 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-07-13 02:42
I just heard another set of music by Stoltzman today on classical radio. What a fantastic and well balanced sound! As everyone in the clarinet world already knows, Mr. Stoltzman sets a very high standard of excellence for classical music performance on the clarinet.
I can understand the altissimo tone and sound being akin to that of the flute, which is well understood and expected from clarinetists. Mr. Stoltzman can hit the highs smoothly and softly, so they sound just like a flute. Very sweet indeed. I can understand the depth and richness of the chalemeau, which in Mr. Stoltzman's case is absolutely exquisite. Kind of like enjoying a very dark rich chocolate. Both are very deep, rich, and quite satisfying to the soul. However, I believe I heard some clarion notes that sounded amazingly like a harmonica. Now, that's truly different to me. Now, keep in mind that I'm only an adult novice and I've just started listening (an actively studying type of listening) to classical music on a good stereo radio recently. So, hearing the clarinet sounding very much like a harmonica is new to me.
My question is this. How did Mr. Stolzman create the harmonica-like sound? What brand and type of horn and set-up does he use for recordings? Is this an example of polyphonics that folks talk about every now and then on this BBS? If so, how is this created?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-07-13 03:53
I personally have a love/hate relationship with Stoltzman's sound, haveing heard him live on several occasions. I enjoyed the Foss pieces he played (Lukas Foss played piano), New York Counterpoint. Thought his rendition of the Gershwin preludes were akin to the intake side of a vacuum cleaner. Vibrato gets tiresome when used all the time, same as his lip bends. I don't have my programs handy to remind me of the others, but let's say it generally ends up for me a good 50/50 on the love/hate.
The first thing I can remember hearing from Stoltzman (or of _any_ clarinet playing at all!) is the Debussey Arabesque (#5 ??) - and thinking that it must have been written for the clarinet and adapted for piano, not vice-versa. The vibrato he used was thick, but it seemed to (and still does) fit nicely into the piece.
He definitely has his moments, and is a relentless promoter of both the clarinet and himself - which isn't a bad thing in either case, IMHO. If I could play as well as he does - I'd play a different way, but that's just me. YMMV.
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Author: John
Date: 1999-07-13 14:40
I never thought of describing a clarinet sound by comparing it to a harmonica, but I know what you mean. This is a sound quality that my early teacher, Tiny Heinrich in Denver, excelled at and that I keep trying for. I think of it as kind of an "r" sound that has a special roundness and a tight center (whatever that means). Hard to say in words. As to how, some has to do with mouthpiece, perhaps a more closed facing. I think even tongue position is important. More than anything, it is a sound concept that you internalize and copy over a long period of time. I would be interested to hear from others about this.
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Author: STuart
Date: 1999-07-13 16:52
When I was in school all my peers and I dissed Stoltzmann before we really understood what he was doing. We were into David Shiffrin and "darker sounds." But now I like Stoltzman, I started liking him when he did the arrangment of Finzi Bagatelles. And I got into his recording of Messian. His sound is original, and I was blind to that a few years ago. The more I play by ear, the more I hear his sound. It sounds like maybe he uses a softer reed and maintains a high tongue position. His airstream really glides along too. I guess I haven't really thought too much about it, but would you guys agree his setup sounds more free blowing than say, well, almost anybody in the genre.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-07-13 18:17
STuart wrote:
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His sound is original
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to that I'll most definitely agree - which makes it interesting, even when I don't like what he does.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-07-13 18:22
Several weeks ago I heard Stolz. on NPR Perf Today, and as I said then The Carmen Flower Song was exquisite, is there a CD that includes it? Wish I could play as well from mid Clarion up! Have been trying out pro cls for darker sound , no great success! Mark, please tell me [and others] what the acronyms IMHO etc mean [is my age showing?]. Don
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-07-13 19:57
There's lots (and they've been bouncing around for over 20 years on mailing lists :^) The most common ones I use (some not on the BBoard or Klarinet, though):<BR><BR> AFAIK - As Far As I Know <BR> BCNU - Be seeing you <BR> BTW - By The Way <BR> CUL - see you later <BR> DWIM - Do What I Mean <BR> DWIMC - Do What I Mean, Correctly <BR> FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions <BR> FITNR - Fixed In The Next Release <BR> FOAF - Friend Of A Friend (see alt.urban.folklore :^) <BR> FOD - Finger Of Death <BR> FUD - Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt <BR> FWIW - For What It's Worth <BR> FYI - For Your Information <BR> FYA - For Your Amusement <BR> IIRC - If I Recall Correctly <BR> IMHO - In My Humble Opinion <BR> IMNSHO - In My Not So Humble Opinion <BR> IWBNI - It Would Be Nice If ... <BR> IYFEG - Insert Your Favorite Ethnic Group (see rec.humor) <BR> KIBO - Knowledge In, B******t out. <BR> LOL - Laughing Out Loud <BR> MEGO - Mine Eyes Glazeth Over (also known as Frantic Handwaving) <BR> MMF - Make Money Fast (see any postmaster/spam list) <BR> MOTAS = Members Of The Appropriate Sex <BR> MOTOS - Members Of The Opposite Sex <BR> MOTSS - Members Of The Same Sex <BR> OB - OBligatory <BR> OBTW - Oh, By The Way <BR> OIC - oh, I see <BR> OTOH - On The Other Hand <BR> PHB - Pointy Haired Boss <BR> pr0n - Pornography <BR> ROTF - Rolling On The Floor <BR> ROTFL - Rolling On The Floor Laughing <BR> RSN - Rean Soon Now (see FITNR) <BR> RTBM - Read The Bloody