Klarinet Archive - Posting 000117.txt from 2011/05

From: "Steve Hartman" <sdh902@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Why the Bartok Contrasts Calls for Two Violins
Date: Sat, 21 May 2011 10:19:56 -0400

I think Dave Shifrin was just saying something silly to amuse the audience. =

This should not be taken as a musicological pronouncement.

----- Original Message ----- =

From: "K S" <krsmav@-----.com>
To: "The Klarinet Mailing List" <klarinet@-----.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2011 10:12 AM
Subject: [kl] Why the Bartok Contrasts Calls for Two Violins

For the first 30 bars of the final movement of Bartok's Contrasts, the
violinist picks up a second instrument tuned in tritones and plays
open strings. See p. 15 of the (undoubtedly illegal) scan at
<http://www.scribd.com/doc/18118862/Bartok-Contrasts-piano-score>.

I've always read that Bartok called for the second instrument because
he wanted the sound of open strings for the tritones. However, a New
York Times review of a recent concert at
<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/arts/music/clarinetist-david-shifrin-wit=
h-lyric-chamber-music-society-review.html?_r=3D1&scp=3D1&sq=3Dshifrin%20bar=
tok&st=3Dcse>
quotes David Shifrin as saying that Bartok called for it so that
Szigeti wouldn=92t feel overshadowed by Goodman=92s two clarinets.

I've never heard of this? Even the reviewer calls it "droll." Anyone else?

Ken Shaw
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