Klarinet Archive - Posting 000059.txt from 2009/02

From: "Alexander Brash" <brash@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Brahms quintet
Date: Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:06:12 -0500

Since Jonathan didn't state what he meant by obvious physics in his
original post, I'm not sure we can assume he simply means ease of
fingering. I find it unlikely he's referring to the physics of the fingers
(in terms of ease of playing), and more likely he's referring to the
physics of the harmonics involved. I'd be willing to bet he's right, but
since I don't know enough about it, I can't give an argument in
support...I hope we see some more on this topic, I'm curious.

Alex

On Tue, February 3, 2009 9:53 am, Tony Pay wrote:
> On 3 Feb, Jonathan Cohler <cohler@-----.org> wrote:
>
>> Except, of course, the passage at m82-m93 of the 2nd movement. That
>> really
>> should be played on B-flat clarinet as that is how Mühlfeld played it
>> for
>> Brahms, and of course the F-minor passages on B-flat sound much better
>> (Smoother, more in tune, more resonant, because of the nature of the
>> fingerings. This is not a subjective statement, for those who are going
>> to
>> want to argue, but rather one based on obvious physics) than the F-sharp
>> minor passages on A (which is no doubt why Brahms preferred it).
>
> This is an ill-considered, parochial judgement. Actually, F# minor and D
> major on the Ottensteiner instrument that Mühlfeld used involve 'simpler'
> fingerings, in the sense of your 'obvious' physics, than do F minor and Db
> major.
>
> That's a consequence of the fact that the top C# and throat F# are
> fingered
> using just the thumb +/- speaker key, and the clarion F# using just RH1
> (plus
> LH, of course).
>
> Perhaps Brahms preferred it; but if he did, it wasn't 'without doubt'
> because
> the fingerings are 'more in tune, more resonant' -- because they're not,
> as I
> can attest from personal experience, having played the piece on both an
> original Ottensteiner and a modern copy.
>
> I made a speculative post about this a few years back:
>
> http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/Klarinet/2000/01/000539.txt
>
> Tony
> --
>
> _________ Tony Pay
> |ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd
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