Manual! <BR> RTFAQ - Read The FAQ! <BR> RTFM - See RTBM <BR> SO - Significant Other <BR> STFW - Search The Web <BR> TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch (from Robert Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress") <BR> TIA - Thanks In Advance <BR> TNX - thanks <BR> TNX 1.0E6 - thanks a million (humorous) <BR> TNXE6 - another form of "thanks a million" <BR> TTFN - Ta-Ta For Now <BR> TTYL - Talk To You Later <BR> TMTOWTDI - There's More Than One Way To Do It (The Official Motto of Perl) <BR> WOMBAT - Waste Of Money, Brains, and Time <BR> WRT - With Regard To or With Respect To <BR> WTF - the universal interrogative <BR> WTH - What The Heck <BR> WYSIAYG - What You See Is All You Get <BR> WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get <BR> YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary <BR> <BR> OB Hacker Humor: <BR> <BR> You know you're a hacker when: <BR> <BR> not only do you check your email more often than your paper mail, but you remember your network address faster than your postal one. <BR> <BR> your SO kisses you on the neck and the first thing you think is "Uh, oh, priority interrupt." <BR> <BR> you go to balance your checkbook and discover that you're doing it in octal. <BR> <BR> your computers have a higher street value than your car. <BR> <BR> in your universe, `round numbers' are powers of 2, not 10. <BR> <BR> more than once, you have woken up recalling a dream in some programming language. <BR> <BR> you realize you have never seen half of your best friends.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-07-13 20:49
What a group, now I'll know what is being said!! Tks, I have my own "shorts", many of a "kchomical" nature [work-related], but thot I should not be uniformed for the 2000's+
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Author: Marci
Date: 1999-07-14 02:54
Don Berger wrote:
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Several weeks ago I heard Stolz. on NPR Perf Today, and as I said then The Carmen Flower Song was exquisite, is there a CD that includes it?
The CD of Stoltzman's that has the Carmen aria on it is called "Aria." It was released in 1997, and a book of his transcriptions has also come out (includes both the solos and piano accompaniment). I really enjoy the recording; it's a good way to start the day off with a smile. His virtuosic playing is definitely exhibited through some of these most famous opera arias. I suggest you get it if you enjoyed that recording you heard on NPR!
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 1999-07-14 03:11
I thought like this:"Acronym: this is a word, like radar or NATO, not a set of initials, like the BBC or the IMF."
(The Economist "Style Book"-Common Solecism)
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-07-14 03:40
Hiroshi wrote:
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I thought like this:"Acronym: this is a word, like radar or NATO, not a set of initials, like the BBC or the IMF."
(The Economist "Style Book"-Common Solecism)
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You are technically correct; some of the initals can be considered acronyms, however, sicne they're pronouncable (TAANSTAFL is pronounced the way it looks). Current usage, though not correct, would be to call these acronyms. Since English is our first language, we tend not to be so precise!
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-07-14 04:29
Mark Charette wrote:
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You are technically correct; some of the initals can be considered acronyms, however, sicne they're pronouncable (TAANSTAFL is pronounced the way it looks). Current usage, though not correct, would be to call these acronyms. Since English is our first language, we tend not to be so precise!
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Absolutely true and sometimes I think that of the native speakers of English that we Americans tend to be less precise than others.
When I talk to my colleagues from Germany, I take extra care to be precise in my use of English since they will have learned the formal version of the language. Even though several of them have spent extended periods of time in the US, it is still easy for them to get confused when the speaker is careless.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-07-15 15:44
Many tks [acronym or just a personal abbreviation??] , Marci for the info , will get and enjoy! Very true re: our acronyms, Dee and Mark, and also the observations re : British vs Amer. "English" language. We came face to face with the differences when we had a fluent West German foreign student [via AFS] back in the 70's, and when we had a month in So. Germany in '87. My Ger. ancestry didn't help much! Discovered "clear speaking"! Don
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Author: Fat Albert
Date: 1999-07-18 02:59
At Marci's suggestion, I got Stoltzman's "Aria". What an awesome CD! Highly recommended. Thanx for bringing it up!
Fat Albert
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Author: brian
Date: 1999-07-21 04:01
i agree with you mark, and i guess it all comes down to personal preference.
I've kind of noticed that stoltzman seems more popular among non-clarinetists than clarinetists, just with the people i've heard talk about him.
And man, does anyone else out there think that a clarinet should sound like a CLARINET and not a harmonica or a sax or a dirt devil or God knows what else ?
guess there aren't many recordings of bonade out there, but there are plenty of marcellus, and i listen to him, then hear stoltzman, and it makes me want to gag
anyway, just wanted to throw some other thoughts in the mix there:)
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Author: Becky
Date: 1999-08-17 02:23
Dear Paul,
Stoltzman's unique and "harmonica" sounding tone could possibly be because of the mouthpiece he uses. He wrote me that he uses Kalmen Opperman's mouthpiece ( Opperman is his teacher) and that you can write Kalmen and ask him if he is still making them. They used to cost $250, they may be more now. If you want to give Opperman's mp a try email me and I'll give you his address. My email: jaime88@msn.com
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