 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Eddie
Date: 2003-01-20 04:00
I was fortunate enough to hear a recording of Harold "Bud" Malsh playing Luigi Bassi's "Fantasie on themes from Verdi's Rigoletto" with the United States Marine Band in 1960.
I really like the sound he achieves. It is light and very flexible; at louder dynamics the sound has a nice wooden center to it. I'm interested in this sound which seems to have once been popular; most of the recordings I've heard from the last 30 years are much darker in tone. (I'm not arguing it either way, just interested.)
Does anyone know more about Harold Malsh, his career, and the type of setup he was using around 1960? I haven't found any information about him on the net. As for his setup, my best guess is that he is playing a Selmer of 1945-1955 vintage. My high school band director plays a c.1950 Selmer and has a similar sound. The only other well recorded player I know of with a similar sound is Stanley Drucker circa 1962 (I haven't heard any more recent recordings than that - maybe he sounds the same now, maybe not). I believe that Drucker was also playing a Selmer at the time(and logically one from the 50's), but am not sure.
Thanks for your time,
Eddie
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Author: David Dow
Date: 2003-01-20 04:28
I have not heard of the gentleman you refer to above but will add a few remarks about the Drucker sound.
Stanley Drucker has a very unique sound among modern clarinet players ....he uses a Chedeville Lelandis mouthpiece still and in all of his years has never changed.
In a few words he is a giant of the clarinet and plays with a sound few ever achieve. Many people are crictical of his playing but I have always been in awe of his mastery of technique and fluid tone.
It is very possible this fellow you refer to may play on a similar set up, and if not he culd still very much sound like this type of set up.
all the best
DD
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Author: William
Date: 2003-01-20 14:25
For what it is worth, the modern day President's Own Marine Band uses R13's exlusively.
And also, FWIW, on Stanely Drucker, I recieved an email from a prominent former NYC Met clarinetist in which he said that he had recently asked Stanley, who is now 76, when he was going to retire. He replied, "Never--I'm having too much fun."
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2003-01-20 20:21
I had never heard that Drucker played Selmers. He has played Buffet R-13s for many years.
For a sample of how he was playing in his teens (when he was already principal in, I think, Montreal, getting a couple of years of seasoning before going to New York), get his recording of the Bartok Contrasts, with Robert Mann and Leonid Hambro. Simply amazing. I also have a recording from about the same time of Stravinsky's l'Histoire du Soldat (on a mono Westminster Lab Series LP) -- again, amazing.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-01-21 05:44
Deviating a bit (a lot, really) from the thread, I'll be brief:
Ken Shaw, thank you for providing the information on "Contrasts" with Drucker, Mann, and Hambro. I was not aware of this recording, but I'm sure it would be a good one.
Regards,
John
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Author: JamesL
Date: 2011-11-29 04:01
Hi Eddie,
My teacher Richard Hancock, formerly principal of the Florida Philharmonic for 19 years, and currently principal in multiple groups including the Florida Grand Opera and the Miami City Ballet, was a student of Harold Malsh. Maybe contacting him would give you more insight into what made Harold Malsh so exceptional. When I heard his 1960 Bassi recording, I thought of one of my earlier teachers immediately, who happened to play on an old Selmer. Very woody wonderful clear tone.
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Author: Stonewall
Date: 2011-11-30 18:50
I was in the Marine Band with Bud in the last two years of his life in the mid 70's. At that time he played an old Kaspar with the logo on the bottom. It could have been either an old Chicago or Ann Arbor. It was one of the old Chedeville blanks that Kaspar worked on. He played a Buffet R13 at that time as well as the rest of the clarinet section. He was an incredible clarinet player and had a great sound.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2011-12-02 08:00
It's 1 AM and hearing all of these well respected great musicians I'm gonna open a horn and do some playing!
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-12-02 12:54
JamesL -
Is the 1960 Bassi recording available?
Thanks.
Ken Shaw
Post Edited (2011-12-02 12:54)
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Author: RichardFie
Date: 2012-01-01 02:23
I studied with Mr. Malsh, as I will always think of him from 1963 to 1967. I remember when he got a large box of Kaspar mouthpieces. He tried them and selected a couple for his own use and sold the rest to his students, one of which I still have and use. He used a set of R13's he replaced every three or so years he kept in an old 50's era LeBlanc case.
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