Bret Pimentel - Woodwind Doubling in Broadway Musicals

[Gandalfe]

My wife got a call up to lead a pit orchestra on reeds. She'll play flute, clarinet, sop and alto sax for a local high school production of 42d Street. She wanted to know the required instruments and I realized that I'd lost my Broadway Book lists in my last computer. So I did some searching and found this stellar resource: Woodwind Doubling in Broadway Musicals. Our own Merlin has contributed to the collection too.

The info is presented in this format:

42nd Street

• 
  1: Flute, clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone
  
  2: Piccolo, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone
  
  3: Clarinet, tenor saxophone
  
  4: Clarinet, tenor saxophone
  
  5: Clarinet, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone

 

[Merlin]

That's a great book - I've played it quite a few times now.

I've probably got a copy of it sitting around here somewhere.

There's some trickyish flute parts. The soprano parts are important, and fairly soloistic at times. The killer clarinet solo in the big 2nd act number is on one of the tenor books, but I've usually had to cover that on the first book.

 

[Gandalfe]

Now it looks like I'm playing reed book five. The only high school kids I've played with in years have been music phenoms. I hope that is the case this time.

The guy that called in a favor to get Suzy and me to play has the music and has been to practices but doesn't know which version (original or revival) the pit orchestra is playing. That surprises me because we always buy the CD for the correct show and then practice hard to sound like those musicians.

I hope this isn't a mistake in the making. He said the dancers and singers seem to be practicing to a different CD than the band has music for. I hope he's just mistaken.

 

[Merlin]

Now it looks like I'm playing reed book five. The only high school kids I've played with in years have been music phenoms. I hope that is the case this time.

The guy that called in a favor to get Suzy and me to play has the music and has been to practices but doesn't know which version (original or revival) the pit orchestra is playing. That surprises me because we always buy the CD for the correct show and then practice hard to sound like those musicians.

I hope this isn't a mistake in the making. He said the dancers and singers seem to be practicing to a different CD than the band has music for. I hope he's just mistaken.

I have the Broadway recording with Jerry Orbach as Julian, and yes, it's somewhat different, as most cast recordings are from the full scores.

The director needs to make a cut list and hand it out to everyone if the dancers have been drilling to that CD.

 

[Gandalfe]

So the director isn't very experienced. They are using the wrong CD for the dancers compared to the music the band is playing. (This is their words, not mine.) She doesn't know how to determine what version the music is. I have the Horn book as the Reed 5 book didn't make it to the first practice I attended. Inside the cover it sez 42nd Street copyright 1986 Michael Stewart. Is it safe for me to assume this is the revival? The book is marked property of Tam-Wittmark Music Library.

In my defense, I listened to cuts from the two CDs on Amazon.com and I couldn't see any distinct similarities between the excerpts and the music I have. Could there be a third version? I have a bad feeling about this gig; it's possible it won't ever see the light of day.

 

[Merlin]

A simple listen through the CD while reading the score should be sufficient to determine whether it's different.

Keep in mind that the broadway version of 42nd St. didn't come out at the same time as the original movie. I think the broadway version may actually have come out in '86.

 

[Gandalfe]

Yes, truth be known I was loathe to ask the director for the score. I have very little confidence in the selected musicians and director to pull this off. Suzy and I will learn from this and it will become a cautionary tale for future telling methinks.

 

[pete]

I've always loved the, "You've been practicing to THAT CD? Not only is it 7 minutes longer, but $song is in a different key!"

(This is particularly fun with, say, Handel's Messiah at your local church.)

Not much you can do about it. I advocate lotsa early rehearsals.