 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2004-01-29 22:07
Herman Zoeller, clarinetist for the performance art polka group Jerry Zuchmeister and the Albuquerque Fatboys, hold the record for playing Philip Glass' 4'33 in 3 minutes and 8 seconds.s
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Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
Post Edited (2004-01-29 22:08)
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-01-29 22:58
LOL@magritte - indeed. I can't play 4'33 in 0 seconds ... so I'm afraid I beat that record.
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2004-01-30 03:22
Oy, did I say Philip Glass? I meant John Cage.
/slinks away feeling dumb
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: paulwl
Date: 2004-01-30 03:55
People who live in Glass Cages shouldn't Philip their Johns.
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Author: Joel Clifton
Date: 2004-01-30 11:12
Robert Spring did a masterclass here at Miami University last semester, and I would have to say that he is the fastest player. He did things with the clarinet that I didn't know was possible.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-01-30 13:29
I do things with a clarinet you wouldn't think possible!
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Author: Rev. Avery
Date: 2004-01-30 15:25
I'd say Putte Wickman is pretty fast. But, too fast I don't find enjoyable. It's like listening to Charlie Parker - he fast, but sacrifices feeling??
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2004-01-30 16:31
Johnny, without answering your question, I suggest you listen to "Solfegietto" on the Eddie Daniels CD "Breakthrough."
The fastest Clarinet player in history, of course, was Bruno Muczynski of the Wisconsin Popular Polka Band, who played clarinet for a brief while during a trip from Paris to New York on an Air France Concorde in 1983. He was extremely fast, traveling at a speed of 1,376 miles per hour (2,214 kph), approximately Mach 2.0.
Regards,
John
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2004-01-30 17:19
Sorry, John.
During the TLI (Trans-Lunar Injection) phase of Apollo 12 on November 14, 1969, Command Module Pilot Alan Bean pulled out a clarinet he snuck on board (believed to be an eefer) and honked out a high C while traveling at about 25,636 miles per hour. Commander Pete Conrad and CM Pilot Dick Gordon were none too pleased.
An excerpt from the mission transcript is below (available from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/mission_trans/apollo12.htm).
----------------
00:06:13:43 CDR
CB SECS arm two's open
00:06:13:48 CC
Apollo 12, Houston, Yankee Clipper velocity now approximately thirty seven thousand six hundred feet per second
00:06:13:56 CMP
Gimbal's good
00:06:14:02 SC
(unidentified squeak)
00:06:14:03 CDR
..the hell's that?
00:06:14:06 LMP
(Laughter)
00:06:14:08 SC
... clarinet, Beano?
00:06:14:11 CC
Apollo 12, Houston, copy on ground unidentified noise, Pete, what's goin on up there?
00:06:14:13 CMP
... many times I told you I don't want no horsin around on the airplane?
00:06:14:16 CDR
Houston, Yankee Clipper, Alan brought along some entertainment, that's what you heard.
00:06:14:19 LMP
I'm the fastest clarinetist alive!
00:06:14:24 CC
Apollo 12, verify no burst helium disks.
00:06:14:26 SC
...that damn thing away.
00:06:14:28 CDR
Roger Houston, will verify.
00:06:14:30 SC
Good luck, Mr. Gorsky.
00:06:14:33 CC
Yankee Clipper, say again?
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2004-01-30 18:38
Ralph, while I might apologize for perceived confusion in my response, the initial question was clearly "Who is the world's fastest player?" My reply was intended to satisfy the critical sense of the question. My reference indeed shows Muczynski as "fastest Clarinet player in the world." I'm sure you would concur that interplanetary space is hardly a terrestrial environment. Bean did not become the "the world's fastest player," but rather the fastest Clarinet player in outer space. Do note that Bean's accomplishment makes Clarinetting the fastest musicianship of all time.
By the way, Bean was actually the Lunar Module Pilot on that mission, becoming the fourth human to set foot on the Moon. So when you look into the sky and see our closest celestial neighbor, you can think to yourself, "A fellow Clarinet player has been there."
Should you happen to see Mr. Gorsky (I wonder if he is still extant?), do pass along my hearty compliments.
Regards,
John
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2004-01-30 19:18
Oy, did I say Bean was command module pilot? I meant lunar module.
I humbly accept both your corrections.
/hangs head in shame
/verifies that John Cage wasn't a character in "Emergency!"
