Klarinet Archive - Posting 000296.txt from 1996/03

From: "Lorne G. Buick" <mcheramy@-----.CA>
Subj: Re: more C clarinets
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 07:48:03 -0500

Daniel, it's hard for me to tell which side of the fence you're sitting on
here. You start out saying that the C clarinet has a unique tone colour,
then later question whether anyone can tell the difference between Eb and C
in Symphonie Fantastique. Naturally we clarinetists tend to pay more
attention to clarinet sound and the difference between members of the
clarinet family, so we probably notice more than the average listener; but
if we made all our musical decisions on the basis of the average listener
the music world would be in a sorry state.

To go off on a bit of a tangent, why don't we all have C clarinets anyway?
The cost is certainly no excuse - my wife is a flutist and owns a flute and
a piccolo, total cost ~Can.$20,000. For that amount I can get A, Bb, C, D,
and Eb clarinets and still have enough left over to spend a week in San
Francisco to get Clark Fobes to make me custom mouthpieces...

While I'm on this track, I think the "picking up a cold horn" excuse is
pretty lame too. Get a shorter barrel and/or keep the horn in your jacket.

Pardon me if all this sounds a bit snotty. Just a phase I'm going through,
I guess.

>I do believe that the C clarinet has a tone color of it's own. I've done
>some playing on different C's (an old Selmer and a new Buffet Prestige),
>performed in the two Strauss wind symphonies on C clarinet, and done alot
>of Eb playing. The upper register does have an Eb color (to my ears at
>least) and the lower one is closer to a Bb color.
> Since R. Strauss knew how to write for the Eb or D clarinet (Till,
>Also Sprach, etc) why would he use the C? Some sections of the Strauss
>wind symphonies go into extreme (high C) ranges that are easier (and
>tempting) to play on Eb. For that matter, why would a composer specify D
>clarinet rather than Eb. There is a difference in tone between a D and Eb
>(as with the Bb and A clarinets). The Eb clarinet doesn't have the
>darkness (there's that "D" word again) the D clarinet does.
> This would discussion might be only valid for clarinetists or
>clarinetists ears (like dogs) can only hear these things. Who can honestly
>tell the difference between the Eb and the C clarinet solos in the Berlioz
>Sym Fantastic mvt V? If both are expertly played I think its even hard for
>clarinetist to tell.
>
>Flame on
>that "other" Dan
>
>******************************************************************************
>
> Daniel A. Paprocki
> dap@-----.us
>
>******************************************************************************