Klarinet Archive - Posting 000334.txt from 1996/05

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Basset horn technicque
Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 01:46:04 -0400

A posting was made about a basset horn fingering problem in the second
of the two Mendelssohn concertpieces.

I also struggled with that passage for years and solved it only by
rewriting the part. It is quite impossible on the narrow bore
Buffet (and Selmer) both of which were designed with incredible
stupidity with respect to the low note management. The fact that
it requires both pinkys to play low C makesthe interval required
quite impossible.

I wrote to Selmer for years about the key arrangement of their
instrument and I suspect that they considered me the nut of the
century becauseevery solution they suggested (including making
their b.h. like the low-C bass clarinet) was so dumb as to be
unworthy of an intelligent musical instrument manufacturer.

It is as if they had someone design the low key management system
with no knowledge of the repertoire that had to be played in that
register.

I cannot comment on the LeBlanc b.h. fingering arrangements for the
playing of the low note intervals involved, but I suspect that it
is different.

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

   
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