Klarinet Archive - Posting 000340.txt from 1995/01

From: "David A. GILMAN" <DAGILMAN@-----.EDU>
Subj: Albert System Clarinets
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 12:47:57 -0500

Syd,
Thanks for listing some of the fingerings for the Albert system
instruments. I had been curious about them for many years. I have a few
more questions about them for you [or anyone else out there who knows the
system]. First of all, are f' and c''' fingered T2 (left hand) only, not
T3 as on some modern Oehler system instruments? Also, do f'# and c'''# use
only 1 (first finger, left hand), not some side key combination? As for e'b
and b''b, was the recorder-like fingering the standard through the early
20th century, or did they switch over to a side key fingering at some point?
Lastly, did most later Albert system instruments have a bridge key? I ask
this because I noticed that Baermann Book IV listed a fingering for c'''
with the three fingers of the right hand down (plus the usual thumb and
register key). Surprisingly enough, this worked on my Selmer (Boehm system,
of course).
I always wanted to try one of these, but from what I've seen, the
finger span for the right hand could prove troublesome for small hands
(since the the first finger covers the f''# hole instead of the f'' hole).
Considering the difficulties the system causes for some scales, I can see
why the Boehm system won out. But the Albert served well for many years,
and I'm glad to know more about it

Thanks again,

David Gilman