Klarinet Archive - Posting 000628.txt from 2010/09

From: Daniel N Leeson <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Gran Partita ContraBass in BFlat
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:23:40 -0400

I find that whenever an instrumental substitution takes place, the party ma=
king the substitution presents what appears to them to be a very rational r=
eason for their action. Those reasons can be as questionable as "If Mozart =
had had a contrabass clarinet he would have used one" (which is putting you=
r words in Mozart's mouth), or else "I am convinced that Mozart would not o=
bject to my action" (On the other hand I am not so convinced and what convi=
nced you?), or else "Mozart wrote to someone saying that he did not object =
to instrumental substitution (though the letter making this very questionab=
le statement cannot be found). =

=A0
What is not said (and if it were it could not be argued with) is the simple=
statement of "I like it better with a contrabass clarinet." Or it could be=
that, "We had no choice.=A0 It was the only bass instrument available to u=
s."=A0 I have no objection to either of these class of answers.=A0 They are=
honest and reasonable.
=A0
What is unreasonable is when quesitonable arguments are put forward to supp=
ort the otherwise insupportable.
=A0
Bottom line: phooey on your argument that you can make a CB clarinet sound =
like a string bass playing pizicatto. If you like the CB clarinet in place =
of the string bass, do it.=A0 That's OK with me. But your technical argumen=
t cannot be sustained. It's opinion, not necessarily fact.
=A0
Dan Leeson (who one day is going to write a piece for the Clarinet magazine=
entitled, "The Arrogance of instrumental substitution including B-flat cla=
rinet for A, vice versa,=A0making excuses for not owning a C clarnet, not o=
wning a bass in A, and putting on airs.".

--- On Fri, 9/24/10, DGross1226@-----.com> wrote:

From: DGross1226@-----.com>
Subject: Re: [kl] Gran Partita ContraBass in BFlat
To: klarinet@-----.com
Date: Friday, September 24, 2010, 6:07 AM

In a message dated 9/24/2010 3:09:43 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Daniel N =

Leeson <dnleeson@-----.net> writes:

>=A0 But neither of those instruments are suitable for a performance of the =

> work, and for a key rason.? The bass instrument is requeted to play =

> pizicatto in two movements.
> =

Dan,

I "used" to think I could get quite close to playing at least a =

"pseudo-pizzicato" on both contra alto and contrabass clarinets until this =
summer when =

we added a string bass for the Los Angeles Clarinet Choir's performance of =

"Chalumeaux Suite" by Jukka Linkola at ClarinetFest 2010.=A0 Linkola (and m=
any =

composers of clarinet choir music) know exactly the effect they want and =

specifically double the contrabass clarinet part on string bass (or sometim=
es =

use the string bass alone) in certain passages. The resulting timbre of the =

combination is truly amazing.

Cheers,

Don
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