At 4:42 PM -0400 6/18/06, Christopher Smith wrote:
In addition, as I have already said elsewhere, I don't think four
strings and four brass really do the score of Kiss Me Kate justice,
but that was a budgetary decision, not an artistic one.
Since I have the orchestrations to hand, let me lay them out.
BRASS
1948: 1 horn, 3 trumpets, 1 trombone
1999: 1 horn, 2 trumpets (doubling flugel & picc), 1 trombone (opt.
double b bone, tuba)
REEDS
1948: 5 players
1999: 4 players
INSTRUMENT COUNT
1948: 2 flute (1 w/picc), oboe/EH, 5 Bb clarinet, 1 bass clarinet, 1
bassoon, saxes AATTB
1999: 3 flute (1 w/picc), oboe/EH, 4 Bb clarinet, 1 bass clarinet, 1
bassoon, saxes SSAATB
STRINGS
1948: violins 1 & 2, viola, cello, bass
1999: violins 1 & 2 (doubling mandolins), viola (doubling violin), cello, bass
I don't know how far back the practice of using single strings goes,
but it's clearly nothing new. The score to "King & I" includes a
seating chart of the original pit orchestra (which I basically
followed), and shows one player for each part when divisi is factored
in. I assume that this kind of theater-orchestra small string
sections came out of the Lawrence Welk type dance orchestras of the
20s and 30s, and not out of the symphony tradition.
RHYTHM etc.
1948: 1 percussion(?), harp, piano/celesta, guitar/mandolin
1999: 2 percussion, harp, synth, guitar (doubling mandolin &
classical guitar or lute)
The comparison suggests that while budgetary decisions were one
factor, artistic decisions were definitely another. The 1948 score
calls for a minimum of 19, the 1999 score for a minimum of 18. No
big change. Whoever wrote that the show opened with only 15,
something had to be left out if that actually happened. And more
than one string on a part would raise the count by at least 4. (I'm
using 3 3 2 2 1.) But the viola and cello books are written VERY
carefully so that all double stops can be played by one player,
rather than with real divisi.
I can see your case much more clearly with Bernstein (who, if he did
not actually realise his own orchestrations, gave very clear
instructions to whoever was engaged, and refused to even change keys
for a singer). But in other cases, like Kiss me Kate, who is to say
that new orchestrations (probably reduced somewhat, and maybe
updated to sound "right" to modern ears) do not adhere to the
composer's ideas?
Not reduced all that much--1 reed and 1 brass--but with doublings
multiplied. Updated sound, definitely, but done so subtly that I
honestly doubt that anyone in the audience will even notice. WE
notice, of course!
John
--
John Howell, Assistant Music Director
"Kiss Me, Kate," Summer 2006
"Another Openin', Another Show!"
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
VOX 231-8411; 953-1928
FAX 231-5034
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