the
> > tendency
> > of orchestra players in his environment to be lazy and ignore markings
> > that
> > weren't extreme. The clarinet simply has to reach a dynamic the bassoon
> > can
> > match - "issimo" needs to be determined by the bassoon. Which in my
> > opinion
> > makes all the subtone that so many clarinet players value in that spot a
> > really questionable goal and the bass clarinet unnecessary. My 2 cents,
> > FWIW.
> >
> > Karl
> >
> >
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> >
> >
>
>
>
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