Klarinet Archive - Posting 000145.txt from 2008/01

From: "Alexander Brash" <brash@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Bartok Contrasts' B-flat clarinet part
Date: Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:22:57 -0500

I think some confusion? :) I'm strongly against playing the Contrasts on
one clarinet, I left a caveat if you were trapped in a log cabin in the
winter with an audience ready to go and your A clarinet just cracked, and
you were macho enough to do the transposition at sight, then I'd rather
have you come out and play it than not at all. :)

On an off note, there's a primary source somewhere that Mueller used two
clarinets for the Brahms...it's the same one that gives the argument for
his wide vibrato, but I've forgotten the details unfortunately. I believe
the statement was that the Bb was used for the rhapsodic section in the
slow movement to simplify the fingering? I believe that would actually
complicate the fingering quite a bit, so perhaps it was referring to that
one tricky lick in the gypsy section of the third movement?

Best,
Alex

On Tue, January 8, 2008 2:03 am, Martin Baxter wrote:
> Alex
> Surely anyone with the technique to play Contrasts would call
> themselves a "serious clarinettist". They surely must therefore
> have an A. Has anyone ever heard a performance of the Brahms quintet
> played on a Bb and transposed?
> Martin
> On 7 Jan 2008, at 18:10, Alexander Brash wrote:
>
>> butbutbut! You can't do the low Es! Unless you had some kind of
>> extension
>> I guess?
>>
>> On this one, I kind of agree with Dan, caveating it with the statement
>> that you should consider carefully the composer you're dealing
>> with, and
>> why the instrument was chosen. I don't think anyone is going to
>> argue that
>> Bartok chose the two clarinets in this piece for anything *but*
>> color and
>> character considerations, and as such it should be respected in
>> performance. The name of the piece is "contrasts" after all, not
>> "medium
>> well please" :) It's the same issue with violinists fingering the
>> opening
>> of the third movement.
>>
>> Of course if your options are not to share this great piece with an
>> audience, or to play it entirely on Bb (if you didn't have access
>> to an
>> A), then of course I'd say perform it all on Bb :)
>>
>> That said - I cheat on some of the changes in the third movement
>> because
>> I'd otherwise never make it at the tempo we like to go. On an
>> unrelated
>> note, it makes one of the passages phenomenally easier ;)
>>
>> There is an excellent recording of this put out recently by a rather
>> famous clarinetist that does the first page of the first movement
>> on the
>> Bb, and at some point that would not be possible if not in a studio,
>> switches to an A clarinet (gasp!).
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, January 7, 2008 9:34 am, Margaret Thornhill wrote:
>>> Both of my copies of the Bartok Contrasts (Boosey and Hawkes) were
>>> printed with two clarinet parts. One of them is entirely for
>>> clarinet in
>>> B-flat
>>>
>>> There is nothing arrogant about a clarinetist playing the piece on
>>> one
>>> clarinet. Some people actually consider the first movement easier in
>>> B-flat.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Margaret Thornhill
>>> Artist/Teacher of Clarinet
>>> Los Angeles
>>> http://www.margaretthornhill.com
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
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