Klarinet Archive - Posting 000021.txt from 2010/06

From: "Keith Bowen" <keith.bowen@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Mozart and staccato
Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:06:42 -0400

That's quite right of course, Dan. Taste and preference doesn't come into it
so far as historically-informed performance is concerned, at least not until
one has saturated one's taste in eighteenth-century style and also learned
to dance the minuet.

Another useful approach is to study contemporary clarinet instruction
manuals; there are a few from the eighteenth century. They devote some space
to the different methods of articulation on the clarinet, using sounds such
as 't, th, d' to specify the differences. There is clearly a wider palette
of articulation than we use now (and also a much larger variety of trills).
This gets a little confused by the fact that it was in this period that
players changed from reed up to reed down, though it is thought that Stadler
was one of the reed-down innovators.

Keith

-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Leeson [mailto:dnleeson@-----.net]
Sent: 03 June 2010 03:21
To: The Klarinet Mailing List
Subject: Re: [kl] Mozart and staccato

Kathy,

The matter of the surface texture of the Mozart concerto is extraordinarily
complicated by the fact that we have no source material on which we can
depend. Using the manuscripts of the other 30 or so concerti of Mozart it
is possible to conclude that his surface texture was more articulated than
we may be used to in music of the mid to late 19th century. For Brahms, a
long unbroken line was absolutely essential. Not so for Mozart. Also, it
is quite possible that the mouthpieces, ligatures, and reeds of the time
were more tolerant of a rough surface texture, meaning more articulation.

The problem is that you cannot put a 21st century mind to the problem of
18th century articulation, or else you are going to conclude that since we
have no authoritative answer, you can do whatever you want. You are NOT at
liberty to say, "I will articulate this way or that because I like it better

or because I feel that it is better that way." That is a quick road to
hell. It is much more of what was done by professional players then, than
what your feelings suggest.

You need to study the Mozart concerti that have manuscripts, and you need to

study those concerti in reliable urtext editions. One of the best players
of the 20th century, Simeon Bellison, was of the opinion that he could
create an edition of the Mozart clarinet concerto based only on his personal

taste. And his edition has died by the wayside because it doesn't work that

way.

What you need to do is find someone in your area with whom you can study the

Mozart concerti and chamber music with solo instruments (such as the oboe
quartet) and embark on how Mozart's articulations appear.

Do not think that your taste is the main discriminate on what needs to be
done. The issue requires you to study performance practice of the 18th
century.

If you are not careful, you will trip over your own feet. Find someone who
can tell you about how music of the 18th century was played.

Dan Leeson

----- Original Message -----
From: "Williams, Kathy" <Kathy.Williams@-----.com>
To: <klarinet@-----.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 4:54 PM
Subject: Re: [kl] Mozart and staccato

> Hi
>
> In my understanding, and this comes from studying the piece for 20 years,
> and as I indicated in my recording, I prefer more articulation than I
> heard in the Brymer recording. I base this understanding having listened
> to the other woodwind concertos by Mozart, the oboe, bassoon and flute,
> which have a lot of articulation in them. I just wished to encourage
> discussion on the topic, to hear other points of view. One of my favourite

> recordings would have to be the Michael Collins recording on the same CD
> as his Beethoven 'clarinet' concerto. I just feel that clarinettists shy
> away from using staccato sometimes because of the belief that tone suffers

> (and here, I mean myself a decade ago) . However, in my opinion, one of
> the challenges of clarinet playing, and woodwind playing as well, to get
> the staccato tone the same as the legato tone, therefore using
> articulation in the Mozart should not be an issue.
>
> Kind regards
>
> Kathy Williams
> Customer Service Delivery Consultant
> Customer Service Delivery
> Customer Care, Telstra Enterprise and Government
> Telstra Corporation Limited 1800 025 222
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Klarinet mailing list
> Klarinet@-----.com
> http://klarinet-list.serve-music.com

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