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
Post Edited (2004-01-30 19:30)
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2004-01-30 21:28
"Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it."
But what if you don't believe in god?
And, as all sceptics know: they never really landed on the moon- it was all filmed in Hollywood!
Eric Hoeprich, on his recording of Mozart's clarinet concerto with The Orchestra Of The Old Fairfield Academy, plays the Adagio movement in 5 minutes 45 seconds (really!). It sounds like a waltz. Nobody has ever played it that fast. Anton Stadler came close in a legendary performance in Latvia, where he rushed through the concerto as quickly as possible, in order not to miss the poker game at the Riga Casino (1793).
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Author: R13A
Date: 2004-01-31 03:47
Al Della Gordo (sp?)
yes......does it matter? Dosen't musicanship fit in somewhere .
speed......as an aside......I'll ask the speedsters what I asked Julian Bliss in Oklahoma...nice, real nice but an you play scales ? ![[whoa]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie10.gif)
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Author: RM
Date: 2004-01-31 15:43
Quite right R13A. I recall a masterclass with David Shifrin, when a youngster brought in a flash and dash finger piece. Mr. Shifrin sat calmly and listened while they hacked and flashed around.
When the display was over he said, "Do you have any music to play?"
Fast clarinet players are a dime a dozen, good musicians are a rare find.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2004-01-31 15:55
maybe a better thread might be, who plays the most beautiful phrases?
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Author: SomethingCopland
Date: 2004-01-31 17:41
Hey, Johnny, I've got a true answer for you.
Stanley Drucker, that is, 22 years ago was the fastest "clean" player ever, probably. In his recording of Corigliano's concerto, he plays the beginning, marked "as fast as possible" at an alarming speed. I'm guessing that he plays at a steady rate of about 2100 notes/ minute in the opening grace note passage. Later on he plays just as fast. He hits every note, if you check the score and everything is clean. He was truly a great musician and a very fast player. His technique, you must remember, had been heavily advanced for over three decades by that point.
Richard Stoltzman is truly another matter. He actually plays a few sections of this concerto faster than Drucker does---but as Stoltzman will often do, he glisses half of the really fast passages and lags in the tongued sections. It's his deal though, you know, to play that way, it's just too much jazz at the wrong time, in my oppinion.
Now, Charles Neidich has the fastest tongue in the west. You know the Weber Concerto No. 2 last page of the third movement---he tongues most of it. It's insane, but really, he's a truly well-rounded instrumentalist and a studied musician. He has great skills as an all around player, at least when it comes to intonation and accuracy and cleanliness, he beats Stoltzman and Drucker, but he can't play quite as fast, I don't think. He's a marvelous musician, and maybe he can, like I said, he's a well-rounded instrumentalist.
For another pyrotechnician of the clarinet, you have to notice that Robert Spring has spent a huge amount of his practice hours perfecting double tonguing, single tonguing, circular breathing. He's great, and what's even better is, he is really good at teaching his techniques to students. He's fast, it is true, but he's not quite Stoltzman. He's a great musician and he really gets into the music and has fun with it.
I hope that answers your question. Truly fast technique is not so hard to attain as it is to make consistent and keep under control. Like the Shifrin comment above, it can get in the way of the music and can ultimately ruin a performance sometimes. This isn't like powerlifting, or sprinting I mean, it's not about how fast one can go or how many weird things one can do with the clarinet. Clarinetists often get caught up in facility, but it's only one part, one of many, though a very necessary one, if you ask me.
Stanley, Sydney, Russ, Michelle, David, Deborah, Chuck, Jon, Ricardo, Marc, Sabine, Elsa, Laura, John, Larry, Robert, Paul---They all know Copland.
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Author: Dawne
Date: 2004-02-01 09:28
I heard a Robert Spring piece the other day that blew me away...
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-02-01 14:22
I suppose a valuable subset would be; "Who's the fastest player that anyone would care to hear?"
In the early '80s Al DiMeola set out to be the fastest guitar player.
Funny how his stuff (which was technically superior) didn't sell well and a more relaxed approach (like Clapton) sold boatloads.
Ricci Morales is fast, but leaves room for his audience.
As for John Cage compositions, the briefer, the better.
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Author: jim lande
Date: 2004-02-02 04:52
>>pulled out a clarinet he snuck on board (believed to be an eefer) and honked out a high C while traveling at about 25,636 miles per hour.
