 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: FrankM
Date: 2005-10-03 18:41
Yesterday I was listening to "From The Top" on PBS radio and they featured a 12 year old violinist that was astonishing...If I heard correctly, she will be ( or was ) featured with the Dallas Symphony. I started to wonder why violin and piano seem to have all the preteen virtuosi...where are the young clarinetists...or any reed or brass players for that matter? Is it a matter of physics/mechanics that keep a youngster from achieving such a high level at an early age on the winds? ( finger stretch, breath control, etc)....or perhaps they do exist, but only violin/piano get the press....any thoughts? Is there a 12 year old out there waiting to perform the Nielsen with a nationally recognized orchestra ?
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Author: Clarinetist
Date: 2005-10-03 19:21
I believe that the most important factor is that wind and brass players start their istrument so late. For example I started clarinet when I was 12 and many reed and brass players start their instuments so late as 15, because their instument requires so stiff embouchure or so much breath control (for example oboe and tuba). When Violinists can start to play as early as 4 years old, because there are violins on different sizes. Most of the wind and brass instrumentalists can not start to play as early as necessary to develop the required skill to become a young virtuoso. If young wind or brass player have teeths almost fully developed as young as 7 then I think there is a slight possibility that he could become wonder kid. I think that Julian Bliss is a good example. This guy was not even 13 when he was already performing at the proms in England. Then there is the difficulty to interpret correctly and beatifully, which I think is harder on a wind than on a string insrument. So I think it is completely possibly, at least on the clarinet, as Julian shows.
Post Edited (2005-10-03 19:23)
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2005-10-03 20:37
I seem to recall that last week the "From the Top" program featured a young (14, if I recall) oboist who was quite gifted. I was only half-listening, so I didn't get the name and particulars, but it was an oboist, and she was very good.
Susan
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-10-03 21:34
Usually they have to be older to get to that level.
However, there are and have been young monsters such as Julian Bliss and flute monsters such as Mimi Stillman.
Mimi made the Curtis Institute at age 12 (twelve) - youngest wind player to ever be admitted.
I started the Clarinet at age 12 and at 14 was practicing the Nielsen Concerto, but no way could have performed it that young. At 10 months I could play all of the Klose Studies and Kroepsch book 1.
And yes, I was crazy....
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Author: Neil
Date: 2005-10-03 22:16
"At 10 months I could play all of the Klose Studies and Kroepsch book 1."
You really were a prodigy!
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-10-03 22:31
Maybe it's also due to the sheer number of violinists versus the number of people starting out on other instruments. I don't know the exact numbers, but it sure seems to me that everyone and their mother has tried to play the violin at some point where I don't recall ever seeing that many clarinetists. (myself included, starting out on violin, then moving from violin to cello/clarinet before being forced to choose one in eigth grade . . . you can guess which one I chose to drop and which I chose to continue . . . although it sure would have been an interesting doubling combination . . .)
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-10-03 22:49
I did all the competitions I could find back in Virginia including winning a tri-state talent competition (VA, MD, and DC which isn't a state, but you know....) at 14 which was up to age 17.
It was for the "Omega PSI PHI Talent Hunt". I would have gone to their Nationals, but I moved 5 months before that happened (from VA to PA) so was disqualified.
But age wise I was too old to be considered a "prodigy". Just another good high school player.....
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Author: vin
Date: 2005-10-03 23:01
David-
Do you mean the Klose mechanism studies, the scales or the etudes?
And either way, that is impressive.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-10-03 23:09
The thick book - the Etudes.
Couldn't manage the Kroepsch book II (which is in the Klose), but did have and played book I. When I had played for 4 months, my uncle who had started me on Clarinet had moved to Holland and I had asked him to buy me a Clarinet book.
He sent me Kroepsch book I. I didn't look at it as something to aspire to, so started working on it. It wasn't lighthing fast or anything, but it wasn't slow either as I had "black note fever".
Not that I ever got over it, but it's under control now 
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-10-03 23:50
Also -
"You know, you haven't stopped talking since I came here. You must have been vaccinated with a phonograph needle." - Groucho Marx as Rufus T. Firefly in Duck Soup
...GBK
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-10-04 02:49
Publicity wise, I would think that the string players have a much stronger following so a great young violinist would be more "popular" than a great young wind player.
Also with the suzuki programs for violin they start when they are 4-5 and play more years than a wind player who starts when they are 9 or 10.
