Klarinet Archive - Posting 000105.txt from 2008/11

From: "Curtis Bennett" <curtis.bennett@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Rant du Jour
Date: Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:37:05 -0500

I should have done that for the Threepenny opera score I had. What a
piece of work this thing is. Two measures of repeating Db quarter
notes followed by two measures of C# repeating quarter notes in one
piece. ??! Very inconsistent. The entire thing is, I guess in C#
major, which thankfully, Weill didn't actually score out for the
sax/clarinet part - just put in a bajillion accidentals everywhere.
Fortunately, the music wasn't that hard, for the most part, but
sightreading parts of it was next to impossible- and yes, the theater
company paid a buttload for it.

On Sun, Nov 9, 2008 at 9:13 PM, Oliver Seely <oseely@-----.edu> wrote:
>
> It pisses off me also. Finzi's works are still under copyright so I have no motivation to do them because I can't put them on my page.
>
> Here's what the library entry at UC Santa Cruz says about it:
>
> In terra pax : Christmas scene for soprano, baritone soli and chorus / Gerald Finzi
> B. & H. 17692 Boosey & Hawkes
> U.S. ed. 1955
> [U.S.] : Boosey & Hawkes, 1955, c1954
> 1 vocal score (23 p.) ; 27 cm.
> Acc. originally for string orchestra, harp and cymbal, or full orchestra, arr. for piano
> English words by Robert Bridges and from Luke II, 8:14; also printed also as text on p. [2]
> Duration: ca. 14:00
>
> It seems to me that a score of 23 would translate to a clarinet part of 5-6 pages (I assume that's what you have). You might consider transcribing that part to FINALE so as to be able to read the thing (and to impress your fellow musicians) and when you send back the rental part, send a copy of your clarinet part with it and tell them that the quality of what you received was unacceptable but that you'd be willing to prepare a modern edition of the score and parts for them at your regular transcription fee. I recently asked on the FINALE group to which I belong what is the going rate for transcribing and got answers which ranged from $15 to $75 per hour.
>
> Oliver
>
> At 06:18 PM 11/9/2008, you wrote:
>>
>> So I'm to play Finzi's In Terra Pax with a local choir for the holidays;
>> thought I'd crack the part and take a peek.
>>
>> Crikey! This is rental music (from Boosey & Hawkes) that undoubtedly costs
>> a Queen's ransom. The part is simply atrocious. It's a photocopy of a
>> hand-scrawled manuscript that might have been done whilst the copyist was
>> sober - but I'd bet s/he wasn't, with the number of scribbled out measures
>> and poorly compensated mistakes. It looks like it was done with a ballpoint
>> and no straightedge; very poor manuscript indeed. When new it was terrible,
>> and difficult to read.
>>
>> On top of that, the rental company obviously photocopied an original that
>> had seen a great deal of rental use. You can see where the corners of the
>> earlier part were torn off, for example. In addition, the library folks
>> neglected to erase the elaborate pencil scrawlings.
>>
>> . . . and that's *before* it got to the prior renters, who didn't bother to
>> erase their pencil scrawlings either.
>>
>> Bottom line, it's about three times more difficult to play because of how
>> hard it is to read. I'm not being paid enough to memorize the piece. How
>> hard would it be for B&H to put the score on Finale and print a decent set
>> of parts, given what they charge for rental?
>>
>> Sigh.
>>
>> kjf
>>
>>
>>
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--
Curtis Bennett

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