A Comparative Analysis of the Different Performance Methods of the First Movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto K622 in the 20th Century

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto K622 is one of the most famous Concertos in the world. Due to the original score has been lost, Bassett clarinet in G key has gradually stepped out of people's vision in the long history, resulting in 18 versions of score on the world, and there are many completely different recorded versions at the same time. Taking 1970 as a time point, this paper analyzes the recording versions of four international mainstream clarinet masters before and after the 1970s, and horizontally discusses the differences and characteristics of early and late recording, in order to provide reference for clarinet performance and version selection.

Thermographic Study of the Orofacial Structures Involved in Clarinetists Musical Performance

Introduction: Wind instrumentalists like clarinetists, may present a muscular hyperactivity on certain groups of the cranio-cervico-mandibular complex, due to their musical activity. Therefore, the use of infrared thermography can be used to assess and characterize the orofacial structures involved in clarinet performance. Aim: The objective of this study was to analyze and record the thermal patterns using the thermographic camera Flir® E60sc to evaluate anatomically and physiologically certain orofacial structures of the cranio-cervical-mandibular complex, such as the masticatory muscles and the region of the temporomandibular joint. Methodology: A sample of 30 clarinetists completed an individual questionnaire composed of two components (musical and clinical history of the participant), and were subjected to a clinical examination. Four thermographic images were taken of the cranio-cervical-mandibular complex at a rest position with frontal, right lateral, left lateral and anterior dentoalveolar components views. Each musician performed a piece of music for an uninterrupted period of 10 min. New thermographic images were captured with the same incidences, after the performance, respecting the same protocol. Results: There were statistically significant differences in the areas corresponding to the left temporal muscle, the orbicularis muscle (labial component), the left and right perioral teguments, as well as in the upper central incisors. There was also statistical evidence regarding the initial and final temperature asymmetries regarding temporal muscle and orbicular muscles (labial and marginal components). Conclusion: Infrared thermography has been shown to be an effective complementary diagnostic tool in the monitorization of the cranio-cervical-mandibular complex of clarinetists.

Maureen Pytlik

In 2017, Maureen Pytlik graduated from Ottawa’s Carleton University with degrees major in both clarinet performance and mathematics. Her curriculum also included advanced music theory studies and West African drumming and dance. She describes her West African dance experiences as transformative. “I was quite happy to open up and be awkwardly uncoordinated,” she relates, “because it was something that created a lot of group bonding in a way. Feeling part of the group was very important to me because having Asperger’s means it’s not something that I experience easily.” African dance, and drumming too, helped Maureen to navigate a dichotomy which has been difficult for her to manage in her life, and one that she identifies closely with having Asperger’s: the conflicting pulls of competing desires for control and freedom. “I am pulled in these two different directions,” she acknowledges. “My modes of being can fluctuate between the two styles of having control and experiencing freedom, but I have a hard time (as with any polar opposites) hovering in the middle between them without gravitating toward one extreme or the other at any given time.” Music and dance, especially of the West African variety, have enabled her to move closer to achieving that elusive balance.