Klarinet Archive - Posting 000118.txt from 2010/10

From: Martin Baxter <martinbaxter1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Weber concerto No. 1
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:28:24 -0400

I remember the (well authenticated) story of Elgar, replying to criticism in the "Times" of a Brass Band concert where his cello concerto was played in a transcription for solo Euphonium. His words were "I would rather that audiences heard my music played in this form than that they didn't hear it in the form in which I wrote them ...or even at all.
Aren't we sometimes a little 'precious' about this. I heard one rather callow young man saying that he could only enjoy the Mozart Quintet if it were played on a 6-key clarinet in domestic surroundings. I asked if he also required gut strings, a pitch of A =426(or whatever) and the players and audience in !8th cent. clothes, also the furnishings of the room to be of this period. He pontificated that this was desirable for full enjoyment, so I asked where he got his eighteenth century ears. At this point I was dismissed as a musical philistine. I comforted myself with the thought that I had actually played the work albeit on a 20th cent. Leblanc Boehm.
Martin

On 19 Oct 2010, at 04:36, Tom Bassett wrote:

Dan,

I actually completely agree with you. While I was arranging the version we were going to use I was cringing. However, it is the only chance many people (and myself) can get to play a great work like that with accompaniment. ( I believe band is a step-up from piano) I've wondered though.. if organ is the better way to go for orchestral reductions. They have the pedals so there can be 3 staves of music, they can sustain pitches, and they have stops for different timbres. If you have a big enough organ, it can probably crank up to the volume of an orchestra too.

Anyway, while I felt the band performance sounded borderline awful I still was glad I got to do it. I guess in this case you just have to take it for what it's worth... a chance to perform with an ensemble behind you. and as they say... the audience won't know anyway. (I hate that saying because it's an excuse to do everything wrong but it is still true at least in my situation)

Tom
_______________________________________________
Klarinet mailing list
Klarinet@-----.com
To do darn near anything to your subscription, go to:
http://klarinet-list.serve-music.com

_______________________________________________
Klarinet mailing list
Klarinet@-----.com
To do darn near anything to your subscription, go to:
http://klarinet-list.serve-music.com