Klarinet Archive - Posting 000038.txt from 2008/12

From: "Dan Leeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Looking for a few good men or women
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:53:05 -0500

Members of the KLARINET list,

In about two weeks, the first draft of my new book, "gran Partitta," will be
finished. Before I submit it to a publisher, I am having the manuscript
examined by a number of authorities in various disciplines. It is, of
course, about the great Serenade for 13 players (12 winds and a string
bass), and the book summarizes a lot of historical research that I have done
over the last 50 years. I've said a lot of it before in various technical
journals, but those are often very hard to get. Libraries are using paper
copies of things less and less, and are depending on JSTOR for people
looking for technical papers. And the use of JSTOR is not cheap.

I'd like two or three clarinet or basset horn players who are VERY FAMILIAR
with the work to be part of that group. Having played the work once or twice
is not enough. The parties selected have to have some serious experience
with the piece and have a fairly good grasp of its history and problems. The
chapters are (currently):

Chapter 1: Have Basset Horns, Will Travel
Chapter 2: The Basic Issues
Chapter 3: Mozart's Paper, Ink, And Pens
Chapter 4: The K. 361 Manuscript
Chapter 5: The Holograph's Peripatetic History
Chapter 6: The Subtitle

Chapter 7: Instrumentation

Chapter 8: The Date of Composition, Part 1

Chapter 9: The Date of Composition, Part 2

Chapter 10: The First Edition

Chapter 11: Performance Issues

Chapter 12: The Third Trio for Minuet 2

Chapter 13: One Measure Too Many

Chapter 14: The Two-Stage Theory

Chapter 15: Mozart's Alleged Wedding Serenade

Chapter 16: Other Works Containing K. 361 Music

Appendix 1: Appendix 1: A Salute To Fritz Volbach

Appendix 2: Appendix 2: Biography of Johann Friedrich Schink

Appendix 3: Appendix 3: Roger Hellyer's Case For 1781

.
Roger Hellyer, who is probably the best authority on Harmoniemusik has
generously given me a chapter that now appears as Appendix 3, and it states
his position on the matter of K. 361's date. We are in disagreement on this
issue, but that does not mean that I do not welcome his thoughts on this
matter.

I have also invited Bastiaan Blomhert to provide something on the wind octet
version of K. 361, a work for which he holds strong opinions. He may or may
not be able to do so. Bastiaan edited the edition of the wind octets
currently available from Doblinger, I think. Einstein did an edition of
three movements that is published by Peters. He submitted it to Peters in
1950, and they came out with it almost 35 years later. That's a little but
its still good to have it.

Henrik Wiese, who is a young man but enormously talented, may or may not
provide is views on K. 361. Wiese is the editor of the Henle edition of the
gran Partitta. He is also the former principle flute with the Munich opera,
and is now the principle flute with he radio orchestra in Munich.

If anyone is really interested in reading the ENTIRE manuscript, and then
giving me their thoughts on any part of it, please contact me offline at
dnleeson@-----. I'll read and answer every submission, and then
select two or three people. The geography is unimportant. If somebody in
central China knows enough about K. 361, I'll be happy to hear what they
have to say. Those selected will received a copy of the manuscript on line.
It will be in MS WORD format and the people can put their comments right in
the book, if they wish, and in a way that sticks out, such as color change,
font change, size of font change, etc. Or they can comment any way with
which they are comfortable.

This same invitation will be offered to a number of double reed players.

I don't want to hear how grand, glorious, noble, and handsome I am. I want
to hear what is wrong with the book.

And I tell you in advance that two chapters are very technical. I expect
people to read those chapters seriously.

Three caveats: the recipient cannot copy the manuscript, cannot give it to
another person, and cannot broadcast the contents of the book, though they
are permitted to say that they are reviewing the manuscript. After the
recipient completes whatever s/he wishes to do and sends the book back to
me, it should be erased from the disk. Each person who helps me in this
effort will get a free copy of the book, autographed if they wish, along
with my short story about how I played in the pit at Minsky's burlesque
theater in New Jersey, which is where I fell in love with Candy Barr, a
charming girl from Texas who liked my playing of Harlem Nocturne. And if you
never heard of Candy Barr, I'm saddened at your loss. But I woolgather.

I'm 76 now and I don't want what I think I know about K. 361 to wander off
into the wilderness. Perhaps this is the way to prevent that. And of
course, I'll make millions of dollars and use the money entirely for
sybaritic self indulgence.

Dan Leeson.

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