 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-04-13 12:06
New York musicians are losing the best music store in town http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/arts/music/13pate.html?hpw.
Frank's is still in business, but there's no browsing, and the Juilliard store will presumably continue, but it's a great loss.
As good as Gary van Cott is, there's nothing like walking into Patelson's and seeing and smelling great music spread out everywhere.
That leaves jaywalking as the last great New York experience.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-04-13 14:33
Wow, what a loss. Is there no end to this? ESP
http://eddiesclarinet.com Check it out, it's only about a month old.
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Author: chorusgirl
Date: 2009-04-13 15:09
What a shame!!! I spent many a day with my friends browsing and shopping (with what little money I had) back in my youth. I could always call them from college when I needed new music, and they would ship it directly to my dorm. Great place, what a loss.
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Author: Bartmann
Date: 2009-04-13 16:45
It is really sad that Patelsons is closing. I remember going there to build up my clarinet library and my Eulenberg Editions of various symphonies.
However several years ago when I started learning flute, I chose not go to Patelsons to build my flute library in the way I had with my clarinet library.
First they seemed to stock a lot American publishers like International Music. And I no longer buy music from IMC because it's clear from the poor quality of the reproductions that they have been photocopying music the same music, with mistakes, for decades.
I prefer to shop online at Schott or Bärenreiter whose quality is much higher. The musical notes are so crisp and clean that they've obviously set the music in either Sibelius or Finale. The covers of their music are made from a thicker cover stock and usually have a protective coating. They also set the music on the page so that it's not overly dense, and they often choose to leave a blank page so as to prevent an unnecessary page turn. It is these details that really separate the German and Swiss publishers from their lesser American counterparts.
Second, at Patelsons there was something about those planks that divided the different composers that lead to the music really being beaten up: corners roughed up, and old looking. And who wants to pay New York City prices, plus New York City tax for sheet music that looks used.
For the visceral experience of going into a music store and perusing: I prefer the music stores in Europe, especially Germany or Austria. Whichever city I visit make a point music shopping. This has led me to discover some very obscure music.
Still the closing of Patelson's is sad because I have so many youthful memories of going there. I bought my first method book there: Lazarus Method for Clarinet.
Bart
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Author: DougR
Date: 2009-04-15 14:21
I was there yesterday (for the Wright Music "Woodwind Day" in Patelson's upstairs front room, featuring Jonathan Watkins from Wright Music, Scott Kurzweil from Conn/Selmer, many many clarinets and accessories--including 3, count'em, 3 Selmer low-C Privilege basses--to try) AND Clark Fobes in person, with a full line of mouthpieces, barrels, Eb extensions, etc.)...(if you're in NYC on 4/15, so are they, so...)
The loss of Patelson's is mostly symbolic at this point, but hugely sad all the same. The place has an atmosphere all its own that hasn't changed for 50 years, a combination of the smells of ink, paper, books, and a very old, musty building-smell that really hits you as you make your way through the crowded upstairs stacks. The Wright Music event was partly an opportunity for me to get a fortunate glimpse of the Patelsons' upstairs apartment, still intact in a timeless, timeworn, slightly dowdy fashion.
Slightly off-topic, I wish NYC were more creative about keeping businesses functioning that are such a huge and irreplaceable part of the city's cultural life and traditions. I'm thinking of Patelson's, Frank Music, the Claremont stables (in business since the early 1900s, now being turned into condos), Columbia's legendary 30th Street studios, the Carnegie Hall teaching studios that are continually threatened by real-estate market realities, etc. I understand part of the cash-flow issue with Patelson's was a $7,000 a month tax bill. Surely a municipality that is conscious of the value of its institutions could find a way to neutralize that particular burden, at least. (I'm familiar with the concept of selling "air rights;" possibly there's a creative way to offset such burdens on worthy institutions?)
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