Klarinet Archive - Posting 000248.txt from 1995/02

From: "John M. Heard" <jmheard@-----.EDU>
Subj: Simeon Bellison's clarinet
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 1995 12:35:51 -0500

On Feb. 7 Dan Leeson asked if anyone could confirm what kind of clarinet
SImeon Belison played. I offer the following anecdote for what it is
worth.

In the summer of 1950 I attended Tanglewood Music Camp and had Simeon
Bellison for a chamber music coach. In the ww quintet in which I played
oboe, the clarinet player asked Bellison about his clarinet. He said he
had heard that Bellison played an Albert system clarinet and why didn't he
switch to a Boehm system. Bellison replied "yes, he had always played
Albert system clarinets, and while he realized there were some advantages
to the Boehm system, he had had good results with his clarinets and at his
age didn't feel any need to switch".

He played for us on his clarinet, and it was beautiful. I didn't know much
about the Albert system and had never heard of the Oehler system at the
time. All I remember is that his clarinet had fewer little finger keys
than the Boehm system and there were some rollers between them rather like
the rollers on the bassoon.

Regards,

John M. Heard
LA TECH University

J. M. Heard