Klarinet Archive - Posting 000146.txt from 2008/01

From: "Alexander Brash" <brash@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Bartok Contrasts' B-flat clarinet part
Date: Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:32:02 -0500

gah, Muhfeld of course :( need to proof-read

On Tue, January 8, 2008 6:22 am, Alexander Brash wrote:
> 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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>
>
>
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