Vol. 1, No. 59


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|CONTRABASS-L                                       |

|        An email list for discussion of bass and   |

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Vol. 1, No. 59

21 November 1996


EDITOR'S NOTE: Let's welcome new subscribers Steve Corns < MSurvey@music.cmm.unt.edu > and Amanda L Loomer < clairannet@juno.com >. This list now has more than 50 subscribers, mind-boggling though that may be.

Perhaps we should start an ensemble...


From: "Steve Corns (Music Survey)" <MSurvey@music.cmm.unt.edu>
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 13:10:00 -600 (CDT)


I would like to be added to the Contrabass Winds list.

Thank you.


To: "Steve Corns (Music Survey)" <MSurvey@music.cmm.unt.edu>
From: gdgreen@crl.com (Grant Green)
Subject: Re:


>I would like to be added to the Contrabass Winds list.
>Thank you.

Done!

It's traditional for new subscribers to post an introduction (not required, but appreciated), particularly describing your interest, instruments played etc. Next digest may be later this week, but should be no later than next Monday.

Grant


Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 13:33:51 PST
Subject: SUBSCRIBE CONTRABASS-L
From: clairannet@juno.com (Amanda L Loomer)


My address is ClairAnnet@juno.com


To: clairannet@juno.com (Amanda L Loomer)
From: gdgreen@crl.com (Grant Green)
Subject: Re: SUBSCRIBE CONTRABASS-L


>My address is ClairAnnet@juno.com

Welcome aboard!

It's traditional (to the extent a list 5 months old can have traditions) for new subscribers to post an introduction. Not required, but appreciated. Something along the lines of what your interest is, instruments played, etc.

Next digest probably will be next Monday, unless there's a sudden flurry of messages.

Grant


OK, so I did one early...


From: Francis Firth <Francis.Firth@uce.ac.uk>
Subject: Bass Oboe
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 96 09:23:00 GMT


Grant,

I've just acquired the first ever commercial recording of a piece for bass oboe (no, not Heckelphone).

It's by the Canadian Lawrence Cherney of a 5.18 minute piece by Chris Paul Harman called Poem for bass oboe and piano. It's nice, if a little short, and the instrument can be heard quite clearly. I'm not sure, however, that it shows off the full range of the instrument as much as I'd like. It's on Centrediscs and called THE CHARMER, (CMC-CD 5395) and available from the Canadian Music Information Centre in Toronto (they do have a web page).

Lawrence Cherney acquired his bass oboe from Loree in 1994 when they invited him to choose one (a gift?) to help publicise the instrument. He has certainly done that. He has commissioned and performed (in Winnipeg) the first ever concerto for bass oboe by Gavin Bryars (British composer) which is published by Schott.

He has also formed a bass oboe and bass clarinet duo Bass Instincts with Henry Bok. They performed at the 1995 IDRS meet in Rotterdam (where Cherney also performed a solo piece for bass oboe by his brother Brian Cherney and a piece for bass oboe and tape by Barry Truax) and at the 1996 one at Talahassee (no doubt a performance tape will be available of the latter, 1996 performance). He has apparently commissioned 2 other Canadian composers to write bass oboe pieces for him but I can't remember their names (given on the CD notes).

Perhaps we can persuade him to record some more bass oboe stuff - how about the Bryars concerto?

The only other major bass oboe player I know of was Nora Post who played some pieces at Darmstadt Summer School 1984 - Broadway Boogie by Christopher Fox for 3 bass oboes (2 pretaped); A Survivor from Warsaw by Robert Moran for 9 bass oboes (8 pre-taped) a duo for bass oboe and bass clarinet (Roger Heaton) by Chris Dench called for Nora and Roger and an arrangement by Ray Pizzi for solo bass oboe of "What are you doing for the rest of your Life" by Michael? Legrand. All of these were taped and are in the Darmstadt summer school archive. She was, according to a blurb, commissioning pieces from Brian Ferneyhough (didn't come to anything he wrote to me) Edwin Roxburgh (don't know if written he didn't reply) and Betsy Jolas (again no reply when I wrote). Unfortunately Nora Post has a serios illness which forced her to retire from solo playing but she runs a thriving oboe business.

That's all for now on bass oboe matters,

Francis Firth
Francis.Firth@uce.ac.uk


>Grant,
>I've just acquired the first ever commercial recording of a piece for bass
>oboe (no, not Heckelphone).

Francis,

Sounds great! I've run across one other CD that has bass oboe: a recording of Vivaldi's The Seasons (yeah, again) and another Vivaldi work whose title I don't recall. The "other" work is played on a diverse group of instruments including 2 mandolins and a bass oboe (I think there are 10-12 instruments all together). The bass oboe, unfortunately, is not very prominent. I'll look up the details when I get home.

I've also run across a trio for bass oboe, bass clarinet, and bass flute, called "Parable" by Christopher Dobrian (dobrian@uci.edu). I emailed the composer, and he sent me a cassette. Modern, pretty good. He's now working on a piece including contrabass clarinet, and has asked my assistance trying out fingerings for multiphonics.

More later,

Grant


Robert, I saw this and couldn't pass it up. BTW, you are welcome to post things like this, that might be of interest to the group.

>Newsgroups: alt.music.saxophone
>From: groover@netcom.com (Robert Groover)
>Subject: Keilwerth bass sax for sale
>Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 12:07:46 GMT
>
>I know a recent widow in the Dallas area who has a Keilwerth bass for
>sale. It's a fine horn which speaks very easily (and has a nice third
>octave), but also has a good full bass-sax sound.
>
>The price is $4500. Please send queries to me by e-mail, and I'll reply
>or call the owner. (Don't expect too fast a response, though.)
>
>Robert Groover groover@netcom.com (PGP key on request)
>Member ECS, AVS, ACM, OSA, Sen.Mem.IEEE, Reg'd Patent Atty
> "Perhaps I too am a dragon, only dreaming I am a book."



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