Klarinet Archive - Posting 000214.txt from 2007/06

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Article on Thea King
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:16:02 -0400

The article on King is very loving and quite informative. I thank
Martin Baxter for posting the link. However, it has a paragraph
that troubles me because it opens an era of clarinet history
related to K. 580 and K. 622 that differs to a considerable
degree from my understanding, at least. The paragraph reads:

"King's interest in the early-music movement didn't extend as far
as performance (she lacked the time to specialise, she explained)
but she readily learned from it, and was one of the first to play
the Mozart Concerto and Quintet on a basset horn: "Playing the
basset horn in Mozart's divertimenti convinced me that the
concerto was written for a clarinet with an extended lower
compass." The discovery of Mozart's "Winterthur manuscript" in
the early 1960s was soon to prove her right."

Until I read this paragraph I was under the impression that the
first person to argue that the Mozart concerto was for a special
kind of clarinet that had a lower extension was Dazely. His
paper, entitled "Te Text of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto," argued
forcefully and intelligently that the Mozart instrument (or
really the Stadler instrument) had a range that descended to low
written C. If King's work preceded Dazely's, he certainly should
have credited her with whatever it was she said or wrote about
the subject. If King's work did not precede Dazely's, I don't
understand the paragraph quoted above.

Another issue is the assertion that King played both K. 580 and
K. 622 on a basset horn. That opens a lot of questions: what was
the pitch of the basset horn on which she played, what was the
pitch of the performance? If A major, that would put the basset
horn (in F, presumably) in a very awkward key. Or were the
orchestral parts changed to F major so as to allow the basset
horn to play both works in the written key of C major?

I don't understand this assertion at all, and I would be very
grateful if someone who knew something about this alleged
performance would say something to clarify the matter.

It is not uncommon when a great player and fine teacher passes
away that the obituary writers take liberties with the facts.
Perhaps is the case.

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

The article on Thea King is available at:

http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2720052.ec
e

Martin

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