Klarinet Archive - Posting 000012.txt from 1994/07

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Burton Beerman's clarinet
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 1994 13:25:54 -0400

Burton describes a clarinet at least 100 years old made out of amaterial
that I am not sure about. Burton, did you mean a "terra cotta" clarinet,
or a clarinet made out of the same material as, very roughly, a flower pot?

Terra cotta is a clay based material than can be formed into any shape.
And it lasts, literally, forever. There was dug up in China about a decade
ago, an entire terra cotta army of soliders, horses, etc. of more than 20,000
life size figures made more than 2,000 years ago. Some were broken, of course,
because they had been buried in earth. But thousands were intact and are, even
today, on exhibit in China.

I cannot think of a reason why a clarinet could not be made out of it,
though if you ever dropped it, bye bye clarinet.

But all of this presumes that you meant "terra cotta" as the material.
Tell us some more about it. It is red (or rust) color? Does the material
remind you of a flower pot? Is it shiny or dull.

I absolutely must hear about this instrument for terra cotta is the last
material that I would have thought of as appropriate for a clarinet.

Have you played the instrument? Tell us what it sounds like.

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Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
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