Klarinet Archive - Posting 000204.txt from 1996/03

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: alto clarinets
Date: Thu, 7 Mar 1996 11:38:03 -0500

It is interesting atthis juncture to examine the possible reasons behind
the failure of the alto clarinet to obtain a firm foothold in the world
of clarinet playing. I think it to be too simplistic to say that the
horns were poor or badly made because, were there a serious marketplace,
the manufacturers would have made a much greater effort to produce more
professional models. It is because they were band instruments, frequently
with optional parts, most with doubled parts (the euphonium would play the
same line, often the 3rd and bass clarinets, too), with almost no literature
in the orchestral or jazz worlds that they may have reached the end of
the road. But they could have been made much better were there a more
serious marketplace.

I am not sure of the mechanism, but I believe that some governing body
(perhaps the American Bandmaster's Association or something like that)
dictates to music publishers what instrumentation must be provided for
band works. Obviously that is not always followed, but in general
that governing body dictates that there must be an alto clarinet part
(or contrasbass part or cornet part or whatever) and this information
is passed on to the composer or arranger who provides one, often ignoring
the instrument's special characteristics. After all if the musical line
is to be executed by a tenor sax, a euphonium, and a French horn, what
motivation is there to give the alto clarinet an ideosyncratic line?

As evidence that the manufacturers can produce very professional models
I remind the list members that the LeBlanc basset horn, a very
professional instrument indeed, is made from the same design as the
LeBlanc alto clarinet, an instrument with which I have had no experience.
The difference between the two instruments from a manufacturers viewpoint
is that they are not obliged to make a really spectacular alto clarinet,
whereas theymust make a great basset horn. So extra care is taken on
the latter. (I don't know if this a real scenario and I don't want to
give the impression that the LeBlanc alto clarinet is other than a
satisfactory instument. I am simply describing what I would do if I were
the manufacturer who had to make both instruments out of the same basic
design. I would spend only the manufacturing dollars that the public
required me to spend.) And now that I think about it, I realize that
Buffet recently went to the alto clarinet design in their basset horns.

Every time the alto clarinet has come up on this list, it has generally
been criticized for exactly the reasons that I have given here; i.e.,
badly made, intonation difficulties, limited opportunity for serious
playing, etc. The fact that so many people feel that way is testimony
to the general belief that the horn is on its way out, though it is far
from dead yet.

And if the American Bandmaster's Association (or whatever the governing
body is) proposes that all alto clarinets be replaced by basset horns,
the instrument manufacturers would be delighted. That's a lot of
basset horn market under those circumstances; i.e., maybe 50,000 of
them. I don't know how many high schools and colleges today own an
alto clarinet but if they were all replaced, WOW! That's ahealthy
piece of business.

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Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
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