Post Edited (2005-10-04 13:10)
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Author: ajhogan
Date: 2005-10-04 06:08
He may not be a preteen, but I believe Sergei Nakariakov made his international solo debut as a trumpeter at 14 or 15.
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Author: jim S.
Date: 2005-10-04 14:30
As long as we are speaking of prodigies:
On the NY PHil website (the lounge), Stanley says he was studying with the same teacher as Jimmy Hamilton at the age of 12. Does anyone know who the teacher was?
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Author: Ron Jr.
Date: 2005-10-04 15:32
I think that because of physical changes, size, air capacity, embouchure strength, dental issues, etc., it is much harder for young wind players to excel early on.
Think about how much physical effort is necessary in the creation of a single note on a wind instrument.
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2005-10-04 15:53
Stanley's bio on the NY Phil website says he studied with Leon Rusianoff from age 10!
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2005-10-04 16:04
Hi,
Two "prodigies" that I knew when we were all HS students at Interlochen, Larry Combs and Roger Bobo, were gracious young men that everyone really liked. To make it big, just being able to play is probably not enough. One must have humility, be gracious, and above all, possess tact. These two let their playing speak for itself.
HRL
PS Jack Rattery and Don Jager were not bad either and they were charming guys (although we probably did not use that term in the 1950s).
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-10-04 16:07
"...Stanley's bio on the NY Phil website says he studied with Leon Rusianoff from age 10!..."
Not exactly.
Stanley's first teacher at 10 years old was Arthur Small.
Arthur Small was a woodwind doubler, by all accounts a fine teacher, but who was often out of town, or on the road touring.
After about a year of lessons with Small, who, once again, left to go on the road and this time not return, Stanley began lessons with Russianoff...GBK
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-10-04 17:01
Michael Rusinek was a huge prodigy. I have a recording of him that Abe sent me with him playing the Nielsen with Orchestra at 15 that would rival any recording out there including Drucker's.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2005-10-04 17:18
Well,
Reginald Kell started life all twisted up over a fiddle.
When he came to his senses, he straightened himself out and switched to clarinet.
Bob Phillips
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Author: LeeB
Date: 2005-10-04 20:38
<<<or perhaps they do exist, but only violin/piano get the press...>>>
That certainly has to be part of the equation. The average classical music fan is going to know the names of a lot more violinists and pianists than clarinetists. I wonder if there ever will be another clarinet superstar like Artie Shaw (i.e. someone that a movie star would want to marry and the gossip columnists would want to write about).
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Author: Gretchen
Date: 2005-10-05 02:06
Ricardo Morales was also a prodigy wouldn't you say?...he went to Indiana when he was in his early teens, didn't he?
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2005-10-05 22:10
"Reginald Kell started life all twisted up over a fiddle."
Mühlfeld started his career as a fiddler, too.
-----------
If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: allencole
Date: 2005-10-06 15:50
Don't forget that there are plenty of prodigies outside of the classical music realm. For example, there are a lot of guitar players out there who might've played wind instruments had they lived prior to the rock era.
Look at how many brilliant wind players have been involved in jazz.
Plus, all the things that we've just read about the violin and its players are true. It is very common to start at a young age, undersized instruments are practical, the instrument is wildly popular in classical circles and the literature for it is copious. But classical music is the undisputed mainstream of the violin, and even country fiddling does not substantially compete with it for players.
Wind players have more options (coupled with fewer openings in the classical realm), and rhythm instruments virtually guarantee paying jobs to any prodigy or virtuoso with a level head.
Allen Cole
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2005-10-06 22:01
Just from personal observation, for some reason that I am not sure of, it seems that parents in other cultures, particularly Asian ones, tend to steer their children toward the violin. (Could it be that Chinese-made violins are much better than Chinese-made clarinets?)
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-10-06 22:21
And it's ironic that the string players are usually the ones who come from rich families
and are getting the scholarships too.......... (I remember that happening at the Teton festival orchestral seminar where they were giving $$ to the strings but could care less about the winds).
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-10-06 22:35
Young violin and piano virtuosi sell more concert tickets than young clarinetists, or any other instrument.
Always have - always will ...GBK
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Author: Rick Williams
Date: 2005-10-07 16:33
My God daughter who is working on her PhD at Indiana University started violin at 4 years old. Some instruments lend themselves to starting at that young of an age and others simply don't. If more youngsters start a particular instrument at a younger age then the more prodigys in the instrument you are likely to run across.
Best
Rick
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