Re: Tarras's clarinets

[SamWeiss <SamWeiss...>]

At 03:21 PM 10/8/02, Andreas Edlund wrote:
>Right now I am working with Der Glater Bulgar as recorded by the Tarras
>Instrumental Trio. It is recorded in concert b minor, and it seems to me that
>Tarras is playing a clarinet in A. Does anyone on the list have knowledge 
>about
>this? The 'truth' that Brandwein played a C instrument and Tarras a Bb, 
>seems to
>be widely spread. But in this particular piece, neither C or Bb works very 
>well
>(taken that the instrument in use is a clarinet with the Albert system).

I forwarded this query to Kurt Bjorling, who replies:

1. The piece mentioned is NOT recorded in B-minor - it is in Bb-minor.  At
some point a playback speed was not set or checked correctly.  (Not all
"78's" run at 78rpm!)
2. Tarras definitely always played clarinets with the 'German' fingering
system.  The term 'Albert system' is indefinite and is a misnomer.  Tarras
and others sometimes played more recent versions of German-system clarinets
to which the term 'Albert' would be misapplied.
3. Tarras definitely played clarinets in C and Eb on some of his earlier
recordings.  But in later life he denied this.  Andy Statman has told me
amusing stories about Tarras quickly changing the subject whenever this questi
on came up.  The little clarinets were associated with 'folk music' in
Tarras's time and Tarras  himself, wanted to be perceived as a professional -
so he later associated himself exclusively with a 'professional' instrument -
the Bb clarinet.
-Kurt Bjorling

_____________________________________________________________
Cantor Sam Weiss === Jewish Community Center of Paramus, NJ

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