Were they heading away from earth at that point or towards it? Those aren't red shift speeds, but I wonder how many pennies sharp or flat would result. Perhaps he was really playing a B or a D?
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Author: William
Date: 2004-02-02 14:48
However, in a concert band setting, it isn't being "the fastest" that is most important--it is the LOUDEST cat that everyone follows.
(notwithstanding the conductor, of course)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-02-02 17:27
As for the loudest, Anthony Gigliotti was in a class by himself. He played under the suffocating blanket of the richest string section in the world, and also in probably the deadest hall in the world, the Academy of Music.
He also came up playing with William Kincaid, Marcel Tabuteau, Sol Schoenbach and Mason Jones, each of whom was a force of nature. Tabuteau was infamous for slicing you to ribbons if you couldn't balance.
He played the stiffest reeds imaginable and cultivated a bright tone that could cut through glass when he wanted to. He said that in the Philadelphia Orchestra, he played at three dynamics: forte, fortissimo, and BTSOOI (Blow The S*** Out Of It).
As for the fastest, once the fingers are a blur, and the notes go by faster than you can hear them, it doesn't make much difference. Al Gallodoro, for example.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-02-03 11:06
I had the great pleasure to meet Tony G at the Garden State Racetrack pavillion, back in 1993. It was a barn of a place, and the sound was considerably more expansive than across the river, at the AoM.
My teacher at the time was one of his students from Temple U.
On prompting, I went to hear the fabulous Philadelphians.
At intermission, I got a chance to meet himself, while he was keeping warm.
I asked about generating a tone to be heard so far into the hall...
(we had cheap seats - rush tickets).
He blew a C# that made me cringe.
"How was that? Be honest" he asked.
"Doctor G - that was awful." I answered.
"Let's try that again - go stand on the other side of that wall."
He blew again, and it sounded transformed... same note - more distance.
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-07-21 20:00
Ralph G wrote:
<<During the TLI (Trans-Lunar Injection) phase of Apollo 12 on November 14, 1969, Command Module Pilot Alan Bean pulled out a clarinet he snuck on board (believed to be an eefer) and honked out a high C while traveling at about 25,636 miles per hour. Commander Pete Conrad and CM Pilot Dick Gordon were none too pleased.
An excerpt from the mission transcript is below (available from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/mission_trans/apollo12.htm).>>
Is this really true? I looked through the mission transcripts in the link and was disappointed that I couldn't find any comms from the time period referenced in Ralph's post.
I do know that several prominent people in the Apollo program were musical. Neil Armstrong played baritone and brought a Kappa Kappa Psi pin with him to the moon. Wernher Von Braun studied piano and composition with Paul Hindemith and also played the cello. Gene Cernan played clarinet in high school (for a while, anyway--he left the band to play football) and brought recordings of Acker Bilk along with him on Apollo 10--possibly the fastest solo clarinet recording of all time! 
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Author: ned
Date: 2009-07-21 23:39
''What clarinet player is the fastest or most technical in the world ?''
Don't know about the current record (no pun) holder, but Buster Bailey would have come close, listen to.........................http://www.redhotjazz.com/bbrb.html
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2009-07-23 19:59
Alessandro Carobonare
...........the guitar bit was just silly, silly I tell you.
.............................Paul Aviles
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2009-07-23 23:04
There are a plethora of soloists who can play at lightning speed.
Carbonare, Frost, Morales, Neidich, Drucker, Pay, Meyer (any of the Meyers... including Oscar), the list goes on and on.
Great players have great technique, it goes with the territory.
No big deal
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Lee
Date: 2009-07-24 00:49
At the ClarinetFest 2006 Andy Firth played at the final concert and was extremely fast. Have no way of compairing speeds.
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-07-24 00:57
This is an old thread. I only resurrected it because I wanted to know if Ralph's post on Alan Bean was for real or not. Since nobody answered my quesiton, I couldn't find it in the transcripts linked, and I have yet to see a clarinet in a Bean painting, I suspect Ralph was making it up.
I really don't care who's got the fastest fingers on the planet.
Post Edited (2009-07-24 01:02)
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Author: Danny Boy
Date: 2009-07-24 18:29
The answer 'who cares?' to any question is just plain rude. Obviously, someone does, or they wouldn't ask the question.
I've practised on an aircraft going from the UK to Germany - I'd say that puts me up there on speed.
We need to know if any of the F1 drivers play clarinet - they'd be fast players!
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The Clarinet Pages
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