(108) DBX Reel To PIANO SONATAS FAC SEALED

$

40

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Guaranteed for a Flawless Recording!!!

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(see below for grading definitions)  

MUZIO CLEMENTI'S SONATAS

    
The composer of the definitive Classical piano sonata, Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) was the first  to create keyboard works expressly for the capabilities of the pianoforte.  Acclaimed as the father of the pianoforte and modern piano technique, this complex and influential musician was also the first virtuoso on the instrument. Clementi was a celebrated composer and teacher,  orchestral conductor, symphonic composer,  music publisher, and piano manufacturer.

Clementi's influence extended well into the 19th century, with composers using his sonatas as models for their keyboard compositions.  Beethoven, in particular, had the highest regard for Clementi and  not only admired his piano sonatas but placed them above those of Mozart in importance.

The most accurate description of Beethoven's regard for Clementi's music can be found in the testimony of his assistant, Anton Schindler, who wrote "He had the greatest admiration for these sonatas, considering them the most beautiful, the most pianistic of works, both for their lovely, pleasing, original melodies and for the consistent, easily followed form of each movement.  Beethoven had but little liking for Mozart's piano music, and the musical education of his beloved nephew was confined for many years almost exclusively to the playing of Clementi sonatas." (Beethoven as I Knew Him, ed. Donald M. McArdle, trans. Constance Jolly, Chapel Hill and London, 1966).

Schindler continues with reference to Beethoven's fondness for Clementi's piano sonatas: "For these he had the greatest preference and placed them in the front rank of pieces appropriate to the development of fine piano playing, as much for their lovely, pleasing, fresh melodies as for the well knit, fluent forms of all the movements."

In Moscheles edition of Schindler's biography he quotes Schindler as follows:
"Among all the masters who have written for pianoforte, Beethoven assigned to Clementi the very foremost rank.  He considered his works excellent as studies for practice, for the formation of a pure taste, and as truly beautiful subjects for performance. 

Beethoven used to say...'They who thoroughly study Clementi, at the same time make themselves acquainted with Mozart and other composers; but the converse is not the fact.' "

Carl Czerny (1791-1857), a student of Beethoven, also had the highest regard for Clementi's piano sonatas and used them successfully in his teaching of Franz Liszt. Czerny referred to Clementi as "the foremost pianist of his time."
 

All ramblin-jack Reel to Reel Tapes, except factory sealed in original shrinkwrap are previewed in their entirely by R-J and only original Flawless Recordings are sold (guaranteed) and graded (MINT-) & properly wound back onto the factory reel in the 'play' mode for protection.

PAYMENT, SHIPPING INFO:

FORMS OF PAYMENT ACCEPTED:

U.S. Winners-Pay Pal, U.S. Personal Checks, Money Orders, Western Union or U.S. Currency ONLY.

International Winners- Pay Pal, Western Union, or U.S. Currency ONLY.

LAND OF THE FREE SHIPPING RATES:

Priority Mail w/ Delivery Confirmation: $7.00

Media Mail w/ Delivery Confirmation: $3.50

Insurance is always optional for U.S. Buyers.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING RATES:

Surface rate: $7.00

Air Mail to Canada/Mexico $7.00

Global Priority Mail $14.00 (Italy & a few others not eligible)

Good Luck!!!

NOTES ON THE UNIQUE BARCLAY-CROCKER COMPANY:

The fastidious BARCLAY-CROCKER Reel to Reel Tape Company of Poughkeepsie, New York was internationally famous for manufacturing Reel to Reel tapes with a "no-holds-barred" attitude to quality.  BARCLAY-CROCKER, (BC), carefully chose recordings for manufacturing only after critical evaluation of the MASTER TAPE supplied by the original licensing (record) company.  After passing stringent BC standards,  the record company master was painstakingly recorded 1-to-1 to a running master at 15 inches per second on 1/2 inch mastering tape and not subjected to any external limiting, compression or equalization.  These new BC running masters were used to produce the LIMITED EDITION ISSUES (some less than ONE HUNDRED!) at tape recording speeds unheard of for the REEL TO REEL TAPE INDUSTRY.  

Most commercially available Reel to Reel tapes in their day, were duplicated at very high speeds (60 -240 IPS) ranging from 8 to 32 times the tape's normal playing speed at 7 1/2 IPS or up to 64 times the speed of a 3 3/4 IPS tape!  The BROAD-BANDWIDTH required at these high speeds severly taxes the amplifiers and heads of the duplicating equipment and adversely affects both the FREQUENCY RESPONSE and NOISE LEVEL of the duplicated tapes.  BC's custom modified AMPEX DUPLICATING EQUIPMENT was set to operate at a ratio of only 4-to-1 (running master at 60 ips; recorded copies at 30 ips, or only 4 TIMES the normal playing speed of 7 1/2 ips).  Because of this SLOW DUPLICATION speed, combined with the carefully made B-C running master and the use of the most expensive premium polyester-based, Audiotape Q-15,  low noise tape they were able to produce a commercially available tape that captures the FULL RANGE, BRILLIANCE, and TONAL SUBTELTIES of the original master, far surpassing the ORIGINAL REEL TO REEL RELEASE by the record company (if one was even released)!!!  The DOLBY B noise-reduction process was used on all but an select few recordings which were recorded processed to the DBX II standard (in extremely low quanities per selection).

For TEN glorious years (1976-1986) the BARCLAY-CROCKER CO painstakingly offered a product uniquely qualified to become bonafied exceptions to the limiting conditions which were then offered to the Reel To Reel listening public.  To say that BC was the state-of-the-art source of it's day for reels is a cliched understatement.  BC's very limited releases are simply extremely RARE EXAMPLES OF RECORDED MUSIC PERFECTION.  And in time, the value, appreciation & desirability of these recordings will prove the axiom;

  "If a man does not keep pace with his companions; perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away".  Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)    

 RAMBLIN' JACK'S REEL TO REEL (RTR) GRADING: 

ORIGINAL MAGNETIC TAPE:

After inspection and review, ALL ACCEPTED 'opened box' magnetic tapes are rated MINT - (mint minus).   We 'listen to' all tapes and do not sell any RTR's with sound problems.  The sound on all our tapes are guaranteed faultless.  All tapes sold are complete without any missing tracks, etc.  No substitute recording has been added to replace prior owner accidental erased sections.  After-market leader tape material will be left as is, as will be auto-reversed sensing tape if evident.   'Blank' factory tape before or after the music may have been shortened from the original length.

ORIGINAL SHRINKWRAPPED BOXES:

Factory Sealed boxes are graded MINT (both tape and box) and are left unopened with all it's original shrinkwrap intact.  Factory Sealed with original (not redo) shrink-wrap, whether or not the shrink is torn, busted etc., but a shrink-wrap 'flaw', if appropriate, would be mentioned on auction.  The box in the shrink is assumed perfect, and any damages to the box, if seen through the shrink-wrap would be noted.  Incidentally, the MINT category is not returnable under the normal ramblin-jack guarantee.  As we do not know what the item is like within the wrapped article.  Any non shrink-wrapped boxes with original closure tape tabs on edge of box will be automatically graded MINT- , regardless of whether it appears unopened or not. 

ORIGINAL OPENED BOXES: 

FINAL NOTE: