Klarinet Archive - Posting 000120.txt from 2008/03

From: Margaret Thornhill <clarinetstudio@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Re: Mozart flat keys and early instruments (was Key signatures on
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:06:45 -0400

Dan Leeson wrote:

>Good comment Margaret, but I want to clarify a point regarding key
signatures. For a reason that surpasses all attempts at understanding,
the key restriction for clarinets in the 18th century was for sharp
keys, not for flat keys.

>Mozart wrote for 4 flats on several occasions including the basset
horns in one of the variations of the Gran Partitta, and the clarinets
in one of his choral works. He also wrote for clarinets in 2 flats on
several occasions.It was the sharp keys where the contraint existed, and
I have to conclude that it was a function of playing the note c-sharp.
Why d-flat was OK, but c-sharp was not, surpasses my understanding of
>the problem.

Dan :
I could say "but these bhornists were virtuosi!" but we know that...
You piqued my curiosity so I went to the variation you mention, which is
#4.

I've played this on basset (including at your house) but never "period"
basset, but this looks quite playable on period clarinet.

It's short, it's not super fast, it's actually written f minor, so that
nasty sounding left hand forked e-flat is a natural, the instrument
probably has an E-flat key for the fourth space E-flat, and the interval
from throat B-flat to D-flat is detached and mostly in the background.
None of this is variation looks particularly scarey.

What's the choral work?

Margaret

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