Klarinet Archive - Posting 000215.txt from 2007/06

From: Gary Van Cott <gary@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Article on Thea King
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2007 18:24:28 -0400

I would think that the basset horn reference in as far K. 580 and K. 622
is concerned is an error by the writer.

Gary
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dnleeson wrote:
> 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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