Klarinet Archive - Posting 000067.txt from 1996/02

From: Richard Spittel <RichLouS@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: basset clarinet
Date: Sat, 3 Feb 1996 12:37:01 -0500

In a message dated 96-01-31 08:19:47 EST, you write:

>For that matter, why is it that alto
>clarinet parts seem to be rather shunned in concert bands all around, even
>when
>there might be personnel who could cover them?

I think the one of the main reasons the alto clarinet has been shunned is
that it was usually given to rather weak players, and then arrangers and
composers wrote more boring and less important parts for it and the players
decided they didn't want to play it anymore, and there were less and less
players, so publishers didn't bother including parts for it;; etc, etc. etc.
Since it was usually given to a less accomplished player, the sound was not
all it could be, and any "solo" lines were not covered adequately.

IMHO, a band director could have a "good" clarinet player play it for a
semester or year, thus giving the player a chance to play an independent part
(something most section clarinet players don'l usually get to do), and also
give the other players the right idea of what the instrument can do. Played
by a good player with a good mouthpiece, reed, and ligature setup, the alto
clarinet makes an interesting color addition to the woodwind choir and band.
It is good for doubling the third clarinets, and giving that line a bit of
edge to help it project, and also can help support the saxophones, horns, and
bassoons. I have also found in doing transcriptions of classical works, that
the bass and alto clarinets in octaves gives a "presence" but not dominance
to the bass line.

Richard Spittel, Baltimore,MD