Klarinet Archive - Posting 000023.txt from 1994/07

From: Cary Karp <karp@-----.SE>
Subj: Re: Metal Clarinets
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 1994 18:48:15 -0400

On Fri, 1 Jul 1994, Clark W Fobes wrote:

> My problem with metal clarinets is that many, many student model
> clarinets were made that really are junk.

Junkiness is an attribute of the manufacturing process, not anything
inherent in a material. There are plenty of real junk grenadilla student
instruments knocking about, as well. High quality metal flutes and
saxophones are the rule rather the exception and I doubt that anyone can
present a credible argument for there being something inherent in the
design of the clarinet that precludes its high quality manufacture in
metal.

> I am interested in the development of the metal clarinet. Since they
> began to appear in the 30's I wonder if it was an answer to lack of blackwood
> from Africa due to the Nazi occupation in North Africa. Not being a WWII
> historian, I may have the dates confused

I can't comment on the military-mercantile explanation but would be more
inclined to see metal clarinets as an outgrowth of the saxophone boom.
U.S. factories were tooled up for metalwork on a far greater scale than
they were for woodwork and I'd guess that the production of quality metal
clarinets seemed both a reasonable challenge to their artisanry and a
reasonable marketing goal.