Klarinet Archive - Posting 000130.txt from 2007/11

From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Re: Reading music instead of memorizing
Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:28:02 -0500

Many (perhaps even most) piano, violin and cello soloists are full-time
soloists who typically tour with a specific repertoire that they've prepared
especially for the season. When you hear a clarinet, bassoon, trumpet,
trombone, viola or bass concerto, it's more than likely being played by
either the orchestra's own principal player or someone whose "day" job is
playing principal in another orchestra somewhere. They don't tour with a
piece (or a handful of them) for an entire season - may even be doing a
single set of performances of a solo they've last performed weeks or even
months ago if they've ever performed it at all. Memorization is, I think
obviously, a more natural thing for a full-time soloist who, besides
studying a repertoire over the span of a career, actively prepares specific
pieces for the coming season as a full-time commitment.

Karl

-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Roberts [mailto:timr@-----.com]
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 2:04 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] Re: Reading music instead of memorizing

On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:20:54 -0800 (PST), "Michael Rasmussen"
<mikeraz@-----.com> wrote:
> Over the weekend during my first ever recital I wondered why the bulk of
musicians
> (meaning aside from popular music performers) read music during
performance rather
> than playing from memory.
>

Are you talking about soloists or ensemble performers? In my
experience, soloists usually do have their parts memorized, in part
because it makes for a better "show". Ensemble players do not have the
same need for putting on a good show. Also, the soloist is playing the
melody, and the melody is always easier to memorize. Third clarinet
parts are just not as "intuitive".

Finally, some people have the ability to memorize easily, and some do
not. I don't think it's particularly useful to read anything into it.

--
Tim Roberts, timr@-----.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.

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