Klarinet Archive - Posting 000324.txt from 1994/10

From: Cary Karp <ck@-----.SE>
Subj: The magic photo
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 1994 17:40:45 -0400

The picture which Dan faxed to me of Eric Hoeprich's reproduction of the
Stadler instrument in the program engraving is, unfortunately, not of high
enough quality to sustain digitization.

All the speculative fuss that we've made about this instrument
notwithstanding, basset horns of exactly this shape were being made during
the first half of the last century and Eric owns a "clarinet-sized"
version of the same design. Anyone who can get at a copy of Anthony
Baines's "European & American Musical Instruments" will find a photograph
in it (#646) of a basset horn of exactly this design. (Repeat -- if you
want to know what the instrument that we've been talking about looks
like, look in the Baines book.)

I would not describe its bell as the globular "Liebesfuss" initially
applied to the oboe d'amore and later to the clarinet d'amore, although it
appears that Stadler may have regarded the instrument as some sort of
latter generation clarinet d'amore. Bells of the design in question have
two apertures, of which one points forwards and one upwards. The player
decides which of them is to be plugged (presumably for tonal reasons not
entirely unlike those underlying the present day reedperson's choice
between straight and curved soprano saxophones). It is unclear from the
fax if this is exactly the case with Eric's instrument, although it
certainly appears so.

And, please, good people -- don't get started on a rash of assumptions
about the design having been Stadler's invention. We've yet to see a shred
of evidence to support that contention. I'd suggest at this point that we
all just sit tight until the reproduction of the engraving is published
along with whatever additional analytical discussion the article may
provide.

Cary <Karp@-----.se>