Klarinet Archive - Posting 000056.txt from 2011/08

From: "Dan Leeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Mozart quintet repeat
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:02:17 -0400

Yes.

That is what I meant. Sometimes I type so fast, that I leave out an
important word.

Dan Leeson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Hartman" <sdh902@-----.net>
To: "The Klarinet Mailing List" <klarinet@-----.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 5:37 PM
Subject: Re: [kl] Mozart quintet repeat

> Dan:
>
> I think you meant to say "The music should NOT be used to bring service to
> you" etc.
>
> -Steve
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dan Leeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
> To: "The Klarinet Mailing List" <klarinet@-----.com>
> Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 8:30 PM
> Subject: Re: [kl] Mozart quintet repeat
>
>
>> There are two reasons why composers (particularly in Mozart's era) used
>> repeats, and not only in slow movements as you have noticed, but in many
>> movements as you can see by looking at the parts for the quintet. There
>> are
>> repeats in all four movements, and the third, the minuet, has a special
>> case
>> that must be dealt with on the two Da Capo sections; i.e., does one
>> repeat
>> a
>> minuet at either, both, or none of the Da Capo directions?
>>
>> The first reason is to be able to write a little music and get a lot of
>> it.
>> Effectively, it doubles the performance time without have to write
>> additional material.
>>
>> The second reason is the much more important one. Players of the 18th
>> century were not simply automatons who played only what was written,
>> which
>> is far too often the case today. They were performer/composers and ample
>> opportunity was given to them to show their skill at instantaneous
>> composition while performing. They were expected to improvise based on
>> the
>> written text provided by the composer, which was generally full of hints
>> (if
>> you were able to recognize them) that told the performer where to
>> improvise
>> and in many senses what the improvisation should consist of. For
>> example,
>> a
>> low note of some duration followed by a high note of some duration often
>> mean that the performer was expected to fill in the blank area between
>> the
>> low and the high note, perhaps a scale, an arpeggio, or even nothing if
>> that
>> was what the performer preferred. But in that case, he ran the risk of
>> demonstrating that he could not improvise, and that was often a black
>> mark
>> on a career.
>>
>> The nature of your posting tells me that all of this may be new news to
>> you.
>> Perhaps you may not have the experience you need to improvise in a way
>> that
>> is consistent with the classical period. The object is NOT to jam as many
>> notes as you can get into the space of 2 seconds, but rather to embellish
>> what is written. Get a recording of a Mozart piano concerto played by
>> Robert
>> Levin. Then get a score to that concerto and listen to the recording
>> with
>> great care and attention many times. See if you can find where he
>> improvises, which is much of the time, but rarely in passagework. That
>> is
>> the style that you want to achieve.
>>
>> If you have jazz experience, that's good for a start but the Mozart
>> quintet
>> does not call for a jam session. Find someone in your area who can speak
>> with authority on improvisation for music of the classic period.
>>
>> Remember, you are not the center of attention. The music is. So if it
>> is
>> your intention to show how fast you can play, I suggest you get involved
>> with a good Dixieland band. You must concentrate on bringing service to
>> the
>> music. The music should be used to bring service to you, as is the case
>> with a cornetist who plays the variations on the Carnival of Venice,
>> finally
>> achieving a variation in which he goes mad with all the technique as his
>> disposal; i.e., triple tonguing, trills, runs, leaps, and all kinds of
>> craziness. If you do that, I will find you no matter where you hide, and
>> make sure that are buried in cow dung up to you chin, while rattlesnakes
>> surround your final resting place.
>>
>> But do the quintet with beautiful improvisations, and I will permit you
>> to
>> marry my gorgeous daughter who has a rich father.
>>
>> The rule is this: LESS IS MORE.
>>
>> Dan Leeson
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Mark Thiel" <mark.thiel@-----.com>
>> To: <klarinet@-----.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 2:44 PM
>> Subject: [kl] Mozart quintet repeat
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> OK here's a question that should start a bit of fisticuffs :
>>>
>>> In the slow (Larghetto) movement of K. 581, the clarinet quintet, the
>>> first 26 bars are repeated, note for note, starting in bar 51. So the
>>> second time, do you/would you:
>>>
>>> a) Play it exactly the same, except dolce this time (assuming you were
>>> playing it a bit sourly the first time).
>>>
>>> b) Write in the chord changes and tell the strings: "OK guys, stand
>>> back,
>>> this chorus is MINE".
>>>
>>> c) Something in between, if so what do you do, justify motivations,
>>> give
>>> historical precedents, etc.
>>>
>>>
>>> Mark Thiel
>>>
>>>
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>>
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