Author: seabreeze
Date: 2017-11-28 00:07
In the US, Clark Fobes sells Morre reeds for much less PER BOX than he charges for the Dolce and the Exquisite cuts of Pilgerstorfer. See his website. But I will be reminded in a subsequent post that since only 6 Morres come to a box, versus 10 Dolces and Exquisites, the Morres are still more expensive than the Dolce and Exquisite. So, I stand corrected.
https://www.clarkwfobes.com/collections/reeds.
Morre is not now a "cult" reed in the US. Many more players use Vandorens and more and more are trying Legere composites. Steuers have their followers and Behn's are gaining in popularity. Some play Gonzales and other reeds.
The confusion probably results from there being two different Morre reeds. The old Morres (according to Gregory Smith) were made near Vienna by Karl Firstl and imported to the US in small quantities sold mostly at the Marks Music Store in Farrell, PA. This was in the 1960s and early 70s when Robert Marcellus used and recommended them. They were made of very thick cane and ran very very hard for their numerical marking. Something like a 3.5 would be more like a 5++ in a Vandoren. Marcellus stated in an interview that he used #2 and #2.5 Morees on his Kaspar mouthpieces.
These old Morres, when you could find one that played, gave a very covered and mellow sound because of high quality of the cane. They were always difficult if not impossible for the average clarinetists to buy because Marks Music had a limited supply and there were no other retail sources that carried them. I managed to get some only because I had a friend studying with Marcellus and I knew the right shibboleths to say to Carl Marks to make a purchase. The new Moree is a lighter much more vibrant reed that does not duplicate the sound or overall playing characteristics of the old Morre. The new Morre is pretty easy to order on Internet and does not have anything like a "cult" following or special mystique.
Speaking loosely, in the 60s when Marcellus was at the height of his fame you might say there was a group of followers who played Kaspar mouthpieces (especially the Kaspar 13), used inverse Bonade ligatures with the middle band nearly removed by a jeweler's saw, played old Morres (unaffectionately known as the "plank reeds," "popsicle sticks," and "two by fours") and tried desperately to sound just like the master. Followers they were, to be sure, but
"cult" members, I think not. Most students of Harold Wright and other influential players were not as enamored of the old Morres and gladly played what we now call blue box Vandorens. After Marcellus retired from the Cleveland Orchestra in 1973, the quality of the old Morres declined and, along with it, American players' interest in them.
Post Edited (2017-11-28 05:13)
|
|
The Clarinet BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
