Klarinet Archive - Posting 000630.txt from 2010/09

From: "Keith Bowen" <keith.bowen@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Gran Partita ContraBass in BFlat
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:30:32 -0400

At my Kammermusik workshop next week I have programmed two movements of the
GP (Adagio and Romanze). We only have two horns so can't do the rest. I am
unashamedly playing the contrabass part on a bass clarinet - at the right
pitch wherever possible, which it often is. For the record, I do not think
Mozart would have done it that way had the bass clarinet been invented by
then. Nor do I think he would have liked it. Nor do I think I will like it
better than the contrabass version. But,

1. We do not have a contrabass available, nor would it be easy to arrange
one.
2. I would like the other two basset horn players to experience the joy of
playing the basset horn parts. I never tire of them but must not be greedy.
So I need to play something else.
3. I would like to play the work from a different perspective. One learns by
playing string parts on a wind instrument.
4. I would play the work again even on a tenor sax and banjo.

MY splatzicato and arcissimo will be a delight to hear.

We are also doing an arrangement of the Masonic Funeral Music, for wind 11et
including basset horns, kindly donated by Dan. I am playing the contra part
on a bass clarinet (most of it can be played at the right pitch). Here I am
on firmer ground. It's an arrangement anyway. The arranger clearly made an
error in not assigning the part to a low clarinet anyway. And I am going to
do it anyway. But shall not claim any superiority or originality in the
event. =

When basset horns are strutting their stuff, who cares about the backing?

Keith

=

-----Original Message-----
From: Daniel N Leeson [mailto:dnleeson@-----.net] =

Sent: 24 September 2010 16:24
To: The Klarinet Mailing List
Subject: Re: [kl] Gran Partita ContraBass in BFlat

I find that whenever an instrumental substitution takes place, the party
making the substitution presents what appears to them to be a very rational
reason 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 your
words in Mozart's mouth), or else "I am convinced that Mozart would not
object to my action" (On the other hand I am not so convinced and what
convinced you?), or else "Mozart wrote to someone saying that he did not
object to instrumental substitution (though the letter making this very
questionable 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 us=
."=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
support 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 argument
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
clarinet for A, vice versa,=A0making excuses for not owning a C clarnet, not
owning 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
sometimes =

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

combination is truly amazing.

Cheers,

